One of the most difficult obstacles to attaining enterprise-ready SOA is the sheer scale of the systems and data that need to be managed. To test the actual results of an SOA application, we need a very realistic set of data – both positive and negative – to input, and then get out of the environment under test.
True, we can map much of our interaction with other Services according to the metadata we set forth during architecture and design processes. But when you get past that ideal model of connecting the endpoints, you still have the nitty-gritty of a CRM mainframe, or an SAP or Oracle Financials enterprise system, and the administrative owners of that system, to contend with. The data and business logic embedded at these layers has been added to and customized over the course of several years.
