An integrated approach for service selection using non-functional properties and composition context

In the maturing world of service oriented computing and Web services, we find ourselves in a position where numerous services are available, all of which address a specific need. Selecting the best such service based on the service context and a user’s current need becomes an important aspect. Services can be evaluated based on functional and non-functional criteria: the former represent the operation that the service provides, the latter criteria that differentiate functionally equal services. This chapter presents three closely related items addressing the problem of differentiating functionally equal services to find the most appropriate one in any given situation: (1) a generic and extensible model for non-functional properties, (2) a method for ranking services, and (3) an algorithm for selecting services that are part of larger execution chains. The method is evaluated, and the needs are exemplified with some motivating examples