SOA discussions regularly focus on concepts, ideals, scale and grand design. These won't get you to the goal. In an ideal SOA implementation, the principals recognize all available information and understand all relevant data interactions. Each unique data element exists somewhere only once and can be retrieved efficiently. In this ideal scenario, you can easily design associated services to acquire and present the information in the most concise or appropriate format. All the hardware, software and data comply and integrate seamlessly. The human support infrastructure is in place, maintenance needs are minimal and service contributions are perfected.
That's a nice fantasy, isn't it? But let's come back to earth.
