Service-Oriented Architecture

Service-Oriented Architecture

Bin Liu

SEP 1 2010

A service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a software architecture perspective that focuses on the development, use, and reuse of small self-contained blocks of code (call service) to meet all the application software needs of an organization. A service is a unit of work done by a service provider to achieve desired end results for a service consumer. These services communicate with each other. The communication can involve either simple data passing or it could involve two or more services coordinating some activity.

An SOA perspective enable organization to respond more adeptly to customers, end users, software development, information needs, and hardware requirements. An IT-enable SOA philosophy allows organization to provide customers with multi-channel service delivery options and customizable products and service. An SOA philosophy requires that organization view its end users of IT and a fully integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP) meets every application software and information need of each and every employee. Organizations can choose numerous software development methodologies that focus on the production and reuse of block of code to speed the process of software development- rapids application development (RAD), extreme programming (XP), and agile methodology are among them. An SOA approach to information requires that: information is in s standard format, strict and rigorous integrated control mechanisms are needed, no duplicate information exists in disparate silos, and any kind of information can be quickly and easily coupled with other information. [1]

The following guiding principles define the ground rules for development, maintenance, and usage of the SOA: standardized service contract, service loose coupling, service abstraction, service reusability, service autonomy, service statelessness, service...