Smart Integration Express An Introduction - What is it? Applications. Features and advantages. Demo.

Smart Integration Express – What is it? Smart Integration Express (a.k.a. “Smartie”) is a framework for building custom tools and systems interfaces for automating data-processing tasks. It’s a – Tool builder for building your own custom tools for repetitive, everyday data-processing. Integration engine for building and running interfaces (data exchange) between integrated systems and applications.

Define “Data-Processing” “Meaningful information” implies data- processing is “language specific” – that is, we need to understand the data’s structure and interpretation. In computer terms, these are referred as data “encoding and decoding”. Smartie supports decoding and encoding of HL7 and CSV data, it also supports value-mapping as a way of translation. For data item “collection and manipulation”, Smartie supports many operations including – file and network I/O, data structure parsing, data item value filtering and mapping, data format conversion, etc. “ [It’s] the collection and manipulation of items of data to produce meaningful information. “ – Wikipedia Select data in CSV file and import to Excel or database. Write a report based on the received HL7 Convert format … …

Smartie Framework – terms and definitions Handler is a logical execution unit for a specific step of an intended data-processing task. Physically it’s a file-system folder containing a config file. Interface is a hierarchy of handlers, structured reflecting the data flow a data-processing task. Physically, the handlers hierarchy is are nested parent-children folders, in the order of the intended data-processing steps sequence. Solution is a logical grouping of interfaces. Physically, it’s a folder (called “solution-home folder”) containing the interfaces’ hierarchy “root” folders. Solution Runtime is a program that runs the solution and performs the data-processing, on a computer. It executes solution handlers logic also provides inbound/outbound data linkage between the handlers in an interface. Smartie Manager is both a runtime and a GUI console for configuring handlers and managing solutions’ executions. Solution running in Smartie Manager is called a local solution. Smartie Win Service is a runtime that runs under Windows System account, it’s for running a designated solution regardless whether a user is logged on. Solution running in Win Service runtime is called a remote solution.

Innovative Solution-building Approach Smartie solutions are built using computer’s file-system (folders), which is available on every computer. Unlike other tools, when building a Smartie solution, you don’t need any dedicated development tool. These are the simple steps - 1 Choose a suitable handler for each step of your data-processing task … 2 3 Build your Smartie solution by stacking the selected handlers as nested parent- child folders, in the order of steps of your data-processing task … … load, configure and run your solution in a Smartie solution run-time.

Example Application – As HL7 Custom-Tool Builder Automating repetitive tasks with custom-built tools for increased productivity and reducing human errors. Here are some HL7 tooling ideas – HL7-driven reporting From HL7 messages, you can create flexible reports, such as listing admitted patients in a given ward, or listing all the finalized pathology results, automatically. HL7 network handling You can build your own HL7 message sender and receiver tools, which can be customized and pre- configured. E.g. for repetitive Integration test cases. HL7 file handling The Smartie HL7 file-reader, file-writer, and catcher handlers allow you to build tools for parsing, splitting, combining, and archiving HL7 messages from data files. HL7 filtering and mapping The Smartie HL7 message filter and mapper handlers allow you to select messages and change message contents through powerful pattern-matching, and value mapping. E.g. for de-identifying HL7 messages.

Example Usage – As CSV (Tabular data) Tool Builder Tooling ideas of automating Tabular/CSV data-processing tasks. CSV type conversion Powerful CSV file reader and writer handlers can be used for easy conversion from comma-separated CSV format to fixed-length CSV format, and vise versa. Filter data rows for data cleansing You can select specific line of data, using the filter handler’s powerful string pattern-matching feature. Manipulate rows and columns You can automated add or change headers to the columns, re-arrange columns, trim rows from the beginning or from the end, of your CSV/tabular data. Make CVS file “Excel friendly” When importing CSV data, Excel automatically applies automatic formatting to columns, and sometimes this is un-desirable. The Smartie CSV writer handler can process the CSV data and make Excel not to format the cell value.

Example Usage - As Systems and Applications Interfaces Automating data-exchange between systems and applications. Data forwarding You can use the file handlers or the network handlers to import data from one source location and automatically forward it to another or multiple network or file-system location(s). Data filtering and mapping When the connecting applications are not compatible, you can use filtering to choose only compatible data, and you can use value-mapping to translate data values between the applications, if required. Converting CSV data structure Smartie handlers can convert fixed- length format CSV to comma-separated CSV, and vise versa. It can also flexibly alter tabular data structure by re-arranging CSV columns and trimming leading and trailing rows. Import HL7 data to database Most database systems provide tools for importing CSV data, the HL7ToCsv handler can convert HL7 messages’ data elements into records of CSV file, thus allowing HL7 data to be imported to databases for use by other applications.

Smart Integration Express - Features What are the features that set Smartie apart from the others? 1 Highly portable - The program is extremely small and flexible. It requires no installation, meaning it can be carried around and run from anywhere, and it keeps your computer clean. 2 Easy to build - The data-processing tools and interfaces you build, referred as “Smartie solutions”, are made of computer folders, meaning they can be built straight from computer’s file-system itself, no special tool required. 3 Easy to manage - The GUI Smartie Manager allows control of each handler of your solution and displays their real-time status, in one screen. Maintenance tasks such as backup are simply making files and folders copies. 4 Easy to share - Since both the program and the solutions are highly portable, they can be easily packaged (by simply zip and copy), meