Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is an architectural style that supports service orientation. Service orientation is a way of thinking in terms of services and service-based development and the outcomes of services. A service:

• Is a logical representation of a repeatable business activity that has a specified outcome (e.g., check customer credit; provide weather data, consolidate drilling reports)
• Is self-contained
• May be composed of other services
• Is a “black box” to consumers of the service

SOA style It is based on the design of the services – which mirror real-world business activities. SOA separates functions into distinct units (services), which can be distributed over a network and can be combined and reused to create business applications.

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