Choosing the right integration approach
Most of the time we end up over engineer application integration without giving the right focus on the context of the application within the business. As a result we end up implementing integration patterns which does not suit the business context as we continue to focus on technical context.
To me Service Oriented Integration, Event Driven Integration, Process Integration and Information Integration are mere technical approach, which as an architect needs to understand these approaches and apply based on Business scenario.
Based on my experience what I realized, is that all these approaches are successful in specific business context and are not fit all approach. For example
- Service Oriented Integration approach is typically successful in business use cases which are related to servicing of end customer for example Multi Channel Integration or supporting eCommerce
- Whereas Event driven integration approach are applicable to business use case where upto date information are required for decision making and subsequent processing for example determining stock level and ordering replinishment
- Whereas Information Integration approach is typically successful in business use case requires synchronization of information in back end systems for back end processing like employee information synchronization, product synchronization etc..
- Whereas Process Integration are applicable for business scenario where process automation is required for improve operational efficiency and improving organizational responsiveness like New Product Introduction in FMCG, Manufacturing, Telcom or New Account Opening in Banking etc..
In general a typical end to end scenario would require combination of these approaches however based on the end to end business requirement there will be one primary approach.
I believe that all these approaches are significant to all industry segment but distribution of its applicability varies from industry to industry and within a single industry it varies based on the business value chain
Comments
This is a good view point. Do you think Information integration is more inclined to constraints due to IT/Application/Systems and less dictated by any business problems as such. I mean to enable either of the integrations Information Integration may or may not be required. The reason for the argument is, when we solve a business problem there will be always a hierarchy of such integrations in the architecture. Information Integration be always at the bottom unlike other Integrations.
Posted by: Bhupesh | September 1, 2010 12:20 PM
In a way yes for an unconstrained IT landscape. And hence such a scenario is an hypothetical scenario in the current context the answer will be no. One good example will be around employee information integration in an retail industry.
For example an employee to work in the store and execute transaction at Point of Sale, the employee information needs to be synched with Stores system after the employee is setup in the HR system. In ideal unconstrained scenario store system should lookup HR system to check if the employee is setup or not and then allow them to execute the transaction. However such setup in current IT landscape will face multiple challenges which includes network connectivity/reliability with data center, ability of the POS to do a realtime lookup and HR system to expose realtime service for employee lookup. Hence Considering all these constrained it is better than we implement information integration to ensure minimum disruption.
However I also personally feel that Information integration will be down in the priority list
Posted by: Manas Kumar Sarkar
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September 2, 2010 10:45 AM