Index: modules/test-db/src/test/java/org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeTest.java
===================================================================
--- modules/test-db/src/test/java/org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeTest.java	(revision 0)
+++ modules/test-db/src/test/java/org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeTest.java	(revision 0)
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+package org.jbpm.test.variables;
+
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.FileInputStream;
+import java.io.FileWriter;
+import java.util.List;
+
+import org.codehaus.janino.DebuggingInformation;
+import org.codehaus.janino.util.StringPattern;
+import org.codehaus.janino.util.enumerator.EnumeratorSet;
+import org.jbpm.api.ProcessInstance;
+import org.jbpm.api.task.Task;
+import org.jbpm.test.JbpmTestCase;
+
+public class DeploymentSerializeTest extends JbpmTestCase {
+  private File targetDir;
+  private String deploymentId;
+  
+  protected void setUp() throws Exception {
+    super.setUp();
+    
+    this.targetDir = new File("target/generated/org/jbpm/test/variables");
+    
+    generateClasses();
+    
+    this.deploymentId = repositoryService.createDeployment()
+      .addResourceFromClasspath("org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeTest.jpdl.xml")
+      .addResourceFromInputStream("org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeBean.class", new FileInputStream(new File(targetDir, "DeploymentSerializeBean.class")))
+      .addResourceFromInputStream("org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeCustom1.class", new FileInputStream(new File(targetDir, "DeploymentSerializeCustom1.class")))
+      .addResourceFromInputStream("org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeCustom2.class", new FileInputStream(new File(targetDir, "DeploymentSerializeCustom2.class")))
+      .deploy();
+  }
+
+  protected void tearDown() throws Exception {
+    repositoryService.deleteDeploymentCascade(deploymentId);
+    super.tearDown();
+  }
+  
+  public void testDeploymentVariableSerialization() {
+    ProcessInstance processInstance = executionService.startProcessInstanceByKey("DeploymentSerializeTest");
+    String processInstanceId = processInstance.getId();
+
+    List<Task> tasks = taskService.findPersonalTasks("alex");
+    assertTrue(tasks.size() == 1);
+    Task task = tasks.get(0);
+    
+    assertNotNull(taskService.getVariable(task.getId(), "bean"));
+    assertNotNull(executionService.getVariable(processInstanceId, "bean"));
+    assertEquals(executionService.getVariable(processInstanceId, "bean").toString(), "DeploymentSerializeBean[value=42]");
+    
+    taskService.completeTask(task.getId());
+  }
+  
+  private void generateClasses() {
+    try {
+      if (!targetDir.exists()) {
+    	  targetDir.mkdirs();
+  	  }
+      
+      File[] sourceFiles = {
+        writeFile(targetDir, "DeploymentSerializeBean.java", getBeanSource()),
+        writeFile(targetDir, "DeploymentSerializeCustom1.java", getCustom1Source()),
+        writeFile(targetDir, "DeploymentSerializeCustom2.java", getCustom2Source()),
+      };
+
+      compileClasses(sourceFiles);
+    } 
+    catch (Exception e) {
+      log.error("Error while creating additional resources", e);
+    }
+  }
+  
+  /**
+   * This method is used to generate classes that will be used within a process but should not be 
+   * on class path while executing process but retrieved from db.
+   * 
+   * Uses Janinio to compile the sources.
