SOA Governance Book Review

SOA or Service Oriented Architecture has become the choice of system for developers in building applications especially for the enterprise. Through SOA, the clutters of an application are avoided and only the essentials are built for the enterprise.

Developers could easily focus on the important functions as the enterprise is highly focused on getting things done rather than improving the looks of the application. The looks of the application in SOA is also considered but they are only minimal as their importance is not as great as the functions.

Service oriented architecture also gives importance to the eventual users of the application. As they would become the recipient of the application, their involvement in the development process is valued. The success of the application is not based on what it could do but on how users could easily interact with the application. Everything else would surround the concept of developing user friendly application and this could be easily achieved through SOA.

The book SOA Governance by Todd Biske tries to tackle the concept of SOA and eventually improving on SOA from mere concept. It tries to address certain challenges of developers face when using SOA in building applications. Ultimately, this is a guidebook to improve developers in building more user friendly applications.

The Author

Todd Biske is already a recognized name in the world of SOA. With more than 15 years in the IT industry, Biske opted to improve on SOA as his experience with IT is not just based on dealing with developers but with other enterprises. His vast experience includes experience with different industries from agriculture and even with travel.

Biske is a renowned member of SOA consortium which has cemented his role in the SOA industry. With a Master’s Degree in Computer Science, his expertise in the IT industry has led him to efficiently propagate SOA into its current level. He is also a popular blogger for SOA which could be found on his personal website.

Basics Covered

Before jumping completely to the different concepts of SOA, Biske opted to start from the very basics of SOA. Any developer who is already familiar with SOA could use this chapter to brush up on their concepts while those who are new in SOA could learn a lot from the initial chapters. By covering the basics, Biske easily moves on in covering the complicated concepts in SOA.

By covering the basics, Biske also removes the confusion on SOA. Service oriented architecture is basically a concept and much could be derived from that simple concept. That would often cause confusion which increases the possibility of the disparity on what should be done when SOA comes to scene in building an application.

Covering the basics would single handedly set the stage on what should be done in building an application when using SOA concepts. Without the basics, it could be a lot difficult to move into complicated concepts of SOA. Although the basic concept of SOA is not entirely debatable, it could be a cause of confusion if no proper definition is given.

Ample Sample

Todd Biske’s book is a little bit unique, mainly because of the sample you will find in the book. Instead of writing about an actual experience with varying concepts of SOA, he decided to create a fictional company and make it a default sample in every chapter.

The sample is a little bit radical but it works – by using one company, he is preventing the confusion between concepts. If each situation requires a different, especially actual company, the background may not be the same and the targeted solution of SOA may not the right answer. By sticking to a single company, the situation could be easily understood by the reader

The sample company advances with the help of SOA and the situation is all too familiar for most start-up companies who have achieved prominence in their respective industry with the help of SOA.

Each step of the way, there is a complete evaluation of their movements with regards to SOA and points out the factors which could lead to their success. The benefits of using SOA are pointed out in every chapter of the book especially with the sample company.

Governance and Services

As the book is about governance, the concept of governance is thoroughly discussed in this book. This is already expected as implied by the title. But what makes this book efficient is not just based on the application of SOA concepts in terms of governance. The book always points out to certain productivity or a result. By being results oriented, developers would focus more on what could be done instead of dwelling on the steps which could not assure the success of the developed application.

The interaction of people with the system is also considered. The book has consistently considered the people behind the project and what could be done to prevent human-made disasters. The author acknowledges that the system itself is highly efficient but the determining factor in properly implementing SOA through SOA governance is the people.

Properly identifying SOA functions are also pointed out in this book. Certain services are considered and differentiated with SOA. The best part of SOA is that it could never be confused with additional other functions. That means SOA will properly lay out the functions of the developers and other services required to efficiently build service-oriented applications.

The Book in General and References

Todd Biske has kept the book relatively short with just 214 pages. This makes this book easier to read. The book comes in only eight chapters, not including the appendix and index of the book. A small number of chapters from books of PackT publishing are rare but this has been approved for limited chapters maybe because it has covered the basic topics and efficiently separated the contents of the book so that they could be readable and even skipped if the developer is already familiar with the concept.

A good feature of this book is in its references. Readers are not only given random links and books but they are given complete references on where to find good information about SOA, the people who are already expert in them and even the industry where you can find the much needed help in SOA.

In the final chapter, you will find almost everything that you need to start on your SOA. Chapter 8 is called “Establishing SOA Governance at Your Organization” and it will give you the facts and processes that you will need to effectively establish and use SOA in your company.

A Guidebook for SOA Adopters and Developers

This book is written for early adopters of SOA as well as experienced program developers of SOA. The basics are amply covered and the final chapter obviously helps those who wish to start in SOA in building highly efficient application. The resources are very extensive that it may just be the information need by the early adopters.

Experienced program developers with SOA will also find this book really useful. From the basic facts to result-oriented planning, developers could brush up their familiarity with SOA using this book. It’s written simple for everyone in SOA.

This book is available for purchase at packtpub.com

Read Sample Chapter