Oracle plans to buy ClearApp, maker of software for managing the performance of composite applications in SOA (service-oriented architecture) environments, the company announced Tuesday.

The deal is expected to close later this year. Terms were not disclosed.

SOA sees applications pulled together from multiple, sometimes shared components, theoretically giving IT departments flexibility and the opportunity for reuse.

But SOA environments also introduce a level of complexity that can make it hard to nail down the source of performance problems or pinpoint the effect of changes made to a given component, Oracle said.

ClearApp's software automatically discovers application components and their dependencies at runtime and monitors performance, according to Oracle. It will work alongside Oracle's Enterprise Manager platform.

ClearApp, based in Mountain View, California, also supports competing platforms such as IBM's WebSphere.

An Oracle FAQ on the pending sale did not specify how those relationships would continue, except to say that existing features in ClearApp's software would be supported.