I attended a very interesting session at the conference this year; NexGen API Roadmap. In it, our fearless leaders gathered to discuss the future of the API and perhaps the future of v14. To recap, the 3 major topics were;
1: Removing session management from the db
2: Migrating all soap calls to REST (making REST fully capable)
3: feature enhancements
I found a number of parts of the conversation interesting. To start, V14 could be a technical release, where all that is done is #1 and #2. Then, there are all the details involved with #1 and #2.
The discussion of #1 was diverse. I heard a number of developers balking at the idea of an inability to rely on tessitura to manage the session for them. But a number of others spoke up to the wisdom behind the choice. Perhaps you can read which side of the fence i'm on...
But in all seriousness, this is a big deal, and i'd like to think (for the better) that the decision has already been made. We're seeing it in Tessitura and in the world; Mobile, scalability, flexibility, TN Mobile Plus, the new touch interface. Bye bye sessions. But i encourage a debate.
Then SOAP to REST. Far less to discuss here, other than adoption rates and desire/urgency/ability to get in other feature enhancements.
Anyways, this was a great session and i thought i'd put it to the forums to see what other people wanted to say outside of the session's walls.
Thanks,James
We definitely think moving complete functionality into the REST services is a top priority and should move forward as rapidly as possible.
Having said that, if you talk to the business areas of our organization, they definitely do not want to wait another 2, 3, 4 or more years for many of the key items on the Roadmap. These roadmap items enable high-priority current business needs and solve real problems. Waiting several more years for Special Events and other major items on the Roadmap has real consequences every day.
At this stage, should the discussion be constrained by a “pick two out of three”, or rather should the conversation at least start by exploring how do we make it possible to move functionality into the REST services AND deliver features that enable critical business needs?
Are we going to have to work hard to incorporate new functionality as fast as it can be delivered? Yes. Is it important to our business to do so? Yes. Many of the roadmap items are not just “nice-to-have” features, they are critical enablers. Right now, in many cases, we are working very hard to perform these functions with clumsy and labor-intensive workarounds and expensive customizations, so the best way to relieve our staffs is to provide proper solutions for these needs. Moving functionality into the REST services is a critical piece of that, but is it enough on its own to ensure Tessitura meets the business needs of the Membership in a reasonable timeframe?
Alan C. Levine
Chief Information Officer
The John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
aclevine@kennedy-center.org
twitter: @aclevine
From: Technology Roadmap Forum [mailto:forums-nextgeneration@tessituranetwork.com] On Behalf Of Dave Alton Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2013 5:35 PM To: Levine, Alan Subject: RE: [Technology Roadmap Forum] V14 - Session Management and REST
I would agree as well and while some may find it hard, I think having a less feature rich implementation something that would be welcomed. That way we can continue to move forward faster with more features.
Thanks,
Dave Alton
213.972.7539
Center Theatre Group
From: Technology Roadmap Forum [mailto:forums-nextgeneration@tessituranetwork.com] On Behalf Of James Boncek Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2013 1:09 PM To: Dave Alton Subject: Re: [Technology Roadmap Forum] V14 - Session Management and REST
That was my sentiment as well. The sooner 1 and 2 get done, the sooner we can begin to adopt / code upon the new platform; likewise, the network will have all the real tools in place to build all the features they ever dreamed. But you can't build a house on sand. You need the foundation first. A strong one, without sessions!
From: Gawain Lavers <bounce-gawainlavers9512@tessituranetwork.com> Sent: 7/25/2013 2:29:08 PM
Actually, the next thing I should say about that is the mood in the room seemed pretty unanimously for 1 and 2, unsurprisingly. But I think that there may be special pressure on IT groups throughout the network to lobby for that choice, as it may be harder for other departments in organizations to appreciate having a "featureless" version upgrade. Particularly those with investments in the feature list that was discussed at the other Roadmap session.
At least here my strategy would be to present V13, uh, I mean "Tessitura 2014", as a relief from two feature-heavy releases, including one off-cycle release. I know that the reality is that we will still be trying to reorganize ourselves around all of the new features in V12/V12.5 long after V14 is available.
--Gawain
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