A Sorely Needed Book for our Camp - SOA Must Read for C#/.NET

This is the only book I am aware of that will show you how to correct all the inherent design issues (in terms of reaching an SOA) in using the 'default' Microsoft implementation of Web Services. It is astounding how many of my consulting customers I see who either don't know the WSE exists or know it exists but are reluctant to introduce change and stick with RPC style intrinsic Web Services in the base .NET releases. They lose SO MUCH and it is my job typically to move them to where this book describes (and I use it daily).

To do SOA correctly, it takes a shift in mindset that Microsoft does not really educate you on. Even the WSE documentation does not cover this. There must be other sources but I have not found them (to be clear I mean with such a Microsoft Focus - there are others but they don't have the details about the WSE 2.0 we need and he even shows how this can be done without the WSE in the beginning of the book - but I recommend using the WSE 1,000%).

For an SOA the XML-Schema is so important for both input and output of your richly defined services. As this book describes, UML is a create starting point (and the best tool I have found is an amazing tool called `Sparx Enterprise Architect' which goes from UML to XSD seamlessly).

1) If you are going to try to use Web Services, consider the SOA approach (they are absolutely not the same. WEB SERVICES != SOA by default)

2) This book will literally walk you through how you can make WEB SERVICES == SOA

3) It is not easy. Many are used to just adding a project and throwing an attribute on a method. You have MUCH more work to do, but the benefits are described in this book and they are well worth the effort unless you are doing trivial things with these technologies.

I know for a fact this will all get easier with VS 2005 (now a release candidate!) but for now, we must resort to these techniques (they are not all THAT bad). I know of at least one company that will make all this much easier (cannot say due to NDA but email me and I will see if I can get permission).

My clients often don't even know where to start, and they also fail to understand the importance of the WS-I for interoperability and what exactly an SOA is. Many believe it is just Web Services. I spend as much time educating as coding. Although this book is not really about interoperability, the WSE 2.0 SP3 today is required to reach WS-I interoperability (see the patterns and practices sample app on this), which is another reason you want this book.

In addition to this book (think in terms of 'Operational' - Code, 'Tactical' - Mid-Level Planning, and 'Strategic' - Longer Term Company Strategy) this is both an Operational and Tactical book. The strategic level leads us to Indigo. Well WSE 2.0 and WSE 3.0 are promised to get us there. So if you are still not using WSE 2.0, wow, just the fact you are not using the TCP channel and loosing all that potential performance is enough. But you are also not on the `train' of compliance Microsoft has made very clear and you are outdated, plain and simple. WS-I compatibility and a true SOA are motivations enough. If you are not using WSE 2.0 today (or 3.0 if you are using VS 2005) then you are loosing massive amounts in 'opportunity cost' and likely real cost.

See my recommend book list for more options and again, feel free to contact me for more info.

Kind Regards,
Damon Carr, CTO

Other Reviews

• A great introduction to Web Services
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• A Sorely Needed Book for our Camp - SOA Must Read for C#/.NET
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