Services (SOA) Oriented Integration SOI

Semantech Inc. 2008 - Lecture Series Services Oriented Integration - SOI (A SOA-based Methodology for Enterprise Integration) Presented by Stephen Lahanas Principal Consultant, Semantech Inc. Feb 23th, 2008 Copyright 2008, Semantech Inc. – All Rights Reserved http://www.semantech-inc.com I

Introduction

This presentation is meant to provide an introduction to a new practice approach designed to facilitate enterprise integration using SOA as a foundation.

Services Oriented Integration – SOI encompasses a set of related processes that together provide a comprehensive solution for complex transformation.

We will explain why SOI is necessary, what it provides and how it is managed.

SOI is not trend or hype, it is a problem solving tool…

SOA Defined

“ Service-oriented architecture represents an architectural model that aims to enhance the agility and cost-effectiveness of an enterprise while reducing the overall burden of IT on an organization .”

www.soaglossary.com

There are at least a dozen other similar definitions available on the web from credible sources – there is no industry standard definition, though. Nor is there an industry standard threshold of recommended standards which taken together comprise ‘The Real SOA.’

A DoD SOA Perspective

“ Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a design blueprint or framework for applications within an enterprise. SOA is an approach to building and maintaining an enterprise’s information systems that provides both flexibility and the leveraging of past investment through the use of modularized software components performing key business functions, linked and enabled via standard interfaces, definitions and communication protocols.”

USAF SOA Playbook, Nov. 2007

What is SOA, Really ?

A Logical Extension of Design Philosophies – Service Oriented Architecture extends the principles of Object Oriented Design (OOD) and merges it vertically through n tier architecture layers.

Objects & Classes (analogous to services and service instantiations)

Inheritance (implied reusability)

Polymorphism (dynamic binding, decoupled API approaches)

Information Hiding – (i.e. Data abstraction)

It is standards-based, platform independent

(or is supposed to be). The standards are still evolving, platform interoperability is still being proven out.

It views & manages data, business logic and application separately and orchestrates them dynamically. A SOA enterprise can become a single logical system with an unlimited number of capabilities exposed as services.

Why SOA alone isn’t Working…

The SOA Problem – Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) as a philosophy and a practice is still maturing. However, customer expectations for leveraging SOA as a facilitating design strategy to achieve enterprise integration exceed industry capability to meet those expectations.

What’s Missing ? – The logical design best practices for converting sets of complex applications / systems to large enterprise service enclaves & the design conventions in support of federation across multiple large enterprise enclaves. This is equally problematic for industry and government clients.

SOA’s Major Challenge…

The ability to tackle a complex system as a service.

In other words, how does one decouple the n tier layers of a single system that supports more than 100 functions, 100 data elements, several dozen accepted process flows and dozens of unique reporting formats? [perhaps 2 million lines of code]

Furthermore, how are the parts of the decoupled layers developed and managed – who does what now. The enterprise expectations for how UI, process and data should be handled in most cases will be radically different than any one vendor / developer’s perspective.

This also extends to conventions for service design as well and coordination of service logic with the other decoupled layers.

So, the system has now been decoupled, but wait, that only solves the old problem – we now have a new more sophisticated problem to solve.

What is Services Oriented Integration (SOI) ?

Services Oriented Integration – This is a recognition of the current limitations of SOA and what needs to be added to it in order to fulfill expectations for enterprise integration.

SO A & SO E & SO F – Architecture , Environment and Federation all require Integration to work properly together. Semantics bind them all…

SOA Standards in themselves do not solve most integration issues for us, it is still our task to solve the difficult problems using the best tools available.

SOI thus represents; methodology, best practices and specific design conventions for enterprise integration.

Copyright 2008, Semantech Inc. – All Rights Reserved http://www.semantech-inc.com Any SOA-based implementation has multiple dimensions, SOI helps us develop roadmaps, examine alternatives and assess all related issues within a holistic context…

Copyright 2008, Semantech Inc. – All Rights Reserved http://www.semantech-inc.com SOA doesn’t exist in a vacuum, it must be deployed somewhere, that somewhere is likely to be a datacenter or application hosting environment (referred in the DoD as NETOPS).

Copyright 2008, Semantech Inc. – All Rights Reserved http://www.semantech-inc.com There is no one right way to deploy SOA, however SOI gives us the ability to assess all related impacts of an implementation and plan accordingly.

SOI & Enterprise Architecture (EA)

Often times, Enterprise Architecture and SOA are viewed and managed separately. This is a serious problem – and one that is easily corrected.

The practice of SOI as a methodology ensures that all elements of architecture are linked to all aspects of the solution lifecycle.

When done properly, the EA can and should define the services for the enterprise…

SOI helps provide the context for integrating multiple EAs.

This diagram illustrates how the EA is directly connected to the solution architecture. The following diagram shows how the EA and the SOA architecture are aligned…

SOI & Solution Architecture

Most SOA implementations are in fact solution architectures. However, the SOA architecture may have to co-exist with multiple other solution architectures. These may or may not be legacy systems (i.e. COTs packages like ERP may be fully modern).

SOA by itself does not have the means to reconcile or deconflict these other architectures, SOI does.

SOI applies Semantic Integration and enterprise integration best practices to harmonize architectures both within and across domains.

SOI & Solution Flexibility

Many practitioners believe that there is a correct SOA solution configuration. There is no such thing, anymore than there is a correct enterprise configuration. The solution must accommodate the needs of the organization in question.

SOI allows us to apply SOA technology without bias or preconceptions of what it ought to look like. It accepts the realities of environments as they are and allows them to evolve according to their own unique potentials.

The main premise of SOI is that all change while flexible is now orchestrated in a single logical context.

Most global-scale SOA initiatives end up having to redefine paradigms. The DISA NCES & NECC programs are an excellent example. These programs are also charged with integrating the current Family of Systems (FoS) environment – GCCS-J.

Key SOI Concept – Federation

It is the primary interoperability challenge associated with SOA and extends beyond it.

SOI Federation involves:

Federation & orchestration of diverse data sources

Federation of data dissemination mechanisms (ESBs)

Federation & orchestrations of services across enclaves, across functional boundaries and across specific business workflows.

Federation & logical orchestration of discrete capabilities within existing systems (potentially exposed as either service or data exchanges).

Federation & orchestration of supporting processes & groups.

Copyright 2008, Semantech Inc. – All Rights Reserved http://www.semantech-inc.com There is tremendous flexibility inherent with SOA, however along with this flexibility comes significant engineering challenges (in either direction).

Key SOI Concept – Granularity

Besides federation, this is single most complex SOA-related integration question.

There has to be an expectation from the enterprise perspective as to how logic will be managed – will there be service interfaces to system level conglomerations of logic or will the services physically separate those functions to support agile development & re-use?

Thusfar, based upon current evidence, it looks as though very different approaches are being taken to this issue.

The jury is still out as to which approach works better.

Key SOI Concept – Service Sustainment

Services from an industry viewpoint are rapidly evolving and dynamic.

This blurs the boundaries of development & sustainment, our acquisition strategies simply don’t account for this (yet).

Part of the value proposition behind services is the future prospect of recombination of existing capabilities to suit new business realities (through composition within complex orchestrated workflows). Will we have integrators or developers managing the evolving workflows separately from the services acquisitions?

Conclusion

SOA is a powerful new tool for IT, however it is not the entire workshop nor the craftsman – we need to understand what it is before we can properly harness it.

Services Oriented Integration is a pragmatic approach based upon 30 years of enterprise experience which takes an evolutionary view of change. New technology does not negate previous lessons learned…