JOURNAL 2

Article
01/14/2009

Mike Platt
Architect, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, Microsoft Ltd

Arvindra Sehmi
Architect, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, Microsoft

April 2004

Foreword

Dear Architect,

Over the years we have seen a number of transitions in Enterprise computing; from the mainframe model to client-server computing and then to browser-based architectures of the Internet. We are now in the midst of another inflexion point as we move to services-based computing and Service-oriented architectures (SOA). With every transition there has been uncertainty, discussion, debate and best practice. There have been followers and leaders, winners and losers, systems that worked and systems that failed; this time will be no different!

One thing that has been constant through all these changes is the need for thoughtful, informed, and experience-based opinion and guidance from real practitioners. As we navigate our way through the hype, lofty claims and avalanche of press releases looking for real knowledge and real-world experience we need all the help we can get to mine those nuggets of wisdom which will show us how to build real systems. In this second issue of JOURNAL a model for architectural thinking based on an urban metaphor sets the scene for a great collection of high quality papers where the authors cover a wide range of topics; taking us from considerations for SOA architecture and design, SOA implementation challenges, to the messaging and business patterns required for effective development of SOAs.

As the amount of information on architecture continues to grow the need for real knowledge and experience sharing becomes even more important. JOURNAL brings you some of that experience from fellow architects who are leading the way into the services world.

Enjoy!

Mike Platt
Architect, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, Microsoft Ltd

Editorial

Dear Architect,

Welcome to the spring issue of JOURNAL. With this second issue we've gone global. This is a direct result of the tremendous feedback for JOURNAL1 from Microsoft's customers and partners, together with encouragement from colleagues worldwide. For that incredible vote of support I'd like to say 'Thank You'!

I am proud to have put together a team that believes unfailingly in the concept of a dedicated publication for IT architects and to have the support of some of the most 'agile' senior management in the business. With new sponsors, like Harry Pierson in Redmond, we will take this publication to a bigger audience and extend its reach through multiple delivery channels, including the web, digital download, and through MSDN Library, which becomes the long-term 'store' for JOURNAL. We will also reformat JOURNAL to support individual printing and easier on-screen reading.

Meet Harry; he's a smart thinker in the Platform Strategy and Partner Group in Microsoft, Redmond. He is determined to make JOURNAL available through as many channels as he can dream of, within limits of course. Harry has numerous ideas on how to widely communicate the writing of our authors who are first and foremost the soul of this publication. As editors, our mission is simple: Make sure our authors get heard. So JOURNAL is gearing up for massive reach and the ability to influence thinking about architecture, past, present and future.

We are fortunate to open this issue of JOURNAL with Pat Helland's first public written paper on Metropolis, which uses analogy and metaphor to explore the present and future directions of IT by studying the recent history of our urban centers. Pat's reputation is formidable and as the Architect lead for COM+ and SQL Server Broker past experience tells us that if he has something to say it's probably worth listening to. Metropolis is part of his ambition to write a book on SOA and 'autonomous computing' therefore we expect more papers from Pat will appear in future issues of JOURNAL as his ideas make their way from incubation to ink.

Lawrence Wilkes and Richard Veryard, from their think tank CBDI Forum, remind us that for all the hype surrounding SOA we must not forget that the objective is to build agile systems in support of the business. Sometimes we get so carried away with the compelling power of emerging Web services technology that we need to be brought back to earth again. Their list of principles and best practices does just that.

Easwaran Nadhan from EDS demonstrates how companies must progressively construct components and services involved in the implementation of SOA. He postulates that a road map and company-specific standards are key prerequisites ensuring systematic implementation of such enterprise wide architectures. He identifies eight key challenges a company faces in SOA implementation and uses real-world examples to address these challenges.

Microsoft's Philip Teale and Robert Jarvis of SA Ltd introduce the first part of a paper discussing business patterns—defining architectural templates for business solutions. They identify a set of architectural elements required to fully describe business patterns. This set has been classified and focuses on elements that describe the most stable parts of a business suitable for subsequent "patternisation". Part two of this paper will appear in the next issue of JOURNAL.

Soumen Chatterjee from CGE&Y gives us a description of messaging patterns in SOA. Traditionally messaging patterns have been applied to enterprise application integration solutions, but Soumen uses these patterns to explain how a SOA can be implemented. His insight shows us that messaging patterns can be applied equally well at the application architecture level, especially in SOA-based solutions, because they too are fundamentally message-oriented. See the next issue of JOURNAL for part two.

Please keep up-to-date on the Web at the Microsoft Architecture Center and, specifically, at the new home for JOURNAL, where you'll be able to download the articles for your added convenience. If you're interested in writing for JOURNAL please send me a brief outline of your topic and your resume to asehmi@microsoft.com.

Now immerse yourself in this issue's fascinating world of thoughts, ideas, and sheer good advice from some of the world's leading architects.

Happy reading!

Arvindra Sehmi
Architect, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, Microsoft

Articles in This Issue

Business Patterns for Software Engineering Use, Part 1
Messaging Patterns in Service-Oriented Architecture, Part 1
Metropolis
Service-Oriented Architecture: Considerations for Agile Systems
Service-Oriented Architecture: Implementation Challenges

Download this issue here

Credits

Executive Editor & Program Manager

**Arvindra Sehmi
**Architect, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, Microsoft EMEA

Managing Editor

**Graeme Malcolm
**Principal Technologist, Content Master Ltd

Editorial Board

**Christopher Baldwin
**Principal Consultant, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, Microsoft EMEA

**Gianpaolo Carraro
**Architect, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, Microsoft EMEA

**Simon Guest
**Program Manager, PSPG Architecture Strategy, Microsoft Corporation
https://www.simonguest.com

**Wilfried Grommen
**General Manager, Business Strategy, Microsoft EMEA

**Richard Hughes
**Program Manager, PSPG Architecture Strategy, Microsoft Corporation

**Neil Hutson
**Director of Windows Evangelism, Platform Strategy and Partner Group, Microsoft Corporation

**Eugenio Pace
**Principal Consultant, Microsoft Consulting Services, Microsoft Argentina

**Harry Pierson
**Architect, PSPG Architecture Strategy, Microsoft Corporation
https://devhawk.net

**Michael Platt
**Architect, Developer and Platform Evangelism Group, Microsoft Ltd
https://blogs.msdn.com/michael_platt

**Philip Teale
**Partner Strategy Manager, Enterprise Partner Group, Microsoft Ltd

Project Management

**Content Master Ltd
**www.contentmaster.com

Design Direction

**venturethree, London
**www.venturethree.com

Orchestration

**Katharine Pike
**WW Architect Programs Manager, PSPG Architecture Strategy, Microsoft Corporation

Foreword Contributor