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Editor's note: Our SOA in Action virtual conference is four weeks away. Don't miss out -- see the agenda here.
Sometimes better described as a "methodology," SOA seeks to define
reusable components or "services" -- repeatable business tasks --
that contain application logic that performs a specific business function such
as "validate customer number" or "insert employee ID number."
These services are defined in business terms, without regard to a specific application,
operating system, programming language or platform.
The greatest benefits realized by SOA are reusability, flexibility and agility.
The other major benefit of SOA is productivity, which translates directly into
cost savings. By managing changes to the business processes rather than maintaining
the way those processes are addressed in dozens of individual applications,
companies save significant expense over time. Each time a service is reused,
cost savings accrue from not having to insert it into or maintain it in another
application.
As more companies embark on this journey, more studies and experiences are
available that can point us to the best practices for project implementation.
An integrated services environment is needed to deliver a rich set of tools
that support the SOA integration process.
The following tips are to help you ensure the success of your project as you
move forward.
Success Tip #1: Clearly Define Your Goals
Goals are critical for a project that not only impacts the heart of your business
processes but also may cross several major departments and may lead to some
organizational change as well.
Prior to embarking on the design phase of the project, make certain that you
have done the following:
- Define clearly your goals and objectives.
- Define specifically what you mean by "success."
- Identify the key business processes that will be addressed in the project.
- Identify the key internal and external services to be addressed in the project.
- Identify the key reusable steps.
Success Tip #2: Understand the Nature of SOA Services and "Loose
Coupling"
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