In the rush to build out service-oriented architecture a few fundamentals have gotten lost in the shuffle, perhaps none more than data integration.
At the end of the day, your SOA is only as versatile and agile as your data allows it to be. A major, often unasked, question in SOA implementation is "How does my data need to behave in this new architecture?" We are now hearing regular reports that not enough users have been asking that question, according to a recent Forrester report only half of enterprise architects have a data architecture program in place.
Given that, it's no surprise to see Red Hat scoop up MetaMatrix while IBM, Oracle, BEA and Progress Software continue to push their data integration platforms. These companies do their homework. They know a lot of users are feeling a pinch when it comes to data flexibility and consumption.
For those of you looking to take that step, we've got the next lesson in our SOA school for architects. It focuses on SOA data integration.
Included is a Webcast with SOA expert David Linthicum on Bringing Together Data Integration and SOA. Also in the mix is a written tip from our XML guru Ed Tittel on the instant usability of the XQuery 1.0 specification. The third part is a podcast conducted by IT media icon Paul Gillin on streamlining data integration with XQuery. It should prepare you and your organization for the SOA-related data challenges that lie ahead.
Also, SearchWebServices.com will be running the third installment of its Eclipse Europa preview this Thursday, focusing on the latest from Eclipse's Data Tools Project. The first two parts of the preview focused on modeling tools and SOA tools.
