A framework for successful SOA adoption in selected South African universities
- Authors: Jacobs, Carmen
- Date: 2013-07-26
- Subjects: System analysis -- Data processing , System design -- Data processing , Systems integration , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Education, Higher -- Data processing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:1153 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008366 , System analysis -- Data processing , System design -- Data processing , Systems integration , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Education, Higher -- Data processing
- Description: The demand for systems i·ntegration has become more and more significant in higher education as institutions want systems that provide coherent information with data that is up to date and not redundant and can seamlessly support the end user experience. Institutions have become more reliant on information systems to support both administrative functions and those involved in teaching, learning and research, but because each department supports a diverse array of computing platforms and applications, it becomes very difficult to integrate these systems. SOA is classified as an innovative approach to integrating existing systems involving the use of independent services that can be accessed without knowledge of the underlying platform implementation. Unfortunately, the SOA initiative will not be success if it is not understood and used correctly by various applications and systems throughout the organisation. SOA introduces complexity and challenges in systems integration, acceptance, governance, data, development planning, security and external opportunities. If an organisation does not embrace or enable change in each of these areas, it is not ready for the adoption of SOA. This research investigates the systems integration challenge in selected South African universities and explores factors for SOA adoption. The framework for the adoption of SOA comprises seven factors, of which Systems Integration is the most significant and represents an efficient starting point for institutions considering SOA adoption. Acceptance, Governance, Data, Development Planning, Security and External Opportunities are other factors of SOA adoption that require careful and thorough consideration before an institution can successfully adopt SOA. The results of this research emphasise the importance of being able to embrace change and innovation and modify strategies in order to reflect the constant changes required for the adoption of SOA. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
- Authors: Jacobs, Carmen
- Date: 2013-07-26
- Subjects: System analysis -- Data processing , System design -- Data processing , Systems integration , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Education, Higher -- Data processing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:1153 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008366 , System analysis -- Data processing , System design -- Data processing , Systems integration , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Education, Higher -- Data processing
- Description: The demand for systems i·ntegration has become more and more significant in higher education as institutions want systems that provide coherent information with data that is up to date and not redundant and can seamlessly support the end user experience. Institutions have become more reliant on information systems to support both administrative functions and those involved in teaching, learning and research, but because each department supports a diverse array of computing platforms and applications, it becomes very difficult to integrate these systems. SOA is classified as an innovative approach to integrating existing systems involving the use of independent services that can be accessed without knowledge of the underlying platform implementation. Unfortunately, the SOA initiative will not be success if it is not understood and used correctly by various applications and systems throughout the organisation. SOA introduces complexity and challenges in systems integration, acceptance, governance, data, development planning, security and external opportunities. If an organisation does not embrace or enable change in each of these areas, it is not ready for the adoption of SOA. This research investigates the systems integration challenge in selected South African universities and explores factors for SOA adoption. The framework for the adoption of SOA comprises seven factors, of which Systems Integration is the most significant and represents an efficient starting point for institutions considering SOA adoption. Acceptance, Governance, Data, Development Planning, Security and External Opportunities are other factors of SOA adoption that require careful and thorough consideration before an institution can successfully adopt SOA. The results of this research emphasise the importance of being able to embrace change and innovation and modify strategies in order to reflect the constant changes required for the adoption of SOA. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
- Full Text:
Integrating legacy applications into service oriented architecture middleware
- Makamba, Makaziwe https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6998-4480
- Authors: Makamba, Makaziwe https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6998-4480
- Date: 2012-12
- Subjects: Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Computer architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24294 , vital:62599
- Description: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a dynamic approach that is widely recognized as an innovative and powerful tool for socio-economic development, it is a key catalyst for the emergence of knowledge economy. ICT have been used to develop applications, promote transparency and efficiency in multiple services such e-Learning, e-Government, e-Health and e-Judiciary especially for Marginalized Rural Areas (MRAs). The ICT approach is designed to bridge the digital divide. This approach has been widely deployed in many programs and it has led to the development of a new field which is Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). Within the context of ICT4D there are arrays of e-services that have been deployed to improve the impoverished communities. Some of these applications have failed to bring the changes that were designed to bring in the community due to the use of old architectures. There is therefore a need to develop a system that will integrate legacy applications into contemporary architectures. To solve the problem of the legacy applications we have developed TeleWeaver Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) middleware into which we integrate an e-Commerce and e-Learning applications into SOA middleware. For this integration system there are specific technologies that were used to integrate legacy applications into SOA middleware: RESTful web services using the slim API, SOAP via Nu-SOAP technologies were used to integrate