SOA is about putting interfaces in the simplest form possible: text files. Like letters of an alphabet, SOA is built on a basic XML foundation together with rules of formulation that provide the possibility of standardized communication between partners. This is a great advance over the numerous dialects that had been developed between specialized technology vendors. But SOA by itself is not enough to enable communication between business partners. Both sides need a common semantics based on a business dictionary that ensures a common understanding. This is the reason SAP has developed Enterprise SOA, which provides the semantics and the business dictionary of services, events, roles, and processes.
