Distribution Software

Distribution software needs to be accurate and easy to manage if it is to be of use to your business. If you move from needing just wholesale distribution software and warehouse distribution software to needing end client distribution software, it may be difficult to design a unified system using traditional software design. Service oriented architecture (SOA) can provide a flexible and adaptable alternative that can design distribution software and applications that can more easily work together, as they can use many similar component parts. Using and reusing software modules of functionality to create new applications, service oriented architecture can make it easy and cost effective to create a large suite of distribution software that can be given even greater functionality in the future without the entire system needing to be replaced. If you are interested in learning more about service oriented architecture, please fill in our online registration form to be given access to online guidebooks provided by Oracle, leaders in service oriented architecture. You will also be contacted by an Oracle representative to talk about opportunities your business may have to use service oriented architecture to create easily adaptable distribution software.

What is service oriented architecture?

Service oriented architecture is essentially a design philosophy that foregoes creating new software resources where possible, instead preferring to create new applications from existing software in the form of services. Services are modules of functionality that offer specific business processes that can then be made to interoperate with other services by creating definitions in middleware that define relationships and keep services communicating effectively. It is thus possible to greatly reduce development time of new distribution software and applications by reusing functionality and focusing on choosing the right kind of functionality to incorporate into an application.

How can service oriented architecture allow for more flexible distribution software?

If your business decides to move from one distribution method to several distribution methods, there can be several options available to you. You could completely redesign all the distribution software, at great cost. You could modify existing software, possibly introducing bugs and incompatibility. You could buy off-the-shelf software that provides some of the functionality you need, but not all. You also have the option of choosing to design your entire distribution software system on service oriented architecture principles.

When your distribution software with service oriented architecture needs more areas of functionality, they can potentially just be added by finding the right services and rewriting the middleware to define new relationships. The advantage over other distribution software options is that SOA costs less to create very customised distribution software than a complete redesign would; SOA designed distribution software may introduce bugs and incompatibility but this is very usually due to problems with the middleware which can be more easily identified and addressed than if IT specialists had to look through all of the code; and SOA creates much more specific distribution software than off-the-shelf products can provide.

Please remember to register using our online form if you are interested in learning even more about using service oriented architecture to design better distribution software. You will gain access to online guidebooks on SOA for registering and you will be contacted by an Oracle representative to discuss options your organisation may have for using service oriented architecture to improve its distribution software.