these legacy applications. Specific methodologies were used to achieve the objectives of this research. The literature review, brainstorming, interviews and development of the system are some of the methods that were used to achieve the objectives of this study. The research methodology is mainly through experiments and to study TeleWeaver SOA middleware architecture. Interviews were conducted to analyze and understand the community needs, since the application discussed in this thesis is tested and implemented for a rural community. The community is called Dwesa, and falls under the ICT project within the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL). A basic prototyping and Unified Modeling Language (UML) was created to design the system. This thesis presents the design and implementation of a system that integrates legacy applications into an SOA middleware that brings flexibility and effectiveness to these ICT e-services. The research focuses on integrating legacy applications into Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) middleware. It seeks to bring flexibility to e-services that are developed for MRAs. The use of SOA architecture that supports re-usability and interoperability of application provides effectiveness to the e-services. The novelty of the system is in its flexibility, usability and sustainability. SOA is an approach that provides a separation between the interface of the service and its underlying implementation. One of the achievements of the integration project is its ability to connect to SOA middleware. This increases the effectiveness of these e-services. The usability and performance evaluations are conducted to test and evaluate the system within the SLL on the TeleWeaver platform. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2012
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012-12
- Authors: Makamba, Makaziwe https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6998-4480
- Date: 2012-12
- Subjects: Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Computer architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24294 , vital:62599
- Description: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a dynamic approach that is widely recognized as an innovative and powerful tool for socio-economic development, it is a key catalyst for the emergence of knowledge economy. ICT have been used to develop applications, promote transparency and efficiency in multiple services such e-Learning, e-Government, e-Health and e-Judiciary especially for Marginalized Rural Areas (MRAs). The ICT approach is designed to bridge the digital divide. This approach has been widely deployed in many programs and it has led to the development of a new field which is Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D). Within the context of ICT4D there are arrays of e-services that have been deployed to improve the impoverished communities. Some of these applications have failed to bring the changes that were designed to bring in the community due to the use of old architectures. There is therefore a need to develop a system that will integrate legacy applications into contemporary architectures. To solve the problem of the legacy applications we have developed TeleWeaver Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) middleware into which we integrate an e-Commerce and e-Learning applications into SOA middleware. For this integration system there are specific technologies that were used to integrate legacy applications into SOA middleware: RESTful web services using the slim API, SOAP via Nu-SOAP technologies were used to integrate these legacy applications. Specific methodologies were used to achieve the objectives of this research. The literature review, brainstorming, interviews and development of the system are some of the methods that were used to achieve the objectives of this study. The research methodology is mainly through experiments and to study TeleWeaver SOA middleware architecture. Interviews were conducted to analyze and understand the community needs, since the application discussed in this thesis is tested and implemented for a rural community. The community is called Dwesa, and falls under the ICT project within the Siyakhula Living Lab (SLL). A basic prototyping and Unified Modeling Language (UML) was created to design the system. This thesis presents the design and implementation of a system that integrates legacy applications into an SOA middleware that brings flexibility and effectiveness to these ICT e-services. The research focuses on integrating legacy applications into Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) middleware. It seeks to bring flexibility to e-services that are developed for MRAs. The use of SOA architecture that supports re-usability and interoperability of application provides effectiveness to the e-services. The novelty of the system is in its flexibility, usability and sustainability. SOA is an approach that provides a separation between the interface of the service and its underlying implementation. One of the achievements of the integration project is its ability to connect to SOA middleware. This increases the effectiveness of these e-services. The usability and performance evaluations are conducted to test and evaluate the system within the SLL on the TeleWeaver platform. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2012
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012-12
A framework for mobile SOA using compression
- Authors: Saunders, Evan
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10459 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1500 , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
- Description: The widely accepted standards of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) have changed the way many organisations conduct their everyday business. The significant popularity of mobile devices has seen a rapid increase in the rate of mobile technology enhancements, which have become widely used for communication, as well as conducting everyday tasks. An increased requirement in many businesses is for staff not to be tied down to the office. Consequently, mobile devices play an important role in achieving the mobility and information access that people desire. Due to the popularity and increasing use of SOA and mobile devices, Mobile Service-Oriented Architecture (Mobile SOA) has become a new industry catch-phrase. Many challenges, however, exist within the Mobile SOA environment. These issues include limitations on mobile devices, such as a reduced screen size, lack of processing power, insufficient processing memory, limited battery life, poor storage capacity, unreliable network connections, limited bandwidth available and high transfer costs. This research aimed to provide an elegant solution to the issues of a mobile device, which hinders the performance of Mobile SOA. The main objective of this research was to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Mobile SOA. In order to achieve this goal, a framework was proposed, which supported intelligent compression of files used within a Web Service. The proposed framework provided a set of guidelines that facilitate the quick development of a system. A proof-of-concept prototype was developed, based on these guidelines and the framework design principles. The prototype provided practical evidence of the effectiveness of implementing a system based on the proposed framework. An analytical evaluation was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the prototype within the Mobile SOA environment. A performance evaluation was conducted to determine efficiency it provides. Additionally, the performance evaluation highlighted the decrease in file transfer time, as well as the significant reduction in transfer costs. The analytical and performance evaluations demonstrated that the prototype optimises the effectiveness and efficiency of Mobile SOA. The framework could, thus, be used to facilitate efficient file transfer between a Server and (Mobile) Client.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Saunders, Evan
