In Chapter 6 we discussed a technical architecture for e-business systems. In previous chapters, we described the technology used to implement component systems and the specific component technologies available in the market today. This chapter goes into more depth about how to implement an e-business technical architecture using components. While this information is presented in a technology-independent manner that can be applied to any of the component technologies, we present some examples using specific component technologies.

The Component Factory

The enterprise component architecture that we presented has several major goals: to define a high-level system model, to provide standard solutions to common problems wherever possible, and to simplify implementation of applications.

To be effective in e-business, the development cycle must be accelerated. The requirement that the development cycle move "at Internet speed" implies the need for standard solutions to common problems. This need is met in part by implementation platforms that provide common services, frameworks, and infrastructure for applications.

This high-speed, simplified platform for implementation is an important part of what has come to be known as the component factory. The component factory, combined with the project management concepts discussed in later chapters, provides the technical and organizational foundation for implementing applications at Internet speed.

The job of the component factory is to relieve application developers of all concerns about infrastructure so that the only thing they need to deal with is implementation of application logic in business components.

As discussed in Chapter 6, the technical architecture describes how to...