Second LEAP Master class

After surviving the ‘Oktoberfest’ in Munich I yesterday attended the second master class of LEAP, see previous post. I was not really excited about this master class, since I not very keen on user interface or experience. After the master class was finished I had a different feeling, I was actually excited having gained more insight in user experience.


The master class was around Enterprise Information Provisioning. What is the best way to provide information through services to its users; what is the best way users can interact with information. Well, Microsoft offers different platforms for ‘experiencing’ (presenting, consuming, acting upon) enterprise services and information. These platforms are:

Windows platform

Mobile platform

Office platform

Web platform.

Nico Copier a Microsoft Technology Architect held a presentation about User Experience. He first went into the layers of SOA and where to place user experience technology like smart clients, sharepoint, silverlight and web.






















Second subject was a tedious, theoretically part around user experience for architects. Here I had a hard time to keep my eyes open, it was interesting but I was still tired from Oktoberfest not the speaker. Nico explained a model for architects to consider when user experience is involved in a project, see below.
















First part in the model is ideas, where one needs to take users in account and divide them into personas, goal(s) to achieve in system (application) and prototyping. Second part is user interface where platform, productivity and performance come into play. Last part is concerns internals proven considerations (quality, installation, error handling, and test strategy), people and pro-activity. To have a better understanding for this model I would advise MSDN Architecture Center site user experience.

Last subject of his presentation was about technology like smart client, WPF, ASP.NET, AJAX and BI. After that we went on doing case studies.

Technorati:LEAP 2008 SOA UX Experience MOSS 2007 WPF AJAX

Software plus Services

In my last post I mentioned Software and Services as a new initiative this year from Microsoft. It is a vision outlined by Microsoft's Chief Architect, Ray Ozzie during his keynote at MIX07. In the coming issue of Microsoft Architect Journal issue 13 an interview is placed, which elaborates on his vision around Software and services. The world slowly transforms from software to services, but both will be there, where software in this context is within domain (on premise) and controlled as a service is outside domain (in the cloud) not controlled, but configured and with SLA's. There will be hybrid applications, both as software and service. Microsoft will shift to this with their products were it can be licensed and controlled on premise or out of the cloud enhanced as a service from a partner of as is service from Microsoft. So Microsoft will provide both Software Platform & Services Platform.

Providing software in the cloud (internet) as service is similar as Software as a service. Software as a service (SaaS) is a software application delivery model where a software vendor develops a web-native software application and hosts and operates (either independently or through a third-party) the application for use by its customers over the Internet (Wikipedia). So there initiative looks like their way of presenting software as a service. Where their software as I mention already is offered as a service.

Microsoft Software plus services is around Microsoft Service Platform (MSP). What is MSP? Well answer can be found in a web article of Microsoft Watch. Little I read so far in Holland is that it is an infrastructure that can be used for more purposes. Microsoft will provide architecture for it, which consists of four layers. Services that a comparable to the current network layer, these so called foundation services will consists of large datacenters, computer racks and network hardware. Next there will be a layer with data storage capacities. Third layer will consist of platform services for identity, presence and advertising. Finally there will be an application layer.

Well this is all new for me and I did not hear a lot around Software and Services until last week during LEAP and the architecture journal 13 I received in my mailbox. Another challenge to understand and digest this, before I can get a feeling or opinion about this subject.

Technorati: Software and services SaaS Ray Ozzie Microsoft Service Platform

First LEAP Masterclass

This week I had my first master class with the LEAP 2008 Program (see my previous posts). Subject was (de)coupling of enterprise systems. For preparation of this master class we had to read a couple of things, which I mentioned also in my previous post. First we had a presentation from Dik Bijl concerning LEAP introduction, goals, means and vision/mission/strategy from Microsoft for the coming years. LEAP program is around topics from ‘back to front’:

Restructure back office (Master class 1)

Access to information and services in the back office (Master class 2)

Provide scalable and reliable infrastructure for these services (Master class 3)

Secure access to information and services (Master class 4)

Support people in their jobs: anywhere & collaborate (Master class 5)

In short Microsoft vision is a global village and virtual enterprise, where people and information are its prime assets. Here there mission is to enable people and business throughout the world to realize their full potential. To fulfill this mission Microsoft provided a couple of strategic initiatives in the past, now and in the future like web services, trustworthy computing, dynamic systems initiative, new world of work, people ready and software plus services. The latter one is their new initiative, where Microsoft visions the world in a slow transformation from software to services. Both will be there, but there will software inside enterprises (controlled) and services that can be accessed from the cloud (not controlled).

Second we had a presentation from Andre Hoekzema from Microsoft. He discussed during his presentation the following topics:

Layers of Service Oriented Architecture

Standardize on Service Oriented Communication

Service Oriented Infrastructure

Business Process Management (BPM)

I will summarize here what was being discussed:

Layers of Service Oriented Architecture are presented below in two diagrams.











