The key to succeeding with service-oriented architecture (SOA) is in comprehending the meaning and significance of its most fundamental building block: the service. It is through an understanding of service design that truly "service-oriented" solution logic can be created in support of achieving the strategic goals associated with SOA and service-oriented computing. Bestselling SOA author Thomas Erl guides you through a comprehensive, insightful, and visually rich exploration of the service-orientation design paradigm, revealing exactly how services should and should not be designed for real-world SOA. This book's in-depth coverage includes * Over 240 full-color illustrations. * A concise introduction to SOA and service-oriented computing concepts and benefits. * A thorough exploration of the service-orientation design paradigm as represented by eight specific design principles. * A comparison of service-oriented and object-oriented concepts and principles and a clear definition of what qualifies as "service-oriented" logic. * Detailed coverage of four different forms of service-related design granularity. * An exhaustive examination of service contracts, with an emphasis on standardization, abstraction, and the utilization of WS-Policy, XML Schema, and WSDL definitions. * A comprehensive study of positive and negative service-related coupling types with an emphasis on the requirements to attaining a suitable level of loose coupling. * An inside look into how commercial design approaches are incorporated to achieve truly agnostic and reusable service logic. * Techniques for maximizing service reliability, scalability, and performance by instilling high levels of autonomy and emphasizing stateless design. * Approaches for positioning services as highly discoverable and interpretable enterprise resources. * Unprecedented coverage of how to design services for participation in complex compositions. * The definition of concrete links between each design principle and the strategic goals and benefits of SOA and service-oriented computing. * Numerous cross-references to key design patterns documented separately in SOA: Design Patterns.