Why all the hype about SOA & Testing?

Well, this just turned into a white paper that will be publicized via SQE, a webinar, fodder for ST&P's weekly email newsletter and a two part article series in ST&P mag later this summer.

I think you guys will like it. I quote Martin Fowler's blog fairly heavilly... and I haven't even started the part where I'd like to come back to you guys to share some relevant testing lessons related to testing from "between tiers"... which is what I'm focusing on.

Thanks guys - as always, you seed my brain more than you realize!

--
Scott Barber
Chief Technologist
CEO & President
PerfTestPlus, Inc.
sbarber@perftestplus.com
http://www.perftestplus.com

Great comments. I absolutely *love* Martin Fowler's blog entry... I'm absolutely using that!

All in all, you guys have confirmed a lot of what I was feeling but having trouble verbalizing - much appreciated!

--
Scott Barber
Chief Technologist
CEO & President
PerfTestPlus, Inc.
sbarber@perftestplus.com
http://www.perftestplus.com

In my 20+ years in this industry I have seen trends come and go. For those of us who are marketing savvy, there is always opportunities out there. If people think they want to hear about SOA, give them SOA. For you it's probably just a variation on a theme because there is really nothing new under the sun. But it makes you and your articles quite marketable and you're not exactly selling your soul. So just go with the flow...

If you want to learn more about SOA in general, I can suggest the books by Thomas Erl. Thomas worked for the same client as I do and he is quite the writer.


Roland Stens
rstens@performancetester.com
http://www.performancetester.com

I have a similiar view on these and much the same with web2.0 (it reads as a model, though with different technology) as a network computing (dumb terminals for the '90's). So the technology changed (slightly) and the existing tools are not yet compatable with some of the new protocols, but that will change as they gain market share.

On the upside though:

1/ New(ish) technology may help change the exisiting Load/Perf test paradigm as it gets people talking and thinking about the approaches once more.

2/ We as practioneers of performance testing get to reanalyse our thinking and measure how reflective of the context our models actually are.

3/ We may have already solved many of the percieved problems already so we are ahead of the game for once, we can concentrate our energies on other areas we need to improve with the testing craft.

4/ We have been invited back to the table to be asked for our views and to share our knowledge, surely that is worth a high-five or two?

5/ Management might re-evaluate the place for performance testing and what it can bring to the business if done well and in a timely manner.

6/ Maybe it will shake up the tools market and get people to adopt and adapt to other tool sets if the market leaders do not/ cannot adapt in time and allow for the "skills of testing" to be less of a focus on the use of tools by specific vendors?

7/ Maybe it gives us an oppertunity to re-explore who we talk to in "the business" side of organisations and the "hype" helps us recreate our terms of discussion to fit the current in vouge language, so that we can demonstrate our worth to the business whilst the Buzz is there?

8/ It has started people thinking about performance who previously did not which gives us the oppertunity to positivily influence their thinking and the practice of the craft.

9/ There is the chance to slay some myths wrapped with the hype before they become legion and given false credence in this new SOA world... (Giants?!? Sancho Panza, my lance!")

10/ Heck, it got you the subject for another article, that's not a bad thing, is it?

Neill McCarthy
"Agile Testers of the World UNIT !"

I like Martin Fowler's post:
Service Oriented Ambiguity
If you haven't checked out this post already, it might help you with some ideas.

-Jonathan