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10459 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1500 , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
- Description: The widely accepted standards of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) have changed the way many organisations conduct their everyday business. The significant popularity of mobile devices has seen a rapid increase in the rate of mobile technology enhancements, which have become widely used for communication, as well as conducting everyday tasks. An increased requirement in many businesses is for staff not to be tied down to the office. Consequently, mobile devices play an important role in achieving the mobility and information access that people desire. Due to the popularity and increasing use of SOA and mobile devices, Mobile Service-Oriented Architecture (Mobile SOA) has become a new industry catch-phrase. Many challenges, however, exist within the Mobile SOA environment. These issues include limitations on mobile devices, such as a reduced screen size, lack of processing power, insufficient processing memory, limited battery life, poor storage capacity, unreliable network connections, limited bandwidth available and high transfer costs. This research aimed to provide an elegant solution to the issues of a mobile device, which hinders the performance of Mobile SOA. The main objective of this research was to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Mobile SOA. In order to achieve this goal, a framework was proposed, which supported intelligent compression of files used within a Web Service. The proposed framework provided a set of guidelines that facilitate the quick development of a system. A proof-of-concept prototype was developed, based on these guidelines and the framework design principles. The prototype provided practical evidence of the effectiveness of implementing a system based on the proposed framework. An analytical evaluation was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the prototype within the Mobile SOA environment. A performance evaluation was conducted to determine efficiency it provides. Additionally, the performance evaluation highlighted the decrease in file transfer time, as well as the significant reduction in transfer costs. The analytical and performance evaluations demonstrated that the prototype optimises the effectiveness and efficiency of Mobile SOA. The framework could, thus, be used to facilitate efficient file transfer between a Server and (Mobile) Client.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
A service-oriented approach to implementing an adaptive user interface
- Authors: Senga, Emile
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: User interfaces (Computer systems) , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9287 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1091 , User interfaces (Computer systems) , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
- Description: Service-oriented architectures (SOA) are being adopted by organisations in order to integrate disparate computational assets. A major hurdle they face is the decision on how to integrate the UI in an SOA. In addition, technological advances have allowed complex applications and complex user interfaces (UIs) to be realised and the increase in accessibility to computers enables a diverse population of users with different characteristics, preferences and needs to use these complex computer applications. Adaptive user interfaces (AUIs) have been proposed as a solution to cater for the differences in user traits by adapting the UI to meet the diverse needs of users. AUIs have, however, traditionally been developed using client/server architectures This research, therefore, set out to investigate how to develop an AUI using a service-oriented architecture (SOA). In order to successfully achieve the goal of this research, literature concerning SOAs was investigated to gain an understanding of SOAs. A literature review of AUIs was also undertaken to gain an understanding of AUIs. A model-based approach was used to develop a model for UI adaptation using knowledge gained in the literature reviews. The model generates different UIs depending on various users‘ inferred level of expertise. The model describes the interaction between AUI services that use design-time documents and run-time user-interaction to adapt the UI. A prototype of the model was implemented and evaluated using an evolution strategy devised to assess different aspects of the research. The evaluation strategy proved the following: The service components of the prototype adhere to SOA design principles; The implementation was effective based on software engineering metrics; and, The implementation was usable and did not negatively affect the performance of users. The successful implementation of the prototype provides evidence that the design of AUIs using SOA is feasible. This dissertation therefore makes a contribution to the development of AUIs using SOAs. The model could be used to provide UI adaptation for business software applications.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Senga, Emile
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: User interfaces (Computer systems) , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9287 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1091 , User interfaces (Computer systems) , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science)
