Service-Oriented Architecture Best Practices - Essay Example

Author’s name Professor’s name Task 2 May 2011 Service oriented architecture Service oriented architecture is the latest development in the technological world. It presents the interlude between service delivery and the other after functions of software. It eases the functionalism of an organization by emphasizing the importance of services as the chief means through which goals associated with service oriented technological tasks can be met. A new paradigm allows the service providers and clients to interact through diverse technological platforms. Services are the main product in the electronic communication but it always requires constant updating and maintenance in order to function without hitches. Many computer trends depend heavily on SOA such as the BPM and the Web 2.0iii. Web 2.0iiiis a compilation of common sets to architecture and designs, which can be used in several situations. These patterns include, shup, Collaboration-participation, Semantic Tagging, Rich User Experience, and Software as a Service, these patterns are added with software architecture patterns that use Service Oriented Architecture. The main point is the ability to turn the technological assets into reusable materials from which new business ventures can be derived and effectively established. SOA has the following characteristics: 1. SOA services have a unique layout in a format, free XML documents frequently described using the Web Service Description Language. 2. SOA services use messages that had previously been used via XML Schema. There is direct communication between the service provider and the client without the direct involvement of the provider and their messages can be seen as crucial business documents. Each SOA service has a quality of service associated with it like authorization and marks of authentication. The functionalism of SOA depends on the complexity of software interludes whose services consist of differentiated units each of which executes its own unique function. It uses precise processes that define how services are executed, and pass messages through descriptive metadata. The SOA developers’ put together the individual component objects by the use of orchestration whereby the developer links the functionality of the software in no order whatsoever using a software tool that has a complete list of available services (Dirk 98). Elements of SOA These include the following; 1. Application frontends. These are the main functional units of an SOA that start and regulate the activity of the whole system. There are direct communication front ends, but not all must necessarily have the direct communication mode. It is essential that it gives most tasks of the business to one or more services, and it is the one who initiates a business process. It receives the results, a typical scenario of is when a client chooses to directly communicate to his service provider on-line. 2. Services This entails sequential arrangement of operations that clearly defines a given business concept. It is differentiated into different parts: Contract: This works on the agreed upon communication guidelines as unanimously stipulated by more than one business document. It defines the usage in terms of the methodology, agreed upon language, networking techniques and protocol and the formal means of communication. Business processes: This spells out the various activities that are carried out with the main objective of realizing the business goal. It further gives a detailed processes involved in carrying out these activities, these processes offers guidelines to clients and the service providers. Implementation: This gives the business objective and goals and the laid down rules and regulations in a clear data, it provides all the guidelines and agreement documents. Business logic: This is the main aim of the business it gives the long-term objective and the associated tenets of the business. Service Repository Some companies today have come up with their own customized way of defining their services. These definitions are extremely beneficial especially if the generalized definition has services that tend to limit their scope of work. SOA services are more personalized but capable of supporting different uses. An enterprise service repository should include the following; the service performed, the functions, the proprietors, accessibility information, which can enable the operation of a new system also enable it access the services, particulars of an intended performance and it’s usability. Service Bus; It brings aboard all the players of an SOA, which are all the services involved and the front ends. It makes things happen, for example, it enables communication between a service element and the front end. It does not consist of a single technology but is a combination of various products and concepts. The service bus must be a connector to be able to rely the information from one component to another (Dirk 98). The notion of software as a service is a software delivery technique that enables the accessibility of given software and its service components in the form of a web based service. In as much, and every web-based service is delivered via softwares, this term is narrowly reserved for business definitions and has become increasingly common with business applications like accounting, marketing, and other business related fields. It has an advantage over hardware because it allows for the accessibility of information at a lesser cost as compared to a legal application. It can also be accessed without many hustles, and there is no extra effort of installing hardware, which in the long run will require maintenance, and frequent servicing. The business can rent it and use it for storage purposes, and would avail their information to the client. The business then pays for the storage space used upper a specified duration. The benefits of service-oriented architecture are everywhere reaching as has been found by many researchers, it can enable easy and cheaper response to the ever-changing consumer needs and market situations without having a complete overhaul of the existing system. This architecture allows for the holistic operation of an enterprise, as opposed to the stratified level operation, and allows for the inter-functionalism of the existing technological tools. This ensures for business services across all levels. SOA is an amalgamation of all the previous best architecture formats it combines approaches that leads to a highly interactive product in one place, therefore, giving location independence as everything needed can be accessed in a single location. It also allows for the possibility of leaving the consumers and the service providers to work independently this ensures that the service is available on diverse spaces and can be accessed on many networks, which maximizes the recycling of services as the paperwork and blueprint of the service are not embedded in a single large document and connectivity to other networks is easy. SOA has an easy way of testing since the services are independent, limitless with well-documented links that are free from the expensive phase of execution. This provides an independent cost effective infrastructure to the business thereby enhancing reliability. It allows for quick address to customer needs as the system is not rigid neither does it rely on a single system; therefore, the customer can access diverse information on many networks while still on one platform. It also allows the acquisition and compilation of complex information by the customer through the service provider. It reduces the hustle for searching for information by a client by enabling the user to access this information in a single email, for example, a program can be developed that retrieves all the necessary information from a third-party website and be made accessible to the customer in a single integrated email. The business world can benefit by making databases available to different categories of users by availing relevant materials on specific databases using relevant search words. Works cited Dirk, Krasfig. Service Oriented Architecture Best Practices. New York: Prentice Hall PTR, 2005. Read More