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. Topic
Scenario:
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Question:
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Asked by: xxx