- Description: Service-oriented architectures (SOA) are being adopted by organisations in order to integrate disparate computational assets. A major hurdle they face is the decision on how to integrate the UI in an SOA. In addition, technological advances have allowed complex applications and complex user interfaces (UIs) to be realised and the increase in accessibility to computers enables a diverse population of users with different characteristics, preferences and needs to use these complex computer applications. Adaptive user interfaces (AUIs) have been proposed as a solution to cater for the differences in user traits by adapting the UI to meet the diverse needs of users. AUIs have, however, traditionally been developed using client/server architectures This research, therefore, set out to investigate how to develop an AUI using a service-oriented architecture (SOA). In order to successfully achieve the goal of this research, literature concerning SOAs was investigated to gain an understanding of SOAs. A literature review of AUIs was also undertaken to gain an understanding of AUIs. A model-based approach was used to develop a model for UI adaptation using knowledge gained in the literature reviews. The model generates different UIs depending on various users‘ inferred level of expertise. The model describes the interaction between AUI services that use design-time documents and run-time user-interaction to adapt the UI. A prototype of the model was implemented and evaluated using an evolution strategy devised to assess different aspects of the research. The evaluation strategy proved the following: The service components of the prototype adhere to SOA design principles; The implementation was effective based on software engineering metrics; and, The implementation was usable and did not negatively affect the performance of users. The successful implementation of the prototype provides evidence that the design of AUIs using SOA is feasible. This dissertation therefore makes a contribution to the development of AUIs using SOAs. The model could be used to provide UI adaptation for business software applications.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Customer profiling using a service-orientated architecture
- Authors: Ntawanga, Felix
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Consumer profiling -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Computer programs
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10464 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1146 , Consumer profiling -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Computer programs
- Description: Customer profiling has recently gained much recognition in the e-commerce domain because of the benefits it is capable of bringing to online business. Customer profiling has been implemented in various systems development approaches such as in a client-server environment. Recently there has been an increase in the number of organisations adopting and implementing e-commerce systems using service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles. This research set out to determine how a customer profile can be implemented using open source SOA implementation tools, and how SOA-based customer profiles can be utilised to provide appropriate personalisation in an SOA environment. The research further endeavoured to complete a comparative study on customer profile implementation in two different architectures, namely SOA and client-server. An extensive literature review was conducted on SOA, customer profiling and e-commerce systems development. SOA enabling technologies, such as, web services, enterprise service bus (ESB) and open source Sun Java SOA implementation tools, for example, Open ESB, GlassFish application server and Netbeans IDE were analysed. A Java web services-based customer profiling system was prototyped following SOA design principles. An end-user evaluation survey was conducted using eye tracking with a sample of 30 participants. The evaluation was done on two e-commerce systems with the same interface but running on two different customer profile back-ends, SOA and client-server. The results show that participants did not experience significant difference between the two systems, however, eye tracking results showed a significant difference between the two systems. The research concluded that customer profiling using SOA offers more benefits than implementations using other architectures such as client-server. SOA component-based development proved to be easier to manage, develop, integrate and improves interoperability between different technologies. The research brought together necessary techniques and technologies that organisations can use to implement SOA. Using SOA, organisations can integrate and utilise different technologies seamlessly to achieve business goals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Ntawanga, Felix
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Consumer profiling -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Computer programs
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10464 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1146 , Consumer profiling -- South Africa , Consumer behavior -- South Africa , Service-oriented architecture (Computer science) , Electronic commerce -- South Africa -- Computer programs
- Description: Customer profiling has recently gained much recognition in the e-commerce domain because of the benefits it is capable of bringing to online business. Customer profiling has been implemented in various systems development approaches such as in a client-server environment. Recently there has been an increase in the number of organisations adopting and implementing e-commerce systems using service-oriented architecture (SOA) principles. This research set out to determine how a customer profile can be implemented using open source SOA implementation tools, and how SOA-based customer profiles can be utilised to provide appropriate personalisation in an SOA environment. The research further endeavoured to complete a comparative study on customer profile implementation in two different architectures, namely SOA and client-server. An extensive literature review was conducted on SOA, customer profiling and e-commerce systems development. SOA enabling technologies, such as, web services, enterprise service bus (ESB) and open source Sun Java SOA implementation tools, for example, Open ESB, GlassFish application server and Netbeans IDE were analysed. A Java web services-based customer profiling system was prototyped following SOA design principles. An end-user evaluation survey was conducted using eye tracking with a sample of 30 participants. The evaluation was done on two e-commerce systems with the same interface but running on two different customer profile back-ends, SOA and client-server. The results show that participants did not experience significant difference between the two systems, however, eye tracking results showed a significant difference between the two systems. The research concluded that customer profiling using SOA offers more benefits than implementations using other architectures such as client-server. SOA component-based development proved to be easier to manage, develop, integrate and improves interoperability between different technologies. The research brought together necessary techniques and technologies that organisations can use to implement SOA. Using SOA, organisations can integrate and utilise different technologies seamlessly to achieve business goals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
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