RE: [service-orientated-architecture] Executive Summary Request: SOA on One Page

[JP Morgenthal]

Todd,               The what/how discussion is relatively moot when you consider that the words following each of those in both of our descriptions are the same (e.g. something needs to get done and something needs a way to get done).  I believe our thoughts about processes and services are aligned there.               I agree with your belief that eminent domain is not going to happen, especially in large, established organizations.  The micro view seems to be the most approachable right now, but I am concerned that some companies will be hindered by the lack of cohesion on the SOA concept.  Seems a lot of people are selling something concrete here, when it’s really about strategy.   JP   From: service-orientated-architecture@yahoogroups.com [mailto:service-orientated-architecture@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Todd Biske Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 11:37 PM To: service-orientated-architecture@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [service-orientated-architecture] Executive Summary Request: SOA on One Page The part that didn't sit right with me was the line before the one you called out.   I feel that the process defines how something gets done, and the service defines more of what is being done.   The problem with going to the "plan" metaphor is that SOA does not equal EA.   To me, SOA merely states that a core unit used in describing the architecture is a service.  Services alone are not enough.  To use the city planning analogy (timely sidenote, I just posted a blog entry that discusses the city planning analogy before reading this), SOA would just tell me I'm going to have a retail district in these areas, a residential district here, hospitals here and here, etc.  If this is all I do, I won't have a successful city.  I need to determine what the interconnecting roads are, the traffic patterns, power grids, etc.  That spans into enterprise architecture.   I would edit the abstract so that the macro view is about making SOA fit into the broader enterprise architecture.     All of this aside, I think the subject you're trying to address is one of the biggest challenges for IT right now.  I'm working on a vision document whose goal is to get people to understand that simply looking at existing projects and identifying some service boundaries (your micro view) will not yield an enterprise SOA.  At the same time, using the thoughts in my blog entry, no CxO is about to evoke eminent domain over the entire enterprise and bulldoze it to start from a macro view.  Hopefully, you'll put some of your thoughts from the presentation up on your blog after the talk.  I'd love to see what you have to say.   -tb     On Jan 12, 2006, at 7:39 AM, JP Morgenthal wrote: Today, I had to send in an abstract for an SOA talk at LinuxWorld Canada.  In that abstract, I had to capture the essence of SOA for a wide audience, not just IT practitioners.  This was a great exercise, but based on Anne’s slide, I’d like to float the results of my efforts across the group to see what the general consensus is on my thinking. The abstract is provided in full below so you can see everything in context.  However, the line I’d like to focus on is “The SOA is the plan for how that service will be deployed, accessed and managed.”  For me, I think the greatest dilemma around SOA as a term is the word architecture.  I started picking apart the term in an effort to define it and, to me, architecture is a plan.  A building architecture is a plan, it’s not the foundation (ESB), it’s not the beams (SOAP), it’s not the floors (services).  It’s a plan of how all these things will come together into a complex structure that won’t fall down.   Many individuals on this list carry great weight with their words in the industry and upon reading their take on ESB and other attributes of SOA, I find much of the thinking focused on SOA being implementation-oriented rather than a plan.  It’s my belief that when we discuss SOA, we need to realize that every SOA is not going to be identical in the way that every building is not going to be identical.  However, there are some basic rules of engineering and physics that need to be adhered to, or the building will fall down.  I believe it’s these aspects of SOA that we need to capture, catalog and teach when developing and SOA.  After that, let’s see how magnificent the buildings can get! ABSTRACT ========= SOA: The Macro and Micro View Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)—the micro view—is a powerful approach to developing and deploying software systems.  At the macro view, however, SOA can have far reaching impact for departments other than IT.  The service is rapidly becoming the representation of a unit of work within the enterprise.  If process represents the “what has to get done,” then the service represents the “how to get it done.”  The SOA is the plan for how that service will be deployed, accessed and managed.  This session will show attendees how to grow from a single service to an enterprise-scale SOA in a pragmatic fashion.  It will also show best practices for development of services contracts and service management. size=2 width="100%" align=center tabIndex=-1> From: service-orientated-architecture@yahoogroups.com [mailto:service-orientated-architecture@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf OfAnne Thomas Manes Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 5:11 PM To: service-orientated-architecture@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [service-orientated-architecture] Executive Summary Request: SOA on One Page I have attached a slide that I frequently use to describe some of the basic concepts associated with SOA -- specifically the concept of multiple applications sharing the same set of services. This slide certainly does not completely describe SOA, but I find it a useful starting point. Anne On 1/9/06, ballietf <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Has any one described SOA on one PowerPoint slide? If so, is it something you can share with me? I received a request for such a "picture" from a senior executive and, in the name of "re-use", I prefer to leverage the good work of another rather than create my own. Thanks for the help. Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to:      http://groups.yahoo.com/group/service-orientated-architecture/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:     [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/   YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS    Visit your group "service-orientated-architecture" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! 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