Standardization of communication in service orientation concerns two fundamental aspects:

- A common protocol for communication (WS-*)
- A common foundation for creating service oriented applications (.NET Framework 3.0)

Service Oriented Infrastructure a protocol like SOAP is not enough; hence there is no agreement on queued messages protocol or necessity for translation between different data formats or communication between applications that do not speak SOAP. Dominant technology for addressing these issues and providing infrastructure to enable service communication is Enterprise Service Bus. Here BizTalk Server comes into play. Microsoft position there Server Product also as a possible ESB and guidance can be found at codeplex.














Finally BPM, where two views on the matter were discussed; Business view where business is viewed as a set of processes that can be explicitly defined, optimized, and management and a technical view where development uses software designed for creating, executing, and monitoring process logic. Core technologies are:

Workflow (Human and system)

Graphical tools for defining process

Integration technologies like adapters and message transformation

Business Rule engines (BRE)

Business Activity Monitoring

Microsoft provides in these technologies with BizTalk Server, .NET framework 3.0 and MOSS 2007.

After the presentation the group of LEAP attendees, were divided into a couple of groups. Each group had to work on a case around the topic of decoupling of enterprise systems. Each group received the same case and had to present the solution architecture of the case to another group and vice-versa. The case handled about a bank that wanted to improve their mortgage request and contract process. Now it involved to much manual steps and mortgages could only be requested by mail, fax or email. Requests should also be possible through internet (online). In the process of requesting and contracting legacy systems like IBM AS400 and IBM zSeries where involved. In my group we created solution architecture (globally) were we position BizTalk Server 2006 to automate the process and provide communication between IBM and AS400 through adapters (HIS 2006). Online functionality is being provided through MOSS or Windows SharePoint Services. WCF services were being position for communication between front-end and process in BizTalk Server. Discussing the solution between different members inside the group was fun and interesting. After presentation to other group we had diner and went home with a copy of a new book written by Dik Bijl about service orientation and ICT (Dutch).

Technorati: LEAP 2008 Dik Bijl SOA Microsoft ESB BizTalk Server 2006

My SOA Library Grows

Number of SOA literature is growing and this also accounts for my own personal library of computer books. I have added yet another book called ‘SOA Principles of Service Design’ by Thomas Erl. He is according to his own site a top selling SOA author and specialized in giving training and strategic consulting services.




Taken from his site is the following about his books:

His first SOA book "Service-Oriented Architecture: A Field Guide to Integrating XML and Web Services" is a strategic reference guide for creating integrated environments with contemporary technologies within the context of SOA and service-orientation. Released in 2004, this was one of the very first SOA books ever written. It was formally endorsed by senior members of IBM and Microsoft and with over 25,000 copies in print, this book has become the best-selling SOA book to date.

His second SOA book is entitled "Service-Oriented Architecture: Concepts, Technology, and Design" and is the first published "how-to" guide to building service-oriented solutions from the ground up. It provides step-by-step processes for service-oriented analysis, service-oriented design and service-oriented business process design, as well as an in-depth exploration of service-orientation as a design paradigm. Over 35,000 copies of this book have been printed and numerous colleges and universities are sampling this title for inclusion in course curriculum. The book was formally endorsed by senior members of IBM, Microsoft, and Sun Microsystems.

Thomas’ third book, "SOA: Principles of Service Design", is dedicated to service engineering and establishing the service-orientation design paradigm. It provides numerous service design techniques and strategies and further includes a comparative analysis between service-orientation and object-orientation. This title was recently released and has been formally endorsed by senior members of IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, BEA, Sun, Intel, SAP, and HP.

Thomas is currently working on his fourth book, "SOA Design Patterns", which will provide pattern languages and specialized pattern catalogs for architectural and service design patterns specific to SOA and service-orientation. This title is scheduled for release in early 2008.

Besides writing books he is also editor of SOA Magazine. I thought it was the same as the one I have a subscription on called ‘SOA World Magazine’; well not the same. It is a nice addition to my personal online magazine links.

I will be in need of some more time to read this book. Before I can start I have to prepare for the first master class of the Lead Enterprise Architect Program, which will begin this coming Thursday. Preparation is mainly reading a couple of articles from for instance David Chappell: Microsoft and BPM: A Technology Overview or .NET Framework 3.0. This master class is topic is (De)coupling of enterprise systems, where BPM, service orientation, integration and interoperability will play an important role. One of Microsoft products will probably have a lot of attention: BIZTALK Server 2006. I will be looking forward to this Master class, because it has a lot of things in it I am currently doing or have done.

Technorati: SOA David Chappell LEAP 2008 Thomas Erl .NET Framework 3.0

Microsoft SOA and Business Process Conference 2007

Today I have registered for Microsoft SOA and Business Process Conference being held October 29 – November 2 this year in Redmond. I am looking forward to it. There are a number of tracks again like tools (BizTalk), Solution Architecture, Infrastructure Architecture and Business value (read here). It is intendend for customers and partners who can learn about Microsoft’s current and long-term strategy for SOA & Business Process. If you want to attend you can register here. Hope to see some of you there.

Technorati: SOA & BPM Conference