“Explaining the intersection of these two worlds--service-orientation and .NET technologies--is exactly what this book does. Its team of specialist authors provides a concrete, usable guide to this combination, ranging from the fundamentals of service-orientation to the more rarified air of .NET services in the cloud and beyond. If you’re creating service-oriented software on the Microsoft platform--that is, if you’re a serious .NET developer--mastering these ideas is a must.”

--From the Foreword by David Chappell, Chappell & Associates

“Microsoft’s diverse product line has long supported the service-oriented enterprise, but putting it all together into a cohesive whole can be daunting. From more established products, like Windows Communication Foundation, Windows Workflow Foundation, Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, and BizTalk Server, to newer offerings like Windows Azure and AppFabric, the experts assembled here expose the sweet spots for each technology, talk through the high-level trade-offs, and offer a roadmap to a unified Microsoft SOA story.”

--Kevin P. Davis, Ph.D., Software Architect

“This book excels in giving hands-on and in-depth expertise on the SOA architecture style with the .NET framework and the Azure cloud platform. It’s a practical guide for developers, architects, and SOA implementers. A must read!”

--Ricardo P. Schluter, ICT Architect, Parnassia Bavo Group

“While the industry overall may have hyped ‘the cloud’ to the level it often seems to cure world hunger, SOA with .NET and Windows Azure helps cut through the questions and hype and more clearly discusses the benefits and practical techniques for putting it to work in the real world. This book helps you understand the benefits associated with SOA and cloud computing, and also the techniques for connecting your current IT assets with new composite applications and data running in the cloud. This book will help you understand modern middleware technologies and harness the benefits of the cloud both on and off premises.”

--Burley Kawasaki, Director of Product Management, Microsoft

“The authors have a combined SOA and .NET experience of several decades–which becomes obvious when reading this book. They don’t just lead you down one path with a single descriptive solution. Instead, the sometimes nasty trade-offs that architects face in their design decisions are addressed. These are then mapped to the Microsoft .NET platform with clear code examples. A very refreshing look at this major contender in the SOA space and a definite must for the .NET SOA practitioner!”

--Dr. Thomas Rischbeck, IT Architect, Innovation Process Technology

“In order to evolve as a software craftsman one must read excellent books that will help you grow and evolve in your profession. One of those books that every software craftsmen interested in good design and best practices should read is SOA with .NET and Windows Azure. With this book, you will learn which design patterns will provide the best solution for the kinds of software design problems you, as a developer or designer, face every day. This book has everything that software architects, software designers, and programmers need to know when building great quality software with Microsoft technologies.

“This will undoubtedly be one of those books that you reference repeatedly when starting new SOA projects. There is plenty of information that even those not working with typical service-oriented architecture will find very useful. With plenty of real-life examples (code, design, and modeling), readers see in a practical manner how they could use SOA patterns to solve everyday software problems and be more productive. SOA with .NET and Windows Azure will fit in my top three books and will definitely be one of those that I will use in my everyday work.”

--Arman Kurtagic, Consultant at Omegapoint AB

In SOA with .NET and Windows Azure, top Microsoft technology experts team up with Thomas Erl to explore service-oriented computing with Microsoft’s latest .NET service technologies and Windows Azure innovations.

The authors provide comprehensive documentation of on-premise and cloud-based modern service technology advancements within the Microsoft platform and further show how these technologies have increased the potential for applying and realizing service-orientation practices and goals.

Specifically, the book delves into Microsoft enterprise technologies, such as:

• Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)
• Windows Azure
• Windows Workflow Foundation (WF)
• Windows Azure AppFabric
• BizTalk Server
• Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)

...as well as industry service mediums, including WS-* and REST, and many related service industry standards and technologies.

The book steps through common SOA design patterns and service-orientation principles, along with numerous code-level examples that further detail various technology architectures and implementations.

Topic Areas

This book covers the following primary topics:

• Microsoft Service Technologies
• Microsoft Enterprise Technologies
• On-Premise & Cloud-Based Service Topics
• Industry Service Technolog