Amjad Umar's Website

Enterprise Architectures and Integration Using SOA

Instructor Corner

Welcome to the instructor corner for this book. It suggests how this material can be, and has been, used in developing courses with a sample course outline and sample projects. You can also download powerpoint slides and the text chapters if you are an instructor.

This corner is always under construction. Additional materials will be posted as they become available.

Suggested Usage in Courses and a Sample Course Outline
Download of Lecture slides and Text Chapters

For additional details, please Contact us.

Suggested Usage in Courses

I have developed and taught courses on different aspects of IS architectures and integration for than a dozen years at different universities (University of Pennsylvania, Fordham Universsity and Harrisburg University) and professional settings (Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Frost and Sullivan, and telecommunications sector seminars). Although the courses have evolved over the years and the content varies with audience, the following sections present the following information:

§ The learning package associated with the this book

§ A recent and generic course description and outline

§ Quick overview of the PISA toolset that can be used by the students to develop SOA-based architecture and integration scenarios for different industry sectors

1)The Learning Package (Text, Courseware, and Toolset)

It is very difficult to teach courses that cover concepts, methodologies, design tradeoffs, and evaluation of different solutions by relying on just powerpoint slides and discussion of case studies. Engaging the students in problem solving exercises is a valuable learning experience. Based on several years of consulting, management, and university teaching experience, I have assembled a package, shown in Figure 1, that consists of this text, lecture materials and a computer aided toolset. This package has been used in academic courses (management/engineering schools) and corporate training with very good results.

Figure 1: The Learning Package

Textbook: This practice-based book examines the most recent and relevant issues in enterprise architectures and integration. Concepts include business strategies, business process modeling, enterprise applications and ERP systems, enabling IT infrastructure (especially Web technologies), service oriented architecture (SOA) and enterprise integration. A methodology is introduced to architect solutions and integrate enterprise applications by using Web Services and SOA. Several case studies and examples to illustrate the key points.

Lecture Materials (Courseware): Classroom tested lecture slides can be freely downloaded from the author site. Instructors can access student projects, sample exams, and other teaching materials. Through an instructor only site. See the author site (www.amjadumar.com) for details.

PISA (Planning, Integration, Security & Administration) Toolset: A practice-based computer aided consulting environment is available to support the text and the lecture materials. PISA can be and has been used extensively for academic as well as corporate training courses on IT planning, SOA, enterprisie architectures and integration, information security, IS analysis and design, project planning and IT governance. The students seem to really enjoy PISA experiments and typically “dry” topics come to life. Free access for a limited period is available. See the PISA website (www.ngepisa.com) and visit the ‘Learn More’ Section of the Website for additional information.

2) Course Title: Enterprise Architectures and Integration

Other Possible Titles for the same course

§ E-Business Technologies and Integration

§ Web Technologies, Architectures and Integration

§ Managing Systems Integration Projects

Course Description

Modern global enterprises are characterized by increased automation, mobile services, extended B2B operations with global business partners, and on-demand business services. The main issue in such enterprises is to architect and integrate a very wide range of services quickly and effectively to cope with rapidly changing business conditions. This course presents a ‘systems’ perspective that combines processes, people and technologies and highlights the role of infrastructure challenges, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and security plus QoS issues in enterprise computing. Instead of one narrow topic, this course establishes a broad conceptual framework that integrates the key building blocks of enterprise wide systems and addresses new challenges as new technologies, techniques, methodologies and standards emerge. The course is roughly divided into four parts. The first part establishes the overall conceptual framework and identifies the key building blocks (enterprise models, business processes, enterprise applications, and analysis tools). The second part introduces and reviews the enterprise computing environments and the IT infrastructure in the global economy. The third and fourth parts concentrate on developing and evaluating integrated architectures using the latest thinking in service oriented architectures (SOA), architecture frameworks, integration patterns, and evaluation techniques. A wide range of case studies (successes and failures) will be discussed and hands on integration projects will be assigned for experimentation with available tools.

Course Prerequisites

§ Basic understanding of IT concepts, equivalent to the text: “Management Information Systems”, Kenneth C. Laudon and Jane P. Laudon, Prentice-Hall, 10th Edition (2007) or later edition

§ Additional courses in IS analysis and design or industry experience in IT involving system analysis, system design and architecture, equivalent to the text “Systems Analysis and Design”, by Satzinger, Jackson, and Burd, Course Technology, latest edition (4^th edition or higher)

Main Text:

Umar, A "Enterprise Architectures and Integration Using SOA", NGE Solutions, Inc. Jan 2010.

