In today's companies changes happen very fast. On the one hand more and more new technologies are arising, on the other hand business processes have to change because of mergers and acquisitions, new regularities, changing customer requirements and so forth. As business processes are supported by information technology, information technology has to cope with both types of changes. From a business perspective on-demand adaptation of information technology to business is required. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is currently discussed as an opportunity to better adapt to those changes.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation and Objectives
1.2 Structure of the Thesis
1.3 General Conventions
1.4 Cooperation
2 Basic Principles
2.1 Principles of Information and Application Systems
2.1.1 Information Systems
2.1.2 Level of Tasks and Level of Task Bearers
2.1.3 The Concept of a Business Task
2.1.4 Application Systems
2.1.5 Distributed Systems
2.2 Architectures of Information and Application Systems
2.2.1 Information System Architecture
2.2.2 Application System Architecture
3 Service-Oriented Architecture
3.1 Fundamentals of Service-Oriented Architecture
3.1.1 The SOA Concept
3.1.2 Principles of Service-Orientation
3.1.3 Meta-Model for Service-Oriented Architecture
3.1.4 Reference Model for Service-Oriented Architecture
3.1.5 Definition of SOA
3.2 Implementation of Service Oriented Architectures
4 SAP's Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture
4.1 Fundamentals of Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture
4.1.1 Basic Concepts of Enterprise SOA
4.1.2 Definition of Enterprise SOA
4.2 Technology Environment of Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture
4.2.1 NetWeaver Overview
4.2.2 Composite Application Framework
4.2.3 Visual Composer
4.3 Ecosystem
5 Approach to Design and Implementation of an SOA
5.1 Design of an SOA
5.1.1 The Semantic Object Model (SOM)
5.1.2 Specification of the Business System using SOM Methodology
5.1.3 Specification of the Business Application System using SOM Methodology
5.1.4 Technical Design for Implementation with SAP NetWeaver
5.2 Implementation of an SOA using SAP NetWeaver Technology
5.2.1 Creation of Processes with CAF Guided Procedures
5.2.2 Implementation of Back End Web Services in ABAP or Java
5.2.3 Implementation of Composite Services with CAF Core
5.2.4 Implementation of User Interfaces with Visual Composer
6 Design and Implementation of the Case Study Architecture
6.1 Introduction
6.1.1 Technical Environment
6.1.2 Scenario of the Case Study
6.2 Design of the Case Study Architecture
6.2.1 Specification of the Business System
6.2.2 Specification of the Business Application System
6.2.3 Technical Design for Implementation with SAP NetWeaver
6.3 Implementation of the Case Study Architecture
6.3.1 Process, Blocks and Actions in CAF GP
6.3.2 Back End Web Services based on J2EE Development
6.3.3 Composite Services and Web Services in CAF Core
6.3.4 Visual Composer iViews with Web Service Calls
6.3.5 Users in the Enterprise Portal
6.3.6 Callable Objects and Process Flow in CAF GP
6.3.7 Universal Work List Configuration
6.3.8 Process Initiation
6.4 Evaluation
6.4.1 Design Phase
6.4.2 Implementation Phase
7 Summary
Objectives and Research Focus
This thesis examines the concept of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture (Enterprise SOA/ESOA) to provide a comprehensive, theoretical, and practical overview. The primary goal is to bridge the gap between business requirements and information technology by providing a vendor-neutral theoretical foundation and a practical case study using SAP NetWeaver technology.
- Theoretical examination of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) and its core principles (autonomy, loose coupling, abstraction, etc.).
- Detailed analysis of SAP’s Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture (ESOA) and the supporting technology stack, including SAP NetWeaver.
- Application of the Semantic Object Model (SOM) methodology for top-down business process and application design.
- Practical implementation of a service-oriented application for a fictional event management company (Event Management Group - EMG) using SAP CAF (Composite Application Framework) and Visual Composer.
Excerpt from the Thesis
1.1 Motivation and Objectives
In today’s companies changes happen very fast. On the one hand more and more new technologies are arising, on the other hand business processes have to change because of mergers and acquisitions, new regularities, changing customer requirements and so forth. As business processes are supported by information technology, information technology has to cope with both types of changes. From a business perspective on-demand adaptation of information technology to business is required [Zach05]. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is currently discussed as an opportunity to better adapt to those changes.
Although the hype surrounding SOA is immense, the concept is still in its early childhood with regards to concrete implementations. According to a survey conducted by Experton Group only three percent of 110 German enterprises, all with over 100 Employees, have a SOA based solution in place [Expe06]. Besides high costs expected from migration to SOA the lack of SOA know-how is identified as a main reason. As the survey reveals 45 percent of the interviewed enterprises have nearly no knowledge or no knowledge about SOA at all.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides the motivation for adopting SOA in a fast-changing business environment and outlines the thesis structure.
2 Basic Principles: Establishes fundamental concepts of information and application systems, including task analysis and system architecture, which serve as a base for later discussions.
3 Service-Oriented Architecture: Discusses vendor-neutral SOA fundamentals, core design principles like loose coupling and autonomy, and introduces relevant meta-models.
4 SAP's Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture: Explains SAP's specific blueprint (ESOA), the technology platform NetWeaver, and its components like CAF and Visual Composer.
5 Approach to Design and Implementation of an SOA: Details the methodology for design (SOM) and technical implementation steps for building an SOA environment.
6 Design and Implementation of the Case Study Architecture: Describes the practical application of the discussed concepts to a case study (EMG), covering design, implementation, and evaluation.
7 Summary: Concludes the thesis by summarizing the findings and reflecting on the evolution of SOA and Enterprise SOA.
Key Terms
Service-Oriented Architecture, SOA, Enterprise SOA, ESOA, SAP NetWeaver, Business Process Management, SOM, Semantic Object Model, Composite Application Framework, CAF, Visual Composer, Web Services, Loose Coupling, Business Process Design, Information Systems
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this thesis?
The thesis explores the design and implementation of Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA) and their enterprise-level counterpart (Enterprise SOA) within the context of business information systems.
What are the primary areas of focus?
It focuses on bridging the gap between business processes and technical IT implementations by using standard theoretical models and modern SAP NetWeaver tools.
What is the main goal of this work?
The goal is to provide a clear understanding of SOA concepts and demonstrate how these concepts can be practically applied to build service-oriented enterprise applications using specific software frameworks.
Which scientific methodology is used?
The work utilizes the Semantic Object Model (SOM) methodology to model business processes and application systems from a top-down perspective.
What is covered in the main section?
The main section covers basic IS principles, SOA fundamentals, the SAP Enterprise SOA blueprint, design methodologies, and a detailed practical case study.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include SOA, Enterprise SOA, SAP NetWeaver, Composite Application Framework, Visual Composer, Business Process Management, and Semantic Object Model.
How does the case study illustrate the theory?
The case study applies the SOM-based design to a fictional company (EMG) and implements the resulting requirements using SAP's technical stack (CAF, GP, and Visual Composer).
What is the role of SAP NetWeaver in this study?
SAP NetWeaver acts as the concrete technology environment through which the conceptual SOA/ESOA design is implemented and demonstrated.
What conclusion is drawn regarding implementation?
The author concludes that while the vision of SOA is strong, actual implementation requires deep technical expertise across multiple layers and tools, and that better integration of design and development environments would improve usability for business experts.
- Quote paper
- Tobias Thiel (Author), 2006, Design and Implementation of a Service-oriented Information System Architecture Based on a Case Study, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/71427
