The SAP SOA solution offers core technology, infrastructure, and business usable content for jumpstarting an effective SOA that puts Web services to use in a business context.

The SAP enterprise SOA approach starts with a core technology platform and infrastructure for creating services. These SAP NetWeaver and other solutions include application servers as well as business intelligence, integrated portal/ knowledge management, and master data management capabilities; mobile technologies; security solutions, and support for some newer Web services technologies and standards.

SAP has also created a series of SOA tools that help companies to quickly create an SOA that fits their business and industry. These include industry maps, business blueprints, and process models and information models designed from the outside (i.e., the business perspective) in, Web services APIs, enterprise service packages, solution models and patterns, and templates.

In particular, the SAP enterprise services repository (ESR) with all services metadata incorporates rich, business usable information (see below). It includes SAP service interfaces, WSDL definitions , the associated operations and standards for message types and global data types, business objects, and the higher-level process models. In the case of the process models, based on its expertise in ERP, SAP has decomposed business processes into sub-processes that, ultimately, link the details of activity and task management to the configuration and runtime execution environment, thus bridging the gap between the business and IT views of a process.

These SAP enterprise service models and other business content are delivered as optional enterprise services packages. These contain service interfaces plus content such as use cases, sample reference applications, and scenarios of how these enterprise services packages can be used to solve different business problems.

The SAP enterprise services repository contains metadata describing all services.

Creating an enterprise SOA involves more than upgrading technology and deploying a new ERP environment. To get started and develop an enterprise SOA that serves the business companies need to create an enterprise SOA strategy and roadmap.

Incorporate a phased approach to developing an enterprise SOA

Balance short-term execution with long-term SOA benefits

As a result, each company's roadmap will be unique.

However, companies should be aware that enterprise SOA requires new disciplines and competencies and some organizational and methodology changes related to providing control of SOA operations in a loosely coupled environment.

One area that must be included early in any roadmap is SOA management . Governance begins in the enterprise services repository (ESR). This is a design-time environment with all the metadata describing services functionality and the rules governing their use. But it is the "ideal" view of how services are expected to function.

However, as organizations quickly discover, a number of unanticipated SOA challenges arise from the actual—versus the anticipated use—of services. For example, how can companies:

Support end-to-end SOA quality of service in a loosely coupled world: and

Consistently enforce SOA policy across diverse environments?

These issues must be addressed in runtime for reliable SOA operations and full SOA benefits.

SAP works with ecosystem partners, such as Progress Software , to make sure that an SAP SOA solution, including those that contain both SAP and other diverse systems, works well.