DEV Community: Meghna Das

SOA and its language: BPEL

Meghna Das — Fri, 19 May 2023 13:31:13 +0000

BPEL

An XML-based language called BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) enables web services, APIs, and human procedures in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) to communicate with one another and share data in a business workflow.

Orchestration versus Choreography

Web services can be combined in two ways:

Orchestration
Choreography

A central process (which could be another Web service) takes control of the associated Web services in orchestration, which is typically used in private business processes, and organises the execution of various activities on the Web services engaged in the operation.

In contrast, there is no single coordinator for choreography. Instead, every Web service taking part in the choreography is aware of exactly when to carry out its actions and who to engage with.

Conclusion

In the past, many companies developed and operated business operations using a single, enormous monolithic program. These would frequently deteriorate and be challenging to maintain.

Many firms are now increasingly handling business tasks using smaller web services or microservices in response to these difficulties. To enable various services to collaborate and work towards a single objective, BPEL serves as the binding agent or the common language.

Understanding SDLC from SOA perspective

Meghna Das — Tue, 09 May 2023 06:15:40 +0000

What is SOA?
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a way of designing software applications using reusable and interoperable components called services.

SDLC- Software Development Life Cycle

Traditionally, a life cycle model maps the various activities performed on a software product from its inception to retirement. It is required as when a team is developing a software product, there must be a clear understanding among team representative about when and what to do. A SDLC generally has the following steps.

SOA and its related SDLC

Stage1: Planning and requirement analysis

The senior members of the team perform it with inputs from all the stakeholders and domain experts or SMEs in the industry.

Since this is a middleware track, the senior members also discuss with the functions which are to be connected via the middleware example for a data polling between E-Business Suite to a Database like Postgres, both these representatives will also be consulted to find out how the information is going to flow, what all adapters/services will be required, how efficient will be the result, is there any other better method to achieve the desired output etc.

Stage2: Defining Requirements

Once the requirement analysis is done, the next stage is to represent and document the software requirements and get them accepted from the project stakeholders.

For SOA, it means figuring out the various SOAP/REST service links, DBs and tables, network, certificate installations and variables which will be used to develop the application.

Stage 3: Designing the Software

The next phase is to bring down all the knowledge of requirements, analysis, and then designing of the software project. This is one of the most important steps in SOA meaning it consists of the architectural representation in SOA. Designing generally starts with a flow diagram/chart which is made to check and get the workflow and logic management verified from stake holders.

Stage4: Developing the application/project

In case it is an existing application in SOA, this step is not made from scratch instead scope of improvements is analyzed and accordingly.

For SOA, this is an interesting part as the developers don't actually hardcode anything. Instead, they use preexisting processes and services and adapters to develop the new application. The code which is in XML format is autogenerated as the application gets created. To map variables, they use assign or transform activities in which mapping is to be done manually. Various XSD schemas, XSLT files are created during the development process which aid to the smooth functioning of the application.

Development tool- Oracle Jdeveloper 12c(current version)

Hardcoding is involved where some URLs or columns etc. need to be updated or changed to meet certain client requirements.

In case it is an existing application in SOA, this step is not done from scratch instead scope of improvements is analyzed and accordingly the enhancement or bug fixes are made.

Stage5: Testing

Following the development of the code, it is compared to the requirements to ensure that the solutions are satisfying the demands identified and acquired during the requirements stage.

For SOA, there are multiple non-production environments generally for testing processes. User Acceptance Tests and Unit Tests are performed in these to confirm the requirements and ensure its ready for production.

Testing tools-Oracle Fusion Middleware Enterprise Manager console or Postman/SOAPUI.

Stage 6: Code check in and Deployment.

Similar to tradition, in SOA, once the application/web service is certified, and no bugs or errors are stated in non-prod setup, then the code check-in is done in the repository and followed by deployment to production environments.

Tools- Can vary from project to project. Generally, code check-ins done to Gerrit or GitHub and then deployment.

For code check-ins, basic knowledge of command line is required.

Stage 7: Maintenance

Once when the client starts using the developed systems, then the real issues come up and requirements to be solved from time to time.

Conclusion

SDLC thus plays a crucial role in SOA as well and helps project managers to track down progress of each project and mitigate issues is any without chaos and disturbance.

Community Management VS Social Media Management

Meghna Das — Sat, 03 Sep 2022 04:43:05 +0000

Community Management is often mistaken as something in which a person interacts with a community on a social media platform to get leads for a business. And along the same lines, social media management is confused as managing communities. But both of these roles are very different and important in their own ways.

While community managers may do social media management sometimes but that is not their entire job description. Also, social media managers don't just promote their companies' product online, they have a vast set of responsibilities to cover. Let's take a look at the same in this article.

