With the introduction of increasingly complex Web services over the last decade, there has been an explosion of interest in service-oriented architecture (SOA), a structural style whose goal is to achieve a coupling of interacting services - functionalities such as filling out an online application for an account, viewing an online bank statement, or placing an online booking or airline ticket order. These services operate through specific interfaces that control and define their operation. However, due to the evolving nature of enterprises, new services and applications must often be incorporated into these same interfaces. Such incorporation can be costly and complex if the original interface is inflexible or incompatible with the technology utilized by the new applications.
