This chapter describes best practices for identifying requirements and determining which assets to submit to Oracle Enterprise Repository.
This chapter contains the following sections:
Oracle Enterprise Repository provides automated tooling to acquire assets so that they can be managed and governed. This section provides a careful consideration of which assets to submit.
Oracle recommends that organizations bootstrap the enterprise repository in phases, with sharp focus on the assets that bring the greatest value and benefits.
For example, if your organization's primary focus is application development, start bootstrapping the Enterprise Repository with domain-independent enterprise components and services that have high reuse potential, such as:
Logging services
Error handling services
Authentication services
Online data capture and storage routines
Data access services (that provide customer information, account information, inventory information, and so on)
Connection pooling services
Caching services
Frameworks (STRUTS, security, and so on)
Validation routines
Web Services that are already in production that expose application interfaces
Every application contains domain-independent, highly reusable functionality. In addition, organizations typically want to standardize this functionality for consistency across applications. Initial productivity savings for reusing key assets can be impressive. Many organizations save several hundred thousand dollars in months due to reuse, in addition to savings through standardization.
Organizations focused on application integration may want to start bootstrapping the enterprise repository with:
Commonly used data access objects
XML schemas
Messaging hubs and common message formats
Services that access information in the legacy systems
Existing business processes with links to the underlying systems and services that orchestrate them
If you just want a communication mechanism for your project, bootstrap the Enterprise Repository with the information most relevant to the project team. This might include:
Existing functionality that fulfills the project's functional and non-functional requirements
A functionality and capabilities overview (the team can manage dependencies and determine what functionality is delivered by whom)
Standards and best practices
Open Source licenses and projects
Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) dependencies - which commercial packages and libraries are used
Build labels - check in the repository location of the latest build, test results, and so on using the Ant task
SCM information (location of the source code)
Configured platform (for example - WLS configured for use in development environments)
Web services that provide access to application interfaces needed for the project
This section describes the Governance Suite components. It contains the following topics:
Understand which portfolios will help the organization reach its goals
Identify the organizational goals for governance, and align these goals with the supporting asset portfolios. For example, if the organization is focused on bringing new products to market more quickly, include product line asset portfolios in the governance program first. If the goal is to establish a standard Software Development Lifecycle Process, include process templates and standards first.
After identifying the asset portfolios, identify Asset Portfolio Management Team requirements for managing their respective portfolios. For example, Architects may need to package solution sets and monitor use and standards compliance. Service Competency Centers may need to communicate the services that orchestrate a business process. The Governance program distributes asset portfolios to help Portfolio Management Teams.
Structure the program to deliver value
When executives understand the vision, you can gain their sponsorship and structure a program with value for the asset portfolio management teams and their consumers. However, teams cannot be truly motivated to participate unless they can see tangible benefits.
Successful governance depends on a supply of assets that help the organization reach its goals. Asset Portfolio Management Teams are the primary sources of assets. The governance program must engage these teams and meet their needs.
For more information about the role of the Asset Portfolio Management team, see Chapter 4, "Stakeholder Identity".
Oracle offers a whitepaper and a workbook that helps you evaluate the expected ROI from your asset portfolios. This tool can help identify the most valuable assets.
Whitepaper: Determining the ROI of SOA through Reuse
Workbook: Determining the ROI of SOA through Reuse
For more information about determining the ROI of SOA through reuse, see http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/repository/overview.
Additional resources can help you determine the total cost of ownership for your application integrations:
Whitepaper: Building the Business Case for Application Integration Architecture (AIA)
Workbook: Application Integration Architecture Total Cost of Ownership
For more information about how to build the business case for AIA, see http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/middleware/repository/overview.
Oracle's Unified Method (OUM) provides a wealth of additional governance information. OUM users include Oracle employees, Oracle Partner Network Certified Partners or Certified Advantage Partners, OUM Customer Program clients, and Oracle consulting services clients. OUM is a web-deployed toolkit for planning, executing and controlling software development and implementation projects.
For more information about OUM, see the OUM FAQ at
http://www.oracle.com/us/products/consulting/resource-library/oracle-unified-method1-069271.pdf