Reviews for Service Oriented Architecture for Dummies

1. Very good introduction

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, August 12th, 2009

   SOA is moving quickly, so books get outdated very soon, but I still think this is the better SOA introduction book I've read.
   The book is completly technology agnostic, that will help you to understand the complete SOA infrastructure and the fact that most vendors miss one or other component. I still refer to some of the graphs of the book, as they are very generic when you just talk about SOA elements and not specific solutions from a given company.
   
   I think it's easy to read even if you're not an IT professional and they put a lot of emphasis on the fact that SOA is the "place" where business and IT can get together, making of SOA something much bigger than a modular approach to build applications.
   
   They do a good job explaining the basics, from here you can move to more detailed books if you need to.

2. Sane introduction to a complex subject

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, September 12th, 2007

   Title says it all, really. This is a 'What?' and 'Why?' book, making the point that SOA is a business strategy rather than an IT one (to the extent that there's not a single line of code in the book). The author's clear conception of what SOA is, and their honest appraisal of the risks and benefits, makes a refreshing change to the TLA-laden waffle that some other titles descend into.
   
   The sections that summarise the SOA offerings of specific vendors will soon age; but the bulk of this book will remain useful for several years ahead. Recommended.