A Method and Case Study of Designing Presentation Module in an SOA-based Solution Using Configurable Architectural Building Blocks (ABBs)

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) projects typically pose challenging requirements on software developers such as flexibility, speed to market, and adaptability to ever changing business requirements. In this paper, we propose a novel method of rapidly designing presentation module for an SOA-based solution using fine-grained configurable architectural building blocks (ABBs). An ABB-based presentation pattern derived from industry best practices is presented, associated with a tailored ABB configuration framework. We also introduce a formal way of modeling ABBs and their interactions. Real-life experiences of applying our ABB-based model are condensed into sixteen architectural decision points, which are further applied into a variety of SOA solution projects. Experiences accumulated over these decision points are summarized into a set of guidelines to help engineers select and configure ABBs specific to services scenarios and requirements.