SOA Through Analogy
To understand SOA, let's take an analogy of a 'Holiday Tour'. Let's assume that your boss is too happy and grant your vacation leaves. Also assume that you leave in Bombay and wish to visit London in this vacation. Now we will see how you accomplish your trip.
You first get a taxi to reach at airport. If you are lucky enough, you will successfully pass the clearances and board in your plane. When you get off, you hire one more taxi. This taxy will drop you at your hotel. You ask service boys to put your luggage in your room. The hotel bus will take you for sight seeing. Thus, you finally enjoy your vacation in London.
At each point of your trip, you were using some services provided by different service providers. Taxi by local transportation, hospitality by hotel, sight seeing by tourism company. All different vendors provide different services to make your trip (task or plan) to accomplished. It may be possible that all of them are predecided. But there are chances of selecting the alternative on the go. E.g. you may also opt a Bombay City Bus service to reach airport, you may use tube instead of hiring one more taxi.
This is what SOA is all about. You use those services that you like to use. In case of a web application or a standalone application, all services are not available in your options. This is because as new services come in, they have to be integrated in your web or standalone application. That means change. But in case of SOA, you just browse through directory and use whatever services you want. So the moment, you hear about a metro train being started in Bombay, you can use it. You are not required to wait for someone to change your application. SOA is too dynamic and services are like plug n play.
Here service means the ability of one entity (or component) to perform a job for another entity. taxi, bus, hotel, they all are services used to fulfil your goal to trip London.
OASIS Reference model for SOA defines SOA as "a paradigm for organizing and utilizing distributed capabilities that may be under the control of different ownership domains".
Many questions why would one service provider use SOA and allow others to offer the services. The simple answer lies in what managerial greeks mean "Competency". They are the best in their work. Every entity involved will focus only on what they do best. Hence it is the cheapest, safest and efficient way of create value for customers.
A lot more to explore in this field but will limit this analogy upto definition only.
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You first get a taxi to reach at airport. If you are lucky enough, you will successfully pass the clearances and board in your plane. When you get off, you hire one more taxi. This taxy will drop you at your hotel. You ask service boys to put your luggage in your room. The hotel bus will take you for sight seeing. Thus, you finally enjoy your vacation in London.
At each point of your trip, you were using some services provided by different service providers. Taxi by local transportation, hospitality by hotel, sight seeing by tourism company. All different vendors provide different services to make your trip (task or plan) to accomplished. It may be possible that all of them are predecided. But there are chances of selecting the alternative on the go. E.g. you may also opt a Bombay City Bus service to reach airport, you may use tube instead of hiring one more taxi.
This is what SOA is all about. You use those services that you like to use. In case of a web application or a standalone application, all services are not available in your options. This is because as new services come in, they have to be integrated in your web or standalone application. That means change. But in case of SOA, you just browse through directory and use whatever services you want. So the moment, you hear about a metro train being started in Bombay, you can use it. You are not required to wait for someone to change your application. SOA is too dynamic and services are like plug n play.
Here service means the ability of one entity (or component) to perform a job for another entity. taxi, bus, hotel, they all are services used to fulfil your goal to trip London.
OASIS Reference model for SOA defines SOA as "a paradigm for organizing and utilizing distributed capabilities that may be under the control of different ownership domains".
Many questions why would one service provider use SOA and allow others to offer the services. The simple answer lies in what managerial greeks mean "Competency". They are the best in their work. Every entity involved will focus only on what they do best. Hence it is the cheapest, safest and efficient way of create value for customers.
A lot more to explore in this field but will limit this analogy upto definition only.