Additional Texts

§ Carter, S., “The New Language of Business: SOA & Web 2.0”, IBM Press, Feb 2007

§ Bieberstein, N., et al, “Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) Compass: Business Value, Planning, and Enterprise Roadmap", IBM Press, Oct 2005.

Course Grade

§ Three projects (300 Points)

§ One Examination - in class, open book, open notes (100 Points)

§ Attendance, participation and homeworks (100 Points)

§ Total: 500 points

§ Straight Percentile Grades

Course Outline

Week	Major Topic	Readings
1	Introduction to Enterprise Architecture and Integration	Chapter 1
2	Business Architectures: Business Processes and Business Process Integration	Chapter 2
3	Application Architectures: Enterprise Applications (CRMs, ERPs, eMarkets, SCM, Portals) and Enterprise Application Integration	Chapter 3
4	Enterprise Resource Planning Ssystems	Chapter 4
5	Technology Atchitectures; An Overview	Chapter 5
6	Role of Web and XML in Integration	Chapter 6
7	Semantic Web, Web 2.0 for Integration	Chapter 7 plus handouts
8	Examination
9	Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA)	Chapter 9 plus handouts
10	Enterprise Application Integration through SOA	Chapter 10 plus handouts
11	B2B Trade and Legacy System Integration	Chapter 11
12	Cost Estimation, security & Performance Issues	Chapter 12
13	Mobile Computing and Wireless Integration	Chapter 13
14	Trends and Wraup	Handouts
15	Student Presentations

Suggested Projects and Assignments

The following assignments and projects are suggested (see hints and helpful suggestions):

§ Homework (30 points). An early homework assignment to test and smooth the backgrounds of the students. Specifically, the students will be asked to choose an enterprise from a list of possible industry segments (e.g., manufacturing, telecom, healthcare and retail) and develop a model of the enterprise that can be used in business process re-engineering and integration.

§ Team Project 1 (100 points): Choose a small to medium business (SMB) and develop a business and enterprise application architecture for the company . (2-3 per Team)

Part A: Develop the architecture by hand

Part B: Develop the same architecture by using PISA. Compare and contrast the results

§ Team Project 2 (100 points): Develop a technology architecture for the chosen company that supports the business and applicature architectures developed in Project 1 (2-3 per Team)

Part A: Develop the architecture by hand

Part B: Develop the same architecture by using PISA. Compare and contrast the results

§ Team Project 3 (100 points): Develop an Integrated Enterprise Architecture for the same company based on SOA - (2-3 per Team)

Part A: Develop the architecture by hand

Part B: Develop the same architecture by using PISA. Compare and contrast the results

§ Other Possible Projects (100 points): Free For All: Choose a topic of your choice within the scope of this course and present your findings in class. Your presentation may take one of the following formats:

o Selection and demo of a tool that could be of value in architecture and integration problems. This could be, for example, use of a simulation tool to evaluate architectures

o Research presentation that includes a survey and critical analysis of a topic within the scope of this course. This may show, for example, the use of OR techniques in building and evaluating architectures.

o Examine the decision support tool (PISA) by developing the architecture and integration solution of a real life project chosen by you. Do a critical analysis of the results produced

Notes:

§ The projects can be based roughly on the XYZCorp case study that is sused throughout the textbook. Sample projects and homework assignments can be found on the author website (www.amjadumar.com)

§ The use of PISA is not required but highly recommended for projects in this course. PISA can be used in the third project or can be “threaded” in all projects as suggested above.

§ The students will get one week free access to PISA so the PISA projects will not require additional costs.

Discussion of case studies, examples, commercial products, and trends:

The course uses several case studies, examples, and commercial products at different points in the course. The case studies at the end of each chapter can be used for discussion and analysis.

3) Overview and Use of the PISA Toolset

It should be clarified that PISA is not required for this text. The suggestion of using PISA for this text is primarily based on the experience of using PISA for teaching this course, especially since 2007. The PISA toolset is available to the students free for one week and at minimal cost afterwards.