Major difference:

Social Media Manager- They’re the voice of the brand and are responsible for posts, replies and general content.
Community Manager- They will post as a brand ambassador under their own account, and work on developing the community.
Who do they report to?

Social Media Manager- A social media manager reports to the social media/marketing lead
Community Manager-A community manager reports to the community/DevRel lead
Skills needed:

Social Media Manager-Communication, Writing, creativity, efficiency, traditional and digital marketing, agility, analytical skills
Community Manager-Communication, Organisation, Curiosity, Passion and loyalty, Lots of patience, Empathy, Business savvy
Tasks:

Social Media Manager-All things content, Listening and engaging with the brand, Strategy and analytics
Community Manager-Developing community, finding new users, answering questions and engaging current members, getting feedback and working with cross-functional teams.
Goals of each role:

Social Media Manager– More specific and short-term and focus on sales or conversions.
Community Manager– Usually broad and long-term. They center around establishing a strong and supportive community, which can take a long time.

Therefore, these two roles are very different. For small teams, one person may be doing both jobs. However, specialization is beneficial as a team expands, and it’s important to understand how expanding these two jobs can help in development even more.

BEST TOOLS AND SOFTWARE FOR COMMUNITY MANAGERS

Meghna Das — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 05:29:28 +0000

A community manager often has to juggle a lot of things in their daily routine. Sometimes it becomes difficult to work without any automation tools and do everything single-handedly. Here is a list of my favourite tools and software that I used during my time as a Community Manager. Check it out below:

GMass- This Gmail extension is a lifesaver and helped me send personalised emails to thousands of recipients within a few minutes. It also provides an extensive report of the number of clicks and opens after an email campaign is completed.
MailTracker- Not sure when to take the next follow-up email from your potential clients? Install this extension to your Gmail account and receive immediate notifications when someone has read your email. Schedule your next email accordingly and enjoy seamless communication.
AutoCrat- Being an ambassador program manager, I had the major task of sending out certificates. Using this add-on to Google Sheets can prove to be extremely efficient, complete the task within minutes and send certificates with a personalised email.
Google Workspace- I find this a lot better than MS Office as it helps me collaborate with teams online and make run-time changes. The shortcut keys for opening new files in G Suite are doc.new, sheets.new and so on.
Notion- Whether it is noting down important stuff in a meeting, or keeping track of everyday tasks and upcoming ones, Notion is the best choice for all requirements related to documentation. You can also collaborate with teams and work together.
Calendly- Want to schedule meetings faster and avoid the hassle of finding out a common time to e- meet your clients or job interview candidate? Calendly is the modern scheduling platform that makes “finding time” a breeze. It’s amazing for teams as well.
Brand24- It’s a great social media monitoring tool for marketers which gives you instant access to mentions about your brand across the web. You can find social alerts and new audiences to engage with.

Hope this list helped you out too! Thanks for reading 🙂

Converting an Internship to PPO or a full-time opportunity. 💼🏢

Meghna Das — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 04:35:22 +0000

1️⃣ Understand what the company and manager expect from you. Be present in the conversations with your team and figure out ways in which your work can help towards solving the problem or executing an idea that your manager plans to implement. Contribute your own ideas as well.

2️⃣ Offer to help your teammates beyond your work scope as well. If you want to have long-term relationships with anyone in your life, you must go the extra mile, the same applies at your workplace. And of course, do ask for help when you need it.

3️⃣ Say "Yes" more than "No". There will be various situations where you might be compelled to say "No" but make sure you offer an alternative "Yes" statement and a genuine reason why you cannot do a certain task that is assigned to you. An 80:20 ratio is good towards Yes: No

4️⃣ Don't be afraid to make risky decisions. All your decisions might not be correct and it might influence you into overthinking the impact of it on your company. But focus on the learning part more. Also, consider taking advice from your teammates and managers in the decision.

5️⃣ Pay attention to your 1:1 (s) with your managers. Listen to the feedback carefully, and make notes about your strengths and weaknesses. If no weakness is pointed out, ask them yourself. It not only helps you improve but also lets your bosses know that you are willing to learn.

6️⃣ Avoid worrying too much about the payscale vs the work you are doing. If you are capable and hardworking enough, the management will take care of the rest. Just be consistent and responsible towards the tasks assigned. The money and promotion will follow.

7️⃣ Network and collaborate outside your department as well. Build meaningful relationships with people across teams. It will help you gain visibility and institutional knowledge. But, avoid getting involved in office politics and gossip while you do so.

8️⃣ Try to attend the happy hour sessions or other fun activities conducted for the employees. It helps in building connections with colleagues from other departments and also lets your HR know that you are taking part in stuff outside your work as well.

9️⃣Always stay close to your immediate senior coworker. Make sure to accompany them in the meetings they attend or events they go to. You will learn a lot from the way they work and their daily routine. It will also prepare you for your future full-time opportunity.