JBoss Brings Data Services To SOA For Easy, Reliable Integration 
JBoss is bringing the power of SOA-based data services to integration, removing complexity and cost. JBoss Enterprise Data Services Platform 5.1 is an open source data virtualization and integration platform that can convert data from multiple locations and formats into easily shareable services.
JBoss is bringing the power of SOA-based data services to integration, removing complexity and cost.
JBoss Enterprise Data Services Platform 5.1 is an open source data virtualization and integration platform that can convert data from multiple locations and formats into easily shareable services.
Notably, JBoss EDSP 5.1 also comes with the tools to create such data services, along with virtualized views that allow enterprises to keep their data in place. JBoss EDSP 5.1 works in conjunction with JBoss’ well-established Enterprise SOA platform.
“The net of this announcement is that data has long been an afterthought in the SOA discussion, and this architecture brings together ESB and data services to work together to solve that,” Pierre Fricke, Red Hat’s Director of SOA Product Line Management, told IDN.
JBoss’ latest offering is also designed to exploit SOA’s power of reuse. “Once you set up a data service, write a call to that service and set up the ESB, you won’t need to keep doing that,” Fricke added.
Under the covers, JBoss EDSP 5.1 and Enterprise SOA Platform 5.1 provide:
- Tools for creating data views that are accessible through standard protocols
- A robust runtime environment that provides enterprise-class performance, data integrity, and security
- Caching, data materialization improvements
- A container-based runtime based on the Teiid community project
- New metadata repository based on the ModeShape community project
- The JBoss Enterprise SOA Platform with its next generation ESB, designed expressly to make it easier to publish data services and integrate them into applications and business processes
JBoss’ One-Two Punch for
Data Integration with EDSP, SOA Platform
The JBoss product combo aims to provide a one-two punch for data integration:
- Multiple data stores can be virtualized simultaneously, and then
- Information delivered from data virtualization can more easily be integrated into a wide array of business uses leveraging the ESB.
Data has long been an afterthought in the SOA discussion. [JBoss EDSP] brings together ESB and data services to work together to solve that.
Pierre Fricke
Director of SOA Product Line Management
Red Hat
As Fricke described it, when IT “hardwires” data sources into applications using data access frameworks, companies find that they have reduced or eliminated agility, They also find control and compliance more difficult, because they often need to create redundant data silos for each application.
JBoss EDSP 5.1, coupled with JBoss’ SOA infrastructure and ESB eliminates these hazards, Fricke told IDN, and explained how.
“JBoss EDSP lets you create and manage virtualized views of the data without joins and doing copies. So, using the data virtualization tools speeds up application development, and lets you easily create multiple data services, which you can put on [our] registry or ESB, and share across any infrastructure.”
In specific, JBoss EDSP simultaneously accesses multiple sources of data (databases, files, applications, services) and presents the data in unified views. Because the data is virtualized, JBoss EDSP also insulates applications from the complexities of the underlying data source.
As a result, diverse data sources can be accessed, even in real time, using JDBC, ODBC or data services – all without the need to copy or move it to a new location.
Because the need to duplicate data is eliminated, data can be shared (in place) from multiple sources and to multiple assets (applications, BRMS, etc.). In addition, without the need to duplicated data, IT gains more control over their data, and can improve auditability and compliance.
Some of the core capabilities powering JBoss EDSP comes from MetaMetrix’s suite of data services technology (which the company open sourced in 2008-09) and Teiid, a data virtualization and data access foundation.
Use Cases for JBoss Enterprise Data Services Platform
JBoss executives painted a picture of its new data services, where customer demand is compelling and use cases are becoming commonplace.
“Being able to integrate and synchronize useful information out of a wide range of disparate data sources remains a serious stumbling block to the enterprise,” said Craig Muzilla, vice president and general manager, Middleware Business Unit at Red Hat. “JBoss EDSP 5.1…delivers more efficient and cost-effective application and data integration techniques, allowing enterprises to more fully realize the value of their data.”
Fricke described what he sees as typical use case profiles.
“If you only have one data source you could use Hibernate, of course. But, today it’s not unusual at all to find companies have data all spread out across departmental databases, CRM and even other specialized applications and datamarts,” Fricke said. “Often data integration to and from these locations is hard-coded, and in today’s environment hard-coding is just getting too complicated and difficult.”
Hard-coding data integration is also “just too brittle,” Fricke added. “With so many different applications or business rules systems that need to access the latest data, IT and operations guys need a more adaptive and holistic approach.”
Aside from helping data and application integrators, Fricke added that he expected JBoss EDSP to offer features that will eliminate pain for traditional SOA architects.
“Underneath the data, customers may be running Red Hat virtualization on Linux,” he said. “So, as you start to virtualize your data, the workloads will go up on your databases. So, EDSP will let you manage that data in place – without the need to copy it.”
Speaking of SOA architects, JBoss also announced new integration-centric capabilities for its JBoss Enterprise SOA Platform. Among the new features available in Enterprise SOA Platform 5.1 are:
- Apache CXF web services stack
- JBoss Developer Studio 4.0, which features updated SOA tooling for ESB and data virtualization
- A technology preview of WS-BPEL (business process execution language), which delivers service orchestration
- A technology preview of Apache Camel Gateway, an enterprise integration pattern framework that expandsavailable adapters for the JBoss Enterprise SOA Platform
- Updated certifications (Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, Windows 2008, IBM, JDK, and more)
One analyst was enthusiastic about JBoss’ EDSP’s efforts to SOA and services principals directly to data integration. “The flow of data from new and emerging channels has evolved from a trickle into a deluge,” Judith Hurwitz, president and CEO of Hurwitz & Associates, said in a statement. “JBoss EDSP is focused on advancing the ability to abstract information and metadata to help the business gain control of their business.”
