Last week,I published a feature article here at ebizQ on the urgency of integrating and managing the data that flows through SOAs.
Boris Lublinsky also discusses this challenge in a recent article, which looked at a proposal published by Brian Byrne, David McCarty, Guenter Sauter, Peter Worcester and John Klingover at IBM.
The IBM team offers a systematic approach -- three design patterns that help assure data quality, semantics, and structure within SOA efforts. All too often, Boris adds, the information aspects of the SOA are "an afterthought." Data management needs to be designed into the SOA right from the start, he urges.
The three SOA data design patterns include:
Define the data semantics through a business glossary. "A foundation for any successful SOA is the establishment of a common,
easily accessible business glossary that defines the terms related to
processes, services, and data."
Define the data structure through canonical modeling."The development time and quality of SOA projects can be greatly
improved if SOA architects leverage a canonical model when designing
the exposed data formats of service models."
Analyze the data quality. "Quality issues which are insignificant within the original single
application may cause significant problems when exposed more broadly
through an SOA on an enterprise level."
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