Service-Oriented Architecture: A Field Guide to Integrating XML and Web Services

By: 
Thomas Erl
Published: 
2004
Pages: 
521
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Book Description

Web services is the integration technology preferred by organizations implementing service-oriented architectures. I would recommend that anybody involved in application development obtain a working knowledge of these technologies, and I'm pleased to recommend Erl's book as a great place to begin. -Tom Glover, Senior Program Manager, Web Services Standards, IBM Software Group, and Chairman of the Web Services Interoperability Organization (WS-I).

An excellent guide to building and integrating XML and Web services, providing pragmatic recommendations for applying these technologies effectively. The author tackles numerous integration challenges, identifying common mistakes and providing guidance needed to get it right the first time. A valuable resource for understanding and realizing the benefits of service-oriented architecture in the enterprise.—David Keogh, Program Manager, Visual Studio Enterprise Tools, Microsoft.

Leading-edge IT organizations are currently exploring second generation web service technologies, but introductory material beyond technical specifications is sparse. Erl explains many of these emerging technologies in simple terms, elucidating the difficult concepts with appropriate examples, and demonstrates how they contribute to service-oriented architectures. I highly recommend this book to enterprise architects for their shelves.—Kevin P. Davis, Ph. D., Software Architect.

Building service-oriented architecture…with less risk, cost, and complexity

The emergence of key second-generation Web services standards has positioned service-oriented architecture (SOA) as the foremost platform for contemporary business automation solutions. The integration of SOA principles and technology is empowering organizations to build applications with unprecedented levels of flexibility, agility, and sophistication (while also allowing them to leverage existing legacy environments).

This guide will help you dramatically reduce the risk, complexity, and cost of integrating the many new concepts and technologies introduced by the SOA platform. It brings together the first comprehensive collection of field-proven strategies, guidelines, and best practices for making the transition toward the service-oriented enterprise.

Writing for architects, analysts, managers, and developers, Thomas Erl offers expert advice for making strategic decisions about both immediate and long-term integration issues. Erl addresses a broad spectrum of integration challenges, covering technical and design issues, as well as strategic planning.

  • Covers crucial second-generation (WS-*) Web services standards: BPEL4WS, WS-Security, WS-Coordination, WS-Transaction, WS-Policy, WS-ReliableMessaging, and WS-Attachments
  • Includes hundreds of individual integration strategies and more than 60 best practices for both XML and Web services technologies
  • Includes a complete tutorial on service-oriented design principles for business and technical modeling
  • Explores design issues related to a wide variety of service-oriented integration architectures that integrate XML and Web services into legacy and EAI environments
  • Provides a clear roadmap for planning a long-term migration toward a standardized service-oriented enterprise

Service-oriented architecture is no longer an exclusive discipline practiced only by expensive consultants. With this book's help, you can plan, architect, and implement your own service-oriented environments-efficiently and cost-effectively.

Member Reviews: 

Review By: Alexander A. Orsini
04/10/2005What is most refreshing about "Service-Oriented Architecture" is what's not found in this book: marketing hype. Instead, author Thomas Erl provides objective explanations and intelligent insight. The author begins by laying a solid foundation of current technologies and standards and then builds on that foundation to create a complete and comprehensive explanation of service-oriented architecture (SOA). The book helps you grasp the concepts as well as the applicability of SOA.

This book provides one of the better overviews on SOA. The author does an excellent job of describing the various technologies and their roles in creating a SOA. First- and second-generation web technologies are adequately covered. The author doesn't detail each technology in its entirety, as each could take a complete book to explain in depth. However, the explanations are sufficiently detailed. The Web sites referenced throughout the chapters provide supplementary information detailing many technology subjects.

The author mixes relevant design ideas and considerations with theory, which is helpful to the novice reader. The information in the book is organized in such a way that allows more advanced readers to skip the technology introductions and jump to the more in-depth topics. The sections on integrating applications and enterprise cover most approaches and patterns. Transaction management and coordination, security strategies, reliability, and policy enforcement integration topics are also adequately covered.

Unfortunately, the book doesn't contain much useful information on documenting or testing SOA, which is important for most people involved in software development. The book jacket claims a complete tutorial on technical modeling is included, but there wasn't much evidence of one in the book. I also expected far move coverage on testing related issues to help identify high-risk areas requiring significant testing attention.

The level of detail the book provides and the coverage of enterprise and application integration design considerations are excellent. The sixty best practices listed are valuable to anyone just learning about SOA. They're also good refresher points for people with more experience on the topic.

The book describes many designs, but there aren't any test-related considerations. The primary objective of a SOA is to facilitate integrating software that is inherently complex to build and test. The book did a great job from the designing and building perspective, but the testing perspective deserved much more coverage. That said, this still remains the only book on SOA I recommend.

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