Journal 10
January 2007
Foreword
Dear Architect,
I can hardly believe that we are already on the 10th issue of The Architecture Journal. It's been a fast-paced ride for the past few issues, especially as we've explored subjects such as workflow, data, and software factories. For the 10th issue, I started thinking about a theme that "ties everything together." We've published numerous articles in recent issues about creating and exposing services in many different scenarios, so instead I wanted to focus on the consumption of these services. And what better way of investigating this than through the use of composite applications.
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when we put out the call for papers in September. I believe that composition in a service-oriented landscape is a term that's still being defined in the industry. Luckily, we ended up with a great set of articles that cover the area from a variety of viewpoints.
Chris Keyser, an architect in the ISV team at Microsoft, leads off this issue with the first article covering the fundamentals of composition, especially when looking at traditional line-of-business applications. Thomas Demmler from Open Text follows, documenting the architecture that his company has developed to help customers be more context-sensitive when responding to queries through e-mail. As I seem to live on e-mail for most of the day, this is an article from which I took away a lot of good ideas! Next up is Atanu Banerjee. In this issue, Atanu takes a deep dive, looking at Office Business Applications (or OBAs, for short), and walking through an example in Supply-Chain Management to see how a new set of tools can help address some challenges in this area.
We take a quick pause after Atanu's article to chat with Scott Guthrie about his career at Microsoft and his thoughts on architecture. Many readers mentioned how they liked the interview in the previous issue with Jack Greenfield, so we're extending the series by getting more thoughts from luminaries in the industry. To end the composite-applications theme for this issue, we have Mario Szpuszta, with an introduction and some recommendations for using the composite-application block and smart-client software factory, based on his experience with a customer with whom he's been working closely in Austria.
To close out this issue, we have two great articles. Because the previous issue on data was so popular, we're delighted to have Semyon Axelrod continue the thinking and share his thoughts on quality data through enterprise information architecture. Wrapping up this 10th issue, we'll take a look at five organization roles through the eyes of Per and Sten Sundblad, as they talk about better software architecture and how it can lead to business improvement.
With this issue completed, the only thing remaining is for me to hope that these articles on composition will give you a different perspective when thinking about consumption of services for solutions that you're building today.
See you next issue!
Simon Guest
Articles in This Issue
Composite Applications: The New Paradigm
By Chris Keyser
Composite applications are moving the power from the developer to the user. See how this shift is coming about.
Context-Driven Access via Microsoft Office
By Thomas Demmler
You don't have to refactor all of your applications to create composite applications. Learn how one company interfaces with legacy systems by using Information Bridge Framework.
Building Office Business Applications
By Atanu Banerjee
Many business processes are document-centric. Explore the 2007 Microsoft Office system features as a platform for composite applications with workflow.
Architecture Journal Profile: Scott Guthrie
Interviewed by Ron Jacobs
Scott Guthrie is a general manager in Microsoft's Developer Division. Get the update on his career and his thoughts on architecture.
Architecting Composite Smart Clients Using CAB and SCSF
By Mario Szpuszta
Learn how the Composite Application Block and Smart Client Software Factory were used to expedite a real-world banking application.
Quality Data Through Enterprise Information Architecture
By Semyon Axelrod
Data quality is not confined to the data layer. Learn how to get better data through your architecture.
Business Improvement Through Better Software Architecture
By Sten and Per Sundblad
See how five organizational roles can help to bridge the gap between business strategy and software architecture.
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This article was published in the Architecture Journal, a print and online publication produced by Microsoft. For more articles from this publication, please visit the Architecture Journal Web site.