Selection of Composable Web Services Driven by User Requirements

Abstract

Building a composite application based on Web services has become a real challenge regarding the large and diverse service space nowadays. Especially when considering the various functional and non-functional capabilities that Web services may afford and users may require. In this paper, we propose an approach for facilitating Web service selection according to user requirements. These requirements specify the needed functionality and expected QoS, as well as the composability between each pair of services. The originality of our approach is embodied in the use of Relational Concept Analysis (RCA), an extension of Formal Concept Analysis (FCA). Using RCA, we classify services by their calculated QoS levels and composability modes. We use a real case study of 901 services to show how to accomplish an efficient selection of services satisfying a specified set of functional and non-functional requirements.