Chris Peltz

Developers are beginning to develop more sophisticated Web services, exchanging complex XML documents rather than simple parameter types. As this shift takes place, development teams begin to grapple with different approaches to designing these Web services interfaces through the use of WSDL. As we've worked with a number of these teams, we've begun to discover some important best practices that can be applied, particularly in the use of XML Schemas in a Web services design. In this article, we will focus on four specific areas: XML Schema style, namespaces, XML and WSDL import for modularity, and use of schema types for platform interoperability. Through the use of these techniques, you will be able to achieve a higher degree of portability of your WSDL and XML Schemas and will realize improved reusability and interoperability between a broader collection of Web s... (more)

Design Strategies for Web Services Versioning

Application versioning has always been a challenge for the developer community. With the introduction of Web services, this issue becomes even more difficult as developers are dealing with a more distributed set of components that aren't necessarily under their control. A robust versioning strategy is needed to support multiple versions of Web services in development. This can allow for upgrades and improvements to be made to a Web service, while continuously supporting previously released versions. The right versioning strategy can maximize code reuse and provide a more managea... (more)

Web Services Orchestration and Choreography

Web services are rapidly emerging as the most practical approach for integrating a wide array of customer, vendor, and business-partner applications. While many companies have begun to deploy individual Web services, the real value will come when enterprises can connect services together, providing higher value to an organization. Early experience shows that to make the most of new Web services investments there must be a standard approach to Web services composition. IT organizations need the agility to adapt to customer requirements and changing market conditions. But existing ... (more)

Applying Design Patterns to Web Services Architectures

From the beginnings of the well-known "Gang of Four" design patterns book to more recent publications on J2EE design patterns, the software industry has always tried to find ways to design frameworks, ideas, and concepts that could be used repeatedly. With the introduction of Web services technologies, the need for design patterns remains the same. The good news is that software architects today can apply many of the existing design patterns to Web services. Use of these patterns can greatly help the architect in building scalable, reliable, and robust Web services architecture... (more)

JavaOne 2003

This year's JavaOne provided a good overview of the state of Web services today. This show report focuses on XML and Web services coverage at the event. Java and Web Services The J2EE community is working to better integrate Web services technologies into the platform. The J2EE 1.4 platform will provide a fully integrated Web services model, with support for SOAP 1.1, WSDL 1.1, and XML 1.0. The second beta of the J2EE 1.4 was announced during the conference. Also announced was the availability of the Web Services Development Pack (WSDP) 1.2, which provides a set of enhanced XML a... (more)