Re: [soa-rm-ra] A general comment on the SOA RA

[Francis McCabe <frankmccabe@mac.com>]

Boris
  The calculation performed by turbotax is a great deal more than  
'mere' calculation -- the entire business model is predicated on this.
  In any case, I challenge you to introduce a meaningful dividing line  
between meaningful calculations and meaningless calculations.
  Anyone can say "I pronounce you man and wife", but only in certain  
situations does it convey a real world effect.
  Frank
On Apr 6, 2009, at 5:55 PM, Lublinsky, Boris wrote:

> Jeff, I looked quickly through the previous version and did not find  
> two
> much changes, compared to the current one. Yes you renamed the
> viewpoint, but it even in the previous version, the word business was
> there as just a name. The content was very similar to what it is now:
>
> "View focuses on what a SOA-based system means for people using it to
> conduct their business.9 The mode of business in a SOA-based system is
> characterized in terms of providing services and consuming services to
> realize mutually desirable real world effects."
> The word real world effect is vague enough to mean anything. Besides,
> and here is a kicker, service invocation does not really have to  
> create
> a real world effect to be useful. Here is an example of using Turbotax
> service online (very appropriate timing wise). When you use this
> services you submit your financial documents and receive back the  
> amount
> of tax that you owe or government owes to you. This is quite useful
> service, but a pure calculational one. It does not change anything in
> the world - just massage numbers. One can of course, say that  
> returning
> back a tax amount is a real world effect, but is it really? And  
> there is
> quite a few services like that, for example, calculating insurance
> quote. On another hand, if I am using a banking service to do money
> transfer, this one has a true real world effect - amounts are changing
> in my accounts. But I consider all of these service useful services.
> Now let's take a notorious example of temperature converter. From the
> outside it seems like a valid service, but in reality you will  
> rarely (I
> think never) use this service in your SOA implementation. The reason  
> is
> twofold:
> - I would be hard pressed to consider this one a useful business
> service;
> - The granularity of this one is so low, it does not make sense.
> So if I am developing SOA I need to know:
> -what constitutes a good service?
> -how do I ensure that my services are aligned and supporting my
> business?
> -how do I decide, which services makes sense for my business?
> -Do I grow my services organically - bottom up or do I try to develop
> overall enterprise model - top down.
>
> I think that in order for RA to be successful this considerations  
> should
> be part of the document, even if they are just asked, not necessary
> answered. There is plenty of sources concentrating on this issues.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Estefan, Jeff A [mailto:jeffrey.a.estefan@jpl.nasa.gov]
> Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 12:20 PM
> To: soa-rm-ra@lists.oasis-open.org
> Subject: RE: [soa-rm-ra] A general comment on the SOA RA
>
> Folks,
>
> Here is a link to our Public Review Draft 1 (PDR1) version of the RA
> released almost a year ago (I can hardly believe it!):
>
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/soa-rm/soa-ra/v1.0/soa-ra-pr-01.pdf
>
> In it, you will see the former name of the first viewpoint and
> associated view, which was referred to as the "Business via Services"
> viewpoint/view.  It was renamed to the "Service Ecosystem"
> viewpoint/view based on feedback from the tutorial given at last  
> year's
> OASIS Symposium and post subcommittee discussions.  I would encourage
> you to have a look at the content of the former viewpoint reflected in
> PRD1 to if the spirit of the message has been lost given all the  
> changes
> that have been made this past year; far too many in my opinion.  I  
> think
> we strayed from the 'business' focus of that viewpoint/view into a far
> too an abstract perspective leveraging the ecosystem concept.  Those  
> of
> you on the subcommittee already know that I have expressed my  
> opinion on
> this matter a number of times.  I think what Frank had captured in the
> PRD1 variant was closer to the mark but too many folks taking shots at
> it have muddled the message.  Once again, I suggest it is time to
> re-assess.  Wasn't that an action item a few months back?  We simply
> dropped it.  Shame on us.
>
> Finally, we need to be very clear about the distinction between the
> organizational principle of "service orientation" versus SOA.  I see a
> lot of the former in the recent threads.
>
> Cheers...
>
> - Jeff
>
>
>
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