Standardisation of Functionality for Widespread Reuse of Software as Services

The Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) model promotes reuse of software Services, achieved through the use of the loose-coupling design concept when assembling systems. In this SOA paradigm, heterogeneity is a key aspect, from platforms to programming languages and transport protocols. One key aspect of reuse, or more importantly, widespread reuse is functionality standardisation in Services. The Functional Elements in the OASIS Functional Elements specification are defined for the expressed purpose of standardising the desired functionality in common Web Services. This paper outlines the specification and discusses the importance and roles that these FEs play in enabling widespread reuse in Web Service-enabled applications. This paper also provides examples of how an instantiated FEs has helped to promote such reuse.