title: SOA vs Database
body: <p>I have been reading up on WCF and coming from a background where we didn't use web services that much I am trying to figure out the comparative advantages of using a Webservice over a database.  I can definitely that when you are trying to interface with a with an outside application say to auto order materials from your inventory management application to the vendors order placement application.  But internally I am trying to see the usefulness.</p>
  
  <p>Communicating with two different applications in different languages on two different systems internally can be done on a central database.  Say you have a customer places an order you application written in Java stores it in your MySql database and then the person on the shipping floor receives the order through his application that checks for new orders automatically from MySql through the program.  So I am not sure where web services fit into the whole scheme of things internally.  What are some examples of times when you would want to use a SOA over a Database?</p>