http://www.soamag.com The SOA Magazine is a monthly online publication provided by SOA Systems Inc. and Prentice Hall/PearsonPTR and is officially associated with the "Prentice Hall Service-Oriented Computing Series from Thomas Erl." SOA en-us Copyright 2006-2008, SOA Systems Inc. http://www.soamag.com/I19/0608-2.asp To build a successful SOA, architects need to pour the foundation first - they need to begin with a data abstraction layer that makes sense of an otherwise chaotic data landscape. Data abstraction leads to the ability to leverage physical data, no matter how it's structured, as new, logical schemas that exist only in middleware - creating a common data layer that architects can restructure as needed, rather than making costly changes to the physical database or core services. This article examines the use of a common data layer leveraged through data abstraction, its key advantages, and the value and ROI it generates for enterprises that deploy a SOA. SOA http://www.soamag.com/contributors/bio-kvandersluis.asp#When:16.06.08