Towards an Approach for Service-Oriented Product Line Architectures

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) has appeared as an emergent approach for developing distributed applications as a set of self-contained and business-aligned services. SOA aids solving integration and interoperability problems and provides a better Information Technology (IT) and business alignment, giving more flexibility for the enterprises. However, SOA does not provide support for high customization and systematic planned reuse to develop applications that fit customer individual needs. In this paper, we propose an approach in which SOA applications are developed as Software Product Lines (SPLs). Thus, the term Service-Oriented Product Line is used for serviceoriented applications that share common parts and vary in a regular and identifiable manner. In this context, high customization and systematic planned reuse are achieved through managed variability and the use of a two life-cycle model as in SPL engineering: core assets and product development. We conclude the paper with an initial case study in the conference management domain explaining the steps of our approach.