PISA (Planning, Integration, Security and Administration) environment) environment, shown in Figure 2, provides a family of automated consultants (advisors) that are segmented into three modules:

§ PlanIT (Planner for IT) concentrates on IT planning projects and develops a plan at the enterprise level. PlanIT provides support for the enterprise and IT infrastructure activities.

§ AIM (Architecture and Integration Module) deals with the more detailed issues of how specific components of the plan can be architected and integrated to form a functioning system based on the SOA principles.

§ SAM (Security and Administration Module) provides security and administrative services to the entire PISA system

Each PISA advisor, as shown in the outer circle of Figure 2, supports a specific stage and collaborates with other advisors to produce plans. For example, the Network Advisor supports network planning stage and collaborates with the Security Advisor to develop a security plan that includes a secure network. The PISA advisors build different parts of the architecture and then allow the company to compose a comprehensive integrated enterprise architecture. In addition to the three main modules of PISA, it has two additional modules: a) Enterprise Composer (EC) that allows a user to build larger enterprises from smaller ones, and b) Advanced Capability Module (ACM) that provides simulation and detailed modeling capabilities.

Figure 2: Conceptual View of PISA Environment

To understand the sequence in which these advisors are invoked, start from the Enterprise Modeler ("Start" arrow in Figure ) and follow the circle clockwise. Specifically, the PlanIT advisors do the following: the Enterprise Modeler develops a model of an enterprise, the Application Advisor develops an Application plan, the Platform Advisor develops a computing platform plan, and the Network Advisor builds a network plan. The SAM advisors develop a security plan, a project plan, and provide other administrative services. The AIM advisors develop an integrated architecture plan based on SOA. The advisors are not strictly sequential – different advisors can be invoked in different sequences based on the type of business scenario. However, some things have to be done in sequence. For example, you cannot secure a network before developing a network plan (naturally!). The PISA Control Panel guides the user through what can be invoked when.

Exhibit 2 shows some sample PISA projects. Additional information about PISA can be found at the PISA Website (www.ngepisa.com).

Exhibit 2: Sample PISA Projects

Note: Each one of these projects takes less than half an hour to complete

PROJECT 1: Developing an IT Plan and a rough enterprise archicture for a small to medium company (SMB). Use PISA-PlanIT to conduct the following experiments:

§ Develop model of the SMB by using Enterprise Modeler.

§ Develop an application plan by using the Application Advisor.

§ Develop the technology plan by using the Platform Advisor and the Network Advisor.

§ Now repeat these steps for a few different companies and industries

PROJECT 2: Develop a Security and Management Plan. Use PISA-SAM to conduct the following experiments;

§ Given the IT Plan generated in Project 1, develop a security plan

§ Conduct risk analysis by running attack trees

§ Generate a security audit list, and develop a business continuity plan

§ Produce an IT project plan and port the produced project plan into MS Project

§ Develop an IT governance plan

§ Now repeat these steps for a few different companies and industries

PROJECT 3: Develop an Integrated Enterprise Achitecture by Using SOA. Use PISA-AIM to conduct the following experiments:

§ Given the IT Plan generated in Project 1 select the integration projects

§ For each integration plan, generate integration requirement documentation

§ Generate architecture document that captures a logical SOA-based architecture

§ Generate a solution evaluation based on cost, performamnce, and security estimates

PROJECT 4: Compose B2B Scenarios from Multiple Individual Scenarios. Use PISA-EC to conduct the following experiments;

§ Given individual companies, build a supply chain network

§ Build an acquisition scenario where one company acquires another one

§ Build model of a large organization from small organizations

§ Develop a B2B business network from individual companies . .

PROJECT 5: Develop simulation or detailed models based on the models produced by PISA. Use PISA-ACM to conduct the following experiments;

§ Given an enterprise model (in XML), produce a BPEL simulations

§ Given a network model (in XML), produce network simulations by using Opnet Simulator

§ Given AIM output (in XML), connect it to a commercial ESB . .

§ Build a game based on any of the models produced by PISA

Downloads of Lecture Slides and Text Chapters

When you click on the links below, you will get a zipped file in return with chapter slides and text chapters of the book. You will need ID and PW to access these slides.

If you are an instructor and want a free review copy of the material, please Contact us with university/college name, possible course title, etc. We will send you the passwords and IDs for the slides plus the text chapters.