Web Services Tutorial 1

In this tutorial, you will explore XML Web Services in more detail. By completing group role play exercises, you will be given an opportunity to critically evaluate XML Web Services.

Required Software

For this tutorial, you will need access to Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Breakdown of Tutorial

This tutorial consists of the following tasks:

1. Role Play Exercise to simulate B2B virtual market place
2. SWOT Analysis Exercise
3. Post-exercise learning checkpoints

1. Group Role Play Exercise to simulate B2B virtual market place

Case study

B2B Chemical portal is a virtual marketplace where a community of suppliers are enabled to trade with a community of buyers. The portal meets the collective needs of both.

All the suppliers are required to expose a Web service for the look up of their real time stock levels. Portal consumes these Web services in the Web application.

In this role play exercise you have to

1. Download Web Services roll-play Roles and Messages.

2. Simulate the flow of messages for a client (buyer) to lookup availability of a particular product.

3. Demonstrate to your peers by posting an explanation of what happens to the discussion forum.

2. SWOT analysis of scenarios Web Services Group Exercise

Aim of Exercise

This exercise will help you to consolidate your understanding of XML Web Services. You will also get an opportunity to exercise your investigative and analytical skills.

Role Play Brief

You are working in a team of senior developers in an SME which sells computer components directly to the public and to other wholesalers. The vast majority of sales take place online from your e-commerce enabled website.

As you are aware, the technology of XML Web Services has been generating a lot of interest in the IT world.

After initial discussions, three potential areas for exploiting XML Web Services technology have been identified.

The proposed ideas are to:

1. Expose an XML Web service which allows your wholesale customers to access your catalogue of products, so they can in turn sell your products on.
2. Consume an XML Web service which verifies and processes credit card payments at a lower cost than the current method being used.

Complete the following:

For each of these propositions:

1. Perform a brief SWOT analysis (Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats). Use bullet points. You can download a template if you need one.

2. Determine overall the level of risk involved in implementing each service (low/medium/high/critical)

3. Do a search on the Web and Identify potential partners who could provide you with the XML Web Services you want to consume.

You can make a start at: http://www.xmethods.com

4. Determine whether each proposition is feasible overall
5. Post your finding on the discussion forum

The links below will also provide you with more learning material on .NET Web Services

A helpful definition of XML Web Services

A Useful introduction to XML Web Services:

http://www.developer.com/services/article.php/1485821

This is a portal for numerous XML Web Service resources

http://www.webservicesmall.com

3. Post-exercise learning checkpoints

What are the key benefits of XML Web Services to ASP.NET Web Applications?

What do we mean by the terms consuming and exposing Web services?

Why would a business seek to utilise XML Web services? Explain this in terms of both consuming and exposing Web services

Browse to the link http://www.xmethods.com . Select 3 Web Services and explain specific ways they might be beneficial to a business.

If you wanted you to find a specific Web Service, where would you look to find it? What difficulties might you come across in your search?

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