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

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.

Service-oriented integration with less cost and less risk

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.

About the Web Sites

Erl's Service-Oriented Architecture books are supported by two Web sites. http:// www.soabooks.com provides a variety of content resources and http:// www.soaspecs.com supplies a descriptive portal to referenced specifications.

Drawing from the XML & web services integration framework (XWIF) he developed, Erl describes strategies for integrating XML and web services technology into single application environments, and introduces service-oriented architectures, based on encapsulating application logic within services that interact via a common communications protocol, for legacy and enterprise cross-application integration. Annotation © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Thomas Erl is the world's top-selling SOA author and the Series Editor of the Prentice Hall Service-Oriented Computing Series from Thomas Erl  http://www.soabooks.com/

His first two books, Service-Oriented Architecture: A Field Guide to Integrating XML and Web Services and Service-Oriented Architecture: Concepts, Technology, and Design have become international bestsellers and have been formally endorsed by senior members of major software organizations, such as IBM, Sun, and Microsoft. Thomas is also the founder of SOA Systems Inc. http://www.soasystems.com, a company specializing in SOA training and strategic consulting services with a vendor-agnostic focus. Through his work with standards organizations and independent research efforts, Thomas has made significant contributions to the SOA industry, most notably in the areas of service-orientation and SOA methodology. Thomas has had numerous articles and papers published on Web sites and in industry trade magazines, and is a speaker and instructor for private and public events. To learn more, visit http://www.thomaserl.com.