This book is a strategic roadmap for building next generation J2EE Web Services solutions architecture. It provides the reader with the concepts, design approach and implementation guidelines for adapting Web Services technology (e.g., Java, XML, UDDI and SOAP) with extensive real-world examples from the Financial Services industry. The book also includes extensive design and implementation details on adapting various technologies. The author discusses how Web Services technology, mainframe interoperability, services consolidation, wireless technology and XML are used in various business areas. The book also includes a technology overview of different aspects of Web Services. As a result, Lai manages to marry both the business and the technology aspects in one comprehensive guide to Web services. There are break-out sections in At a Glance (summary section at the beginning of each chapter), Analyst's View (tips and hints for technology implementation, risks, pitfalls) and Best Practices (design patterns or best practices from industry experience).