Browse Books

From the Book: This guide provides an overview of Web services. The purpose of the guide is to help you make more informed decisions about adopting Web services within your company. Unlike most books you'll find on the subject, this guide is written for managers, not engineers. I've tried to limit the use of computer jargon and acronyms. I don't make any assumptions that you know how to write software. I do assume that you are familiar with the way businesses use software. I present the technology in business terms. I've tried to cut through the hype by presenting both the advantages and disadvantages of this technology. My goal is to help you understand how Web services can benefit your business. I've identified tactical and strategic projects in which Web services offer the greatest advantages. You will find the information in this book helpful when trying to cost-justify a project. It seems that nearly every hardware and software vendor is touting a Web services strategy. I've made an effort to present the technology in a completely vendor-neutral fashion. I also provide some guidelines that you can use to help you evaluate and select a Web services technology provider. I completed this book in February 2003. The information about Web services standards efforts and vendor products is current as of that date. I will publish periodic status updates on my Web site. If you're planning a Web service project, you should read this book thoroughly. If you only want a basic introduction to Web services, just read the first two chapters. If you already feel comfortable with the basics and you want some more specific information about Web services applications or vendor offerings, you can read selective chapters. You can also skim the book by scanning the "fast track" summary in the outer margin, and then selectively drill down into specific sections. I've found it impossible to discuss this technology without using some jargon and acronyms. To minimize confusion, I provide a number of executive summaries of key concepts throughout the book. I also provide a glossary, which provides definitions for all terms that appear in boldface throughout the book. Book OutlineChapter 1: The Integration Crisis. This chapter identifies the motivation behind Web services. In nearly every survey taken during the last 10 years, managers consistently list application integration as one of the top three technology issues facing business. Application integration provides both tactical and strategic value to a business. From a tactical perspective, application integration improves operational efficiency, resulting in reduced costs. From a strategic perspective, application integration enables better access to information, allowing decision makers to make better decisions. Unfortunately, most businesses have a hodgepodge of application systems, developed using different technologies and running on a variety of platforms. It is very hard to integrate heterogeneous systems. The issue becomes much more challenging when a business tries to integrate its systems with those of its partners, suppliers, and customers. Web Services technology addresses this challenging issue. Chapter 2: Web Services Basics. This chapter provides a basic explanation of Web services in business terms. It provides an overview of what Web services are and why you might want to use them. I explain how Web services technology is different from previous integration technologies. I explore Web services business models, using case studies as examples. Chapter 3: Web Services Technologies. This chapter is the most technical chapter in the book. I provide an overview of the core technologies that support Web services, including the Web, XML, the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA). I then look at WSDL, UDDI, and SOAP, the three most popular technologies used to implement the SOA. I explain how these technologies can make your application systems much more powerful and flexible. Chapter 4: Standardizing Web Services Technologies. This chapter recounts the history of SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI, and it explores the efforts underway to define formal industry standards. Although many people view SOAP, WSDL, and UDDI as formal standards, they were developed by private companies. Now these technologies are being standardized by W3C and OASIS. Another organization, WS-I, is defining guidelines for Web services interoperability. Chapter 5: Advanced Web Services Standards. This chapter looks at the current standardization efforts to define advanced features for Web services, such as security, management, transactions, and portal integration. Some efforts, including security and portal integration are making great headway. Other efforts are less far along. Chapter 6: The Promise of Web Services. This chapter dispels the hype around Web services. It examines some of the more popular science fiction stories told to explain the promise of Web services and recasts them into something a bit more realistic. Then it focuses on the progress in the industry that is helping to make these promises come true. Chapter 7: When to Use Web Services. This chapter explores the scenarios and applications that would benefit most from using Web services. Each of these scenarios is illustrated using a case study. Chapter 8: Web Services Infrastructure. This chapter examines the software products that you can use to build Web services. It seems as if every software vendor now provides a product that "supports" Web services. But what does that mean This chapter categorizes the various types of products and explains how they work together and how they fit into your existing IT infrastructure. This chapter also provides a comparison between Java and .NET. Chapter 9: Evaluation Guidelines. This chapter provides basic guidelines that a business manager should follow when evaluating Web services products. Chances are high that you will use different products for different applications. You should choose products based on the requirements of each application. Appendix A: Web Services Vendors. This appendix provides a listing of the most popular Web services products, categorized by product type and supported environments. Appendix B: Evaluation Questionnaire. This appendix provides a list of questions that should help you identify your application requirements during your evaluation. Glossary: The Glossary defines all the terms that appear in boldface.