WSO2 Releases New Open Source Data Services Product

Open source SOA company WSO2 has just released its new data services product, WSO2 Data Services Solution 1.0, with the goals of making it simpler for DBAs and data experts to build data services and making the overall WSO2 product offering more modular.

WSO2 already has data services capabilities in its Web Services Application Server, but that was targeted more toward technicians well versed in Java. With this new product, non-Java developer types (like database administrators and data architects) can expose services with a simple set of wizards that map databases, SQL queries and stored procedures into services. In addition, these data experts can type sample requests into a browser to test the results of their newly created services. This new product allows for a service to integrate data from different services and different data sources, the company promises. New security features allow for testing of authentication, authorization, trusts, digital signatures, encryption, etc.

Paul Fremantle, co-founder and CTO of WSO2, told me that they identified data services as a customer need for a standalone module. This new product takes the “Java stuff out” and makes creating services a much simpler task for all kinds of developers.

As companies become more experienced in SOA, Fremantle said, they begin to specialize in the different layers of the architecture. No longer are the experts within each layer a developer with in depth knowledge of Java or .Net programming skills. WSO2 Data Services Solution 1.0 allows the data experts to become more productive by simplifying the process of creating data services, Fremantle said.

Another key driver: for companies to realize the benefits of SOA, they must deploy enough services to make SOA usable. This product promises to help an organization deploy more services and in shorter time frames.

Another benefit of creating a standalone data services product is that customers who do not use the Web Services Application Server can now leverage WSO2’s data services. The software was designed on open standards and can be used in conjunction with any other standard product from both open-source and commercial vendors. Fremantle noted that the market for data services is taking off, which is why a standalone product makes a lot of sense to practitioners like myself. WSO2’s products are open source and have no licensing fees. Customers typically pay for support, which costs substantially less then support for commercial software, Fremantle says.