Excellent view of SOA and how Web Services fit in

Firstly this book is an excellent compliment to Eric's other book: Understanding Web Services. Definitely worth reading that one as well (it doesn't really make a difference which order).

This book is a great introduction to the differences between SOA and Web Services. Too many other books tie these two concepts together as though SOA didn't exist before Web Services. SOA had been around for a long time prior to Web Services, which is simply one way of doing SOA. In this book you don't really get into the meat of Web services until page 100, which is the way it should be: the authors lay the groundwork for a concrete realisation of SOA by going into detail about what SOA is, how it's important and how to plan for it within an organisation.

I found the book a very easy read, which is important for this subject: the architectural principles behind this stuff aren't rocket science, but too often other texts dive straight into specifications/standards and blind you with Three Letter Acornyms. The authors of this book build up the book in a way which flows naturally and each chapter delivers on technical and business-oriented rationals.

Summary: if you're looking for a good text on what SOA is, what it means to you as an architect or as a business, and how Web Services may fit into that picture, then don't hesitate to get this book.

Other Reviews

• Practical SOA Book
• A word of reason in the super-hyped world of SOA
• Will save you a lot of time
• Compulsory reading
• Excellent view of SOA and how Web Services fit in