Application integration involves connecting different enterprise applications and data sources to allow for sharing of business data and processes. The key goals are to integrate legacy systems, share distributed content repositories, simplify processes, and provide a single user experience. When planning integration, it is important to understand existing systems, scope what will be integrated, and choose a methodology like mediation, federation, or a hybrid approach using techniques like web services and standard interfaces. The benefits include centralized access and discovery, while the main disadvantage is high initial costs.

1. Application Integration
by Imran Aziz
headshift
Friday, 11 March 2011

2. What is it ?
Wikipedia .... Gartner Group ....
“Application Integration or “unrestricted sharing of data and
Enterprise Application Integration business processes among any
(EAI) is defined as the use of software connected application or data sources
and computer systems architectural in the enterprise.”
principles to integrate a set of
enterprise computer applications”
Typical Applications are :
DMS (Document management
systems)
CMS (Content management systems)
CRM (Customer relationship
management) etc
Friday, 11 March 2011

3. Purpose
Key Factors Goals
• Legacy Systems unable to cope with
growing needs • Share and integrate business data
• Huge Distributed Content Repositories • Simplify and Automate business process
• Multiple applications • Bridging the Silos
• Reluctance to Change (familiarity with • Avoiding Major changes, slow graceful
existing applications, and want to transition to support adoption
continue using it) • Adopting latest technologies
• Keeping up with new technologies • Single / Consistent end user experience
• Applications on different operating
systems, different Languages, different
databases
• Legacy Systems no longer supported by
vendors
Friday, 11 March 2011

4. Do your home work
Existing Systems
• Understand the Infrastructure and
systems
• Understand IT compliance policies
• Research the integrated applications /
systems (Identity etc)
• Determine individual application
dependencies
• Integration or Migration ?
Friday, 11 March 2011

5. Scope the integration
• Determine features to integrate
• Determine if the integration requires two
way Sync
• Identity management
• Permissions management (centralised or
distributed)
• Centralised Search (Use new or existing)
• Navigation between applications
(Interface integration)
Friday, 11 March 2011

6. Methodology
Patterns
• Mediation : Broker of updates, keep apps
in sync
• Federation : Facade across multiple apps,
Serving requests from external users
• Hybrid (Combination of above two) (Box)
Technical Considerations
• Service-oriented Architecture
Bus / hub : Requests from hub to apps
using adapters (Message bus, Web
services).
• Data Transformation: Standard interfaces
to generalise data format
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7. Methodology continued ...
Federation
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8. Key factors for integration
• Standard Interfaces (Application
Integration)
• Web Services
• Pluggable Architecture
• Avoid database level integration
• Translation of Identity
• Content Security
• Consumer / Provider Model or Separation
of Concern
Friday, 11 March 2011

9. Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
• Centralised access
• Better exposure to existing applications /
data
• Content Discovery / Information flow
Disadvantage
• Initial high cost
• Might become unmanageable as no of
applications grow
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10. Questions ?
Friday, 11 March 2011