This page lists conceptual interesting questions related to SOA. Please use the OTN forums for "normal" technical questions. We want to discuss here only topics, which are generally unclear.
Parent page: SOA

1. System-specific technical IDs
Scenario:
A system knows a customer, who is identified via a customer number an additionally via a technical RowId. The enterprise data model (business object model; BOM) has only the customer number as business identifier for the customer. The SOA transformation of the company just begins, so a lot of systems just rely on the RowId.
Question:
Shall a CustomerService deliver the RowId through it's interface for a readCustomer operation?
Asked by: Torsten Winterberg
Reactions: here

2. Expose PL/SQL as a webservice
Scenario:
A custom Oracle system is used for back office operations. Now, the business wants to move from the monolithic application towards SOA and BPM. The first step will be to expose functionality from the monolithic application as (web) services. Specific PL/SQL functions, packages and procedures are being created to make sure the correct granularity is used.
Question:
Do we expose the services as webservices using the canonical datamodel (or business object model, or enterprise business object), or should we use regulare PL/SQL functions and use adapters to talk to the PL/SQL procedures. One clarification: The ESB is used to expose the 'public' service, the topic is related to whether you want the ESB to call a webservice, or do you want to use some sort of adapter.
Asked by: Lonneke

3. Master-detail data handling using Toplink or Stored Procedures
Scenario:
I want to insert master-detail data, hierarchical XML Data, an electronic form using a bpel process. To handle this master-detail data you can use either Toplink to manage the relationships or stored procedures in the DB Adapter of your BPEL Process. In 10.1.2 and 10.1.3.3 master-detail data isn't handled properly using Toplink, you can bump into different kinds of errors such as out of sync sequences, orphans (child is inserted before the master) and performance issues. When using stored procedures you can handle these kind of issues by providing your own sequence-procedure, no db-sequences, and handling the data yourself. In this case you need to handle the business logic yourself, in your stored procedure and define an error-framework and fault-handling to propagate your errors to your bpel process (compensation handling).
Question:
What are people using today to handle complex data in a bpel process and how are you defining sequence logic, fault handling, deployment issues regarding schema names in jca:operation in wsdl-files of your stored procedures, ...
Asked by: Nathalie Roman

4. Topic
Scenario:
After a couple of pilots and one large project, a customer is ready to implement a canonical datamodel. We created entities (or business object) as a basis, and defined messages on top of them.
Question: How do you define/design a canonical datamodel? Granularity, constraints? Where do you store/publish these xsd's? How do you handle interoperability issues? Versioning?
Asked by: Lonneke
Reactions: I would use the AIA reference guide to have more information regarding the granularity, the name space conventions regarding xsd's and the handling of interoperability issues. The guides from AIA have a load of information regarding best practices in EBO, EBM and interfacting artifacts and how to best define xsd's, hierarchies, etc.

5. Service versioning
Scenario:
Even though there's a lot of things you can do to prevent service interface-changes, there will be a moment in time when you're forced to do so. Then comes in versioning.
Question:
What is the best way of using Service Versioning? Implicit/Explicit? What consequences are to be expected. How to prevent service-consumer failures, etc.
Asked by: Mike van Alst
Reactions: Service Versioning is mostly done in the header-information of the web services, in the actual interface. BPEL already has a notion of the version of the webservice which is put in the wsdl-location and webservice header. Using an automatic release management solution you need top use the specified version defined within each web service. Hopefully this will be standardized amongst SCA and webservices in the future so this is common for enterprise wide applications.

5. How-To Document Services
Scenario:
Maintaining a service and its operations, it's imperative to have a good documentation of the service.
Question:
How do you document a service? Is that generic for all services, or do you have a different way of documenting a service depending on itsclassification or implementation?
Asked by: Mike van Alst

7. Dependencies
Scenario:
Many companies start out with a single pilot/proof-of-concept where a handful of services are devised. Slowly but surely more and more services are being developed.
Question:
The more services you have, the more dependencies will occur. How to get a grip on handling dependencies (especially when you don't have fancy tools ...)
Asked by: Mike van Alst
Reaction: Dependencies should only exist on interface-level because a contract has been defined for each service that has been implemented. To get a grip on these dependencies an overview of all services and service invocations can be made available using e.g. a value chain diagram or service portfolio describing all services made available. We're not using any fancy tools (which would definitly come in handy ;o) ), but we have a clear understanding of our portfolio and the different service invocations. If the contract changes, we can mitigate the risk by having a clear view on the impact on our service units.

Additional Comment: Service dependencies can be generated into a graphical view during deployment. There is an OTN article describing this automated approach (http://www.oracle.com/technology/tech/soa/soa-suite-best-practices/process-and-service-dependencies.html).

8. Service Domains
Scenario:
Decoupling of functional domains when designing a new architecture works fine for me. The domain offers functionality (services and capabilities) around a specific business object or function.
Question:
Is service domains a recognized concept in an SOA approach? What rules can we discern to discover domains? How to minimize dependencies? How to document them.
Asked by: Mike van Alst

9. Topic
Scenario:
Companies expenses are decreased in 2009 because of general economic conditions.
Question:
How can we argue the need of SOA and related expenses with an immediate return on invest in the projects? No mid-rage or strategic effects but shorter and more efficient projects.
Asked by: Markus Lünsmann
Reaction: The need of SOA can be addressed without big investments. Let's say we have different applications that are administered by different departments and data needs to be re-entered in each department. We can definitly augment the efficiency and time investment of these departments by implementing one central data storage solution. This datastore can then be accessed by the different applications using services to be technology independent. In later stages we can then increase efficiency by analysing the need for these different applications and defining one single application with different business processes depending on the departments' needs. In other words SOA is about interfacing and centralizing data and functional requirements to provide loose coupling and less administration, management. This goal can be achieved using an iterative approach with or without tools ;o) depending on the company's investment strategy/ROI and the project duration.

10. Topic
Scenario: SOA became maturity "SOA is dead"
-- Gartner Says the Number of Organizations Planning to Adopt SOA for the First Time Is Falling Dramatically
-- SOA is Dead; Long Live Services
Question: How can we sell SOA toaday
Asked by: Jürgen Kress

11. Topic
Scenario: SOA Sales Book
Question: Your feedback regarding our
-- SOA Sales Book and
-- Cost reduction Value Proposition fro Oracle Fusion Middleware
--> Complete new sales kits uploaded to the SOA Partner Community!
Asked by: Jürgen Kress

12. Topic
Scenario: Oracle SOA Suite in real life projects. Not all today's common features in the human workflow, BPEL and ESB are supported by the Oracle SOA Suite right now. Some of these issues got visible very late during a project, when nobody recons with it.
Question: What are the real life issues and the most wanted missing features? How can these feature requests be priorized in the Oracle product management, so that they will be implemented for versions of the SOA Suite which are productive right now (eg. 10.1.3.3 and 10.1.3.4) ?
Asked by: Stefan Kohlmann


13. Topic
Scenario:
xxx
Question:
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Asked by: xxx


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