EXTOL Business Integrator is a flexible and powerful tool, similar to a Swiss Army knife, that is always nice to have tucked away in your pocket. It is designed to be very flexible for your particular needs and for your creativity and innovative thinking. The goal of this blog is to have you think outside of the box and apply EBI to a business problem for which it may not be specifically targeted. Or, at least open your mind to its features and how to apply them in ways that do not conform to their core functionalities. Read more…
“Not much, what’s SAP’nin’ with you?” That’s just a little “inside joke” when we’re working with customers who use our SAP interface with EXTOL products. And yes, EXTOL does have an interface that enables EXTOL products to work with the SAP application.
But, what actually is SAP and why is it necessary to have an EXTOL interface? Read more…
The File Transfer Protocol (FTP), although an older technology, is still very popular and is used routinely by IT departments and businesses worldwide. Even so, many users of FTP do not fully understand the difference between two of its basic configuration options: Active mode and Passive mode. I, being one of those people until a few years ago when I took on an FTP related project, intend to explain the details behind them.
FTP uses two communication paths (also know as “channels”) in order to accomplish its goal of transferring files from one location to another. The first is the control channel which is used to send FTP commands back and forth from the client and server. This connection is commonly made to port 21 of the server. The other channel, known as the data channel, is used to transmit the raw data of the files being sent. The server port used for this channel depends largely on what communication mode is being used, Active or Passive. Read more…
Securing electronic communications is of paramount concern for companies exchanging business-critical transactions. A recommended method to ensure a high level of security is to introduce an additional layer to the process: HTTP Proxy. A previous EXTOL blog discussed some of the benefits provided by a proxy for AS2 transmissions; this will focus on the EXTOL Secure (ESX) Proxy.
It is important to consider that Secure Proxy is not a generalized HTTP proxy to be used for all network traffic. It is a lightweight, low complexity solution designed to work for AS2 traffic only. Secure Proxy should be deployed within a “DMZ” where it can perform important security functions such as weeding out insecure and potentially malicious traffic before it ever reaches the firewall. Read more…
When setting up a process to translate data from your backend database to another format, it is common to realize that your source DB data is too disparate with how your target data format needs to be mapped/structured. Introducing database views can often simplify integration between two formats and reduce or eliminate the need for external programming.
A view is simply a named select statement that is stored in a database as an object. Using a view can simplify the mapping process by renaming fields (rows) to a purpose more easily understood. Read more…
It is not uncommon to encounter situations where you need additional data that is not generally available either from your EDI application/interface (outbound) or from your trading partner (inbound).
Consider the situation where your trading partner sends purchase orders but omits the item descriptions…this item description being a necessary piece of information for processing the received orders. One option is to require that your trading partner includes this description for each item on the order – good luck trying to persuade a buyer to accommodate your request. Another option is to modify your application to eliminate this requirement – this may require a considerable amount of redevelopment.
The solution: Create an external table to host descriptions for each partner item that can be accessed during the translation process. Read more…
Successful AS2 communications require a balancing act between two conflicting demands: your infrastructure has to be open enough to talk with your trading partners, but secure enough to keep out intruders and repel attacks. The familiar firewall is the tool of choice to resolve this, but it still requires that you tell your trading partner which ports are open. This could expose your network to security lapses on their end. Fortunately, there are several options available to minimize or eliminate this risk.
An obvious solution is to restrict incoming traffic only to the known IP addresses of your trading partners. While this is a good start, some other problems present themselves. Read more…
Whether you have an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) or a “home grown” application, there are many considerations for integrating EDI to your backend application. Many ERP systems have an EDI interface module consisting of a set interface files (specific to EDI transaction sets) and integration programs. The EDI modules may contain simple “flat file” structures or more robust database structures.
If your backend application is “home grown” and you’re handed an EDI mandate then your first decision is whether to integrate directly into your application or develop and implement an EDI interface. An interface layer allows for manipulation of the data (editing, formatting, and/or validity checking) before it is integrated with your application. Read more…
Determining the type of database to be deployed for a project is a combination of access requirements and preference. In an effort to make an informed decision on which to deploy, the application engineer should be familiar with the types of databases as well as the pros/cons of each. In this entry we will consider two general types of databases and explore some of their applications and key points in the decision cycle when faced with a project. Read more…
Batch Integration is the receiving and processing of business-critical data at predetermined (scheduled) times and arriving in “bulk” amounts. Think of this as a large box of goods being delivered by your local carrier at the same time every day…if your mail doesn’t make it in today’s delivery then you must wait for tomorrow’s.
Transactional Integration is the receiving and processing of business-critical data at undetermined (non-scheduled) times and arriving “one piece at a time”. Contrasted with Batch Integration, this is a courier that is always on the move carrying mail from one location to another on a near-continual basis… Read more…