Integration Patterns Overview

February 2003
Agenda

 Introduction
 The Challenge: Understanding the Platform’s
Capabilities
 The Solution: Identifying Common Patterns of
Integration
 Application Integration
 Extended Enterprise Integration
 Collaboration
 Composite Application
 Customer Examples

 Closing
The webMethods Integration Platform

 The industry’s most

comprehensive
integration solution
 But, how do you…
 Map its functionality to your
integration needs?
 Communicate its capabilities
to non-technical people?
 Get business users to identify
opportunities for using the
platform?
 Maximize webMethods’ use
across your organization?
The webMethods Integration
Taxonomy
Systems
 Application
Integration
 Integration between
applications and other
systems in the enterprise Application
Integration
 Extended Enterprise
Integration
 Integration between
different organizations
Integration
 Workflow Integration Requirements
 Business process Workflow Extended
coordination across Integration Enterprise
end-users Integration

 Composite Application
 Integrated access across
applications, data sources,
and business processes
People Businesses
Application Integration – Data
Consistency
 The Problem
 Data scattered across different
systems – customer, inventory,
financial, etc.
 The Result
 Inconsistent views of
information
 Difficult to get a complete
picture
 Questionable data quality
 Manual data entry (and re-
entry)
 Data Integration Patterns
 Automatically synchronize
data across multiple
applications and databases
 Rapidly propagate information
across the organization from a
system of record
 Quickly aggregate data from
different source systems into a
consolidated data store
Addressing Data Integration Needs

 Solution Requirements
 Non-invasive detection of data
changes
 Canonical data representation
 Data transformation and
mapping
 Key and code cross referencing
 Joining data
 Duplicate suppression
 Efficient data routing
 Reliable data delivery
 Transaction support
• Examples
 Exception handling
 Many-to-many, bi-directional • Single view of the customer
communication • Vendor master sync
• Product catalog replication
• Financial data consolidation
Application Integration – Multi-step
Processes
 The Problem  Process Integration
 Stovepipe applications and Patterns
business processes that span  Automate process flows
them across different applications
 Incorporate external service
 The Result invocations into existing
 People have to “bridge” gaps systems and business processes
between systems
 Need for users to learn and use
multiple applications
 Slower processing
 Inconsistent status
 More opportunity for process
errors
Addressing Process Integration Needs

 Solution Requirements
 Business process modeling
 API-level application integration
 Data transformation and
mapping
 Intelligent routing
 Distributed transaction support
(transaction management and
compensating transactions)
 Exception handling (done within
applications or external user
interface)
 Process monitoring • Examples
 Service-oriented architecture
• Quote to Order
• Straight Through Processing
• Order Status
• Credit Verification
Understanding Client- vs. Server-Side
Integration

Client-Side Server-Side
Integration Integration
Integration Logic Application Integration Server
Implementation
Processing Model Synchronous Asynchronous Application
Primary Human End User Administrator Front-End
Interface
Error Communication Immediate Deferred Application Server
or Database

Error Handling User-Initiated Programmatic

Customizable
Client Application

Adapter
Application Server
or Database
Extended Enterprise Integration
 The Problem
 Inefficient interactions between
companies – paper- or fax-
based,
non-electronic, etc.
 The Result
 Error-prone manual processing
 Cycle delays
 Lack of cross-organization
visibility
 Extended Enterprise
Integration Patterns
 Automate document
exchanges – using standard
EDI, XML, or custom file formats
– with trading partners
 Deploy an e-standards
business process
 Implement direct system-to-
system integration across the
Internet
Addressing Extended Enterprise
Integration Needs

 Solution Requirements
 E-standard document type and
protocol support
 Conversation management
 Long-running transaction
support
 Reliable delivery
 Security
 Trading partner profile
management
 Document “warehousing”
 Tracking and management • Examples
 Cost-effective partner server
capability • EDI
 Seamless back-end integration
• E-Procurement
• Vendor-Managed Inventory
Workflow Integration
 The Problem
 Critical aspect of a business
process that cannot be
automated
 The Result
 Inefficient processing without
proper coordination
 Opportunity for cycle delays
and processing errors
 Lack of responsiveness to
business process changes
 Workflow Patterns
 Optimizing repetitive
workflow activities
 Bridging functional gaps
between different systems in a
process flow
 Handling exceptions in
integration processes
Addressing Workflow Integration
Needs

 Solution Requirements
 Integrated business process
management (automation and
workflow)
 Production workflow
functionality
 Role-based personalization
 Task distribution rules
 Push (to user) and pull (from groups)
models
 Business calendar support
 End-user interface design
environment • Examples
• Insurance claims processing
• Approval processes
• Error handling
Composite Application

 The Problem  Composite Application

 Business applications not Pattern
aligned with users’ job functions  Personalized application –
front-end to different back-end
 The Result systems, trading partner
interfaces, and/or business
 User needs to learn and use processes
multiple applications to perform
job
 User has to be the “glue” to fill
gaps in application functionality
 Lack of access to required
information and functionality
 Inefficient, error-prone manual
coordination across different
systems
Addressing Composite Application
Needs

 Solution Requirements
 Custom application construction
 Personalized user interface design
capabilities
 Application logic development and
execution environment
 Real-time application integration
 End-user security
 Run-time management and
administration

• Examples
• Customer Service
Representative interface
• Real-time management
reporting
 Recap

Systems
 Integration problems
occur in recognizable
Application patterns
Integration

 Patterns help to identify

and classify integration
Integration opportunities
Requirements
Collaboration
Extended
Enterprise
 webMethods provides a
unified solution for
solving the broad range
of business integration
requirements
People Businesses