The SOA (services-oriented architecture) conundrum: how to glean simplification through services without sacrificing enterprise management and security. I had a glimpse at the forthcoming Oracle SOA Suite bundle and found it does a good job propping up the business case for next-phase, real-world enterprise-services deployment on an Oracle infrastructure. The suite contains an updated BPEL (Business Process Exec I had a glimpse at the forthcoming Oracle SOA Suite bundle and found it does a good job propping up the business case for next-phase, real-world enterprise-services deployment on an Oracle infrastructure. The suite contains an updated BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) process manager, ESB (enterprise service bus), business rules, and Web services manager. The requisite Oracle 10g Application Server (with OC4J and J2EE support, and a wealth of enterprise-grade management tools in tow) was also included, although the final release is slated to support non-Oracle J2EE servers as well. Despite the headiness of the infrastructure, Oracle has done a nice job masking the installation complexity. For the most part, this was a one-click process with some minor wizard-driven configuration en route. To be sure, this installation did not entail any of the advanced configuration testing that will be undertaken for the final release, but the simplification showed good effort on Oracle’s part. The development lynchpin is a hardened new release of JDeveloper Studio with some SOA Suite-specific plug-ins that greatly enhance Oracle’s feasibility for services composition, BPEL, and ESB design.I found the graphical BPEL process manager tools, wizards, and support for lifecycle management to be strong additions to flow and orchestration. New features, like keyword search on BPEL elements, pay mind to usability in larger models. And, wizards for defining human workflow integration simplify bridging approvals and notifications into processes.The ESB designer also showed graphical development of bus-based app integration. Good routing and transformation improvements, as well as added features for service virtualization and interdependency analysis, got me hooked. As Oracle’s ESB supplants its InterConnect as the force majeure in app integration, more comprehensive management tools like this will be compulsory. The beta preview had limitations and key pieces, like BAM (business activity monitoring, were not yet shown. But, Oracle SOA Suite appears poised to pit battle with competing offerings like BEA’s AquaLogic.The Oracle SOA Suite Developer Preview is available now for download from the Oracle Technology Network site with a final public release due Oct. 23. Watch for my forthcoming in-depth, exclusive review for the InfoWorld Test Center. Oracle SOA Suite 10.1.3.1 Developer Preview Available: Now; generally available on Oct. 23 Pricing: Starts at $50,000 per CPU – James R. Borck, InfoWorld Test Center Senior Contrubuting Editor Technology Industry