As applied to business integration, the term “provisioning” has many meanings, but overall, it refers to the process of defining integration endpoints and establishing connections and integration processes between them. If an integration service that connects a pair of endpoints is simple and tightly constrained – for example, a data syndication service with a fixed process model and limited output options – provisioning can be as simple as selecting from a fixed list of connection and data format delivery options, and specifying the delivery endpoint’s address.
In most cases, however, business integration provisioning involves more steps, because the business problem to be solved requires tailored integration between some set of sources and targets, e.g., integration of an XML transaction set with a Warehouse Management System. Those steps might include definition or specification of endpoints, communication and interface connections, documents / messages and envelopes, data routing, business processes, and data transformations. By combining building blocks that implement such object types, you can solve most kinds of business-to-business, application, and data integration problems. Read more…
When setting up a new trading partner or business integration process, thinking through the process beforehand can greatly decrease the implementation time and help minimize problems. Many integration projects can come to a grinding halt in the middle of implementation if it’s only later realized that required data is not configured in your backend application, or if your system doesn’t support the particular communication protocol your new trading partner intends to use. “Looking before leaping” will help alleviate potential problems later.
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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…
Careful, that code is hot!
Welcome to my kitchen. I know, people tell me all the time – “This place looks more like an office than a kitchen.” I guess you would assume that with the monitors, keyboards, and mice lying around. However, this is a special kind of kitchen. This is the CODING kitchen.
If you’ve ever watched any of the wonderful cooking shows on the Food Network, you’ve no doubt seen world renowned chefs create amazing meals. Like adding ingredients to a pan, computer software is created by piecing together ingredients. Except a programmer’s ingredients are code instructions for the computer.
Allow me to explain. Read more…
Recently, I was having dinner with some old friends and the conversation centered on our respective fields that we work in. When the conversation turned to me, I chatted up how I worked in commercial software, particularly the Integration space. I received some curious looks, like my friends were trying to get a grasp on what I was talking about. Then it hit me….What does Integration mean to someone unfamiliar with the discipline? Why does it matter? What are the benefits, and the risks? How much of a problem is this? So, I decided to write a blog, from my perspective, on why Integration is important.
First, let’s think about the meta-types of challenges that businesses face today. Two flavors emerge quickly; problems of the moment (tactical) and visions of where they want to go (strategic). Read more…
The Web Services hype is over and its usage in production software and services is a reality. We implemented both flavors of Web Services (SOAP and REST) in our EBI product because we knew Web Services would be very useful to our customers in the integration world. Users can configure EBI to use Web Services to invoke APIs from public services. The purpose of this blog is to focus on one of these public Web Services: PostalMethods. 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…
There are a number of blogs, discussion groups, podcasts, etc. talking about Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) and Service-oriented Integration (SOI). Instead of focusing on them individually, this blog focuses on using them together for better ROI results.
Service-oriented Integration (SOI) is the practice of using XML over HTTP (e.g. Web Services) to achieve interoperability between applications and services – for example, wrapping a legacy application function and exposing it to other applications, services, and business partners. Service-oriented architecture (SOA) encompasses architecture principles and best practices that guide the design and implementation of SOI, including methods that minimize coupling, complexity, and functional overlap. Most SOA initiatives start with the need to integrate an application; I believe the reason why companies fail and overspend on SOA initiatives is due to the lack of consideration for SOI and SOA together.
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Categories: Service-oriented Integration Tags: architecture, HTTP, integration, mid-sized business, REST, ROI, service-oriented, small business, SMB, SOA, SOAP, SOI, spreadsheets, XML
I have recently been involved on a project to integrate a legacy application to an SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) application. This project has proven to be quite interesting, challenging, and at times, frustrating. Several key issues arose on this project that apply to nearly all application integration projects. Over the next several weeks, I will explore several of the issues I encountered.
Many legacy systems have custom coded interfaces to newer systems, especially Web-based applications. These custom interfaces may be poorly designed and documented. In addition, there may be significant issues with stability and error handling/recovery. A thorough understanding of the custom coded interface implementation, as well as the negative impact on critical business processes, is vital to delivering a successful solution.
Listening and learning from IT staff, as well as the end user community, will uncover issues they have to “live with” and/or deficiencies that result in manual processes. It is amazing what people will share when you take a sincere interest in their daily struggles. Business users become frustrated with systems they use everyday that don’t work properly; if they can identify the problem, why can’t IT fix it?
Next time, I’ll delve into other preparation tasks that will increase your chances of delivering an application integration solution that everyone loves!