+   */
+  private void compileClasses(File[] sourceFiles) throws Exception {
+    log.debug("Inside compileClasses method");
+
+    File destinationDirectory = org.codehaus.janino.Compiler.NO_DESTINATION_DIRECTORY;
+    File[] optionalSourcePath = null;
+    File[] classPath = { new File("."), new File("../api/target/classes") };
+    File[] optionalExtDirs = null;
+    File[] optionalBootClassPath = null;
+    String optionalCharacterEncoding = null;
+    boolean verbose = false;
+    EnumeratorSet debuggingInformation = DebuggingInformation.DEFAULT_DEBUGGING_INFORMATION;
+    StringPattern[] warningHandlePatterns = org.codehaus.janino.Compiler.DEFAULT_WARNING_HANDLE_PATTERNS;
+    boolean rebuild = false;
+    
+    log.debug("About to run Janinio compiler");
+    
+    org.codehaus.janino.Compiler javac = new org.codehaus.janino.Compiler(optionalSourcePath, classPath, optionalExtDirs, optionalBootClassPath,
+            destinationDirectory, optionalCharacterEncoding, verbose, debuggingInformation, warningHandlePatterns, rebuild);
+    javac.compile(sourceFiles);
+
+    log.debug("Class compiled successfully");
+  }
+
+  private File writeFile(File directory, String filename, String content) throws Exception {
+    File sourceFile = new File(directory, filename);
+    FileWriter writer = new FileWriter(sourceFile);
+    writer.write(content);
+    writer.close();
+
+    log.debug("Source file '" + filename + "' created in '" + directory.getAbsolutePath() + "'");
+    
+    return sourceFile;
+  }
+
+  private String getBeanSource() {
+    StringBuffer source = new StringBuffer();
+    source.append("package org.jbpm.test.variables;\n");
+    source.append("import java.io.Serializable;\n");
+    source.append("public class DeploymentSerializeBean implements Serializable {\n");
+    source.append("  private int value;\n");
+    source.append("  public int getValue() { return value; }\n");
+    source.append("  public void setValue(int value) { this.value = value; }\n");
+    source.append("  public String toString() { return \"DeploymentSerializeBean[value=\" + value + \"]\"; }\n");
+    source.append("}\n");
+    return source.toString();
+  }
+
+  private String getCustom1Source() {
+    StringBuffer source = new StringBuffer();
+    source.append("package org.jbpm.test.variables;\n");
+    source.append("import org.jbpm.api.activity.ActivityBehaviour;\n");
+    source.append("import org.jbpm.api.activity.ActivityExecution;\n");
+    source.append("public class DeploymentSerializeCustom1 implements ActivityBehaviour {\n");
+    source.append("	public void execute(ActivityExecution execution) throws Exception {\n");
+    source.append("		DeploymentSerializeBean bean = new DeploymentSerializeBean();\n");
+    source.append("		bean.setValue(42);\n");
+    source.append("		execution.setVariable(\"bean\", bean);\n");
+    source.append("	}\n");
+    source.append("}\n");
+    return source.toString();
+  }
+
+  private String getCustom2Source() {
+    StringBuffer source = new StringBuffer();
+    source.append("package org.jbpm.test.variables;\n");
+    source.append("import org.jbpm.api.activity.ActivityBehaviour;\n");
+    source.append("import org.jbpm.api.activity.ActivityExecution;\n");
+    source.append("public class DeploymentSerializeCustom2 implements ActivityBehaviour {\n");
+    source.append("	public void execute(ActivityExecution execution) throws Exception {\n");
+    source.append("		DeploymentSerializeBean bean = (DeploymentSerializeBean)execution.getVariable(\"bean\");\n");
+    source.append("		if (bean.getValue() != 42) {\n");
+    source.append("			throw new Exception(\"Value must be 42!\");\n");
+    source.append("		}\n");
+    source.append("	}\n");
+    source.append("}\n");
+    return source.toString();
+  }
+}
Index: modules/test-db/src/test/resources/org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeTest.jpdl.xml
===================================================================
--- modules/test-db/src/test/resources/org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeTest.jpdl.xml	(revision 0)
+++ modules/test-db/src/test/resources/org/jbpm/test/variables/DeploymentSerializeTest.jpdl.xml	(revision 0)
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+
+<process name="DeploymentSerializeTest" xmlns="http://jbpm.org/4.4/jpdl">
+	<start name="start1">
+		<transition to="custom1"/>
+	</start>
+	<custom name="custom1" class="org.jbpm.test.variables.DeploymentSerializeCustom1">
+		<transition to="task1"/>
+	</custom>
+	<task name="task1" assignee="alex">
+		<transition to="custom2"/>
+	</task>
+	<custom name="custom2" class="org.jbpm.test.variables.DeploymentSerializeCustom2">
+		<transition to="end1"/>
+	</custom>
+	<end name="end1"/>
+</process>