The Service Layers pattern invokes a specific [[Service-Oriented Architecture Types|service architecture]].
==Considerations==
The application of this design pattern depends upon having enough knowledge about the kind of services in a service inventory before they are actually developed. Consequently, a [[Top-down and bottom-up design|top-down]] service delivery approach<ref name="TopDown">[http://www.soamethodology.com/p9.php Top-Down Service Delivery Approach]</ref> needs to be adopted so that a pool of candidate services exists from which the need for different service layers can be established. This will increase the time and efforts required to actually deliver a set of usable services. Secondly, the confidence with which the need for different types of service layers can be established is directly proportional to the size of the service inventory. This means that as more and more services are added to the service inventory, the already established service layers may need to be modified in case new services do not fit into these existing service layers.
The [[Top-down and bottom-up design|top-down]] service delivery approach<ref name="TopDown">
[http://www.soamethodology.com/p9.php Top-Down Service Delivery Approach]</ref> facilitates the use of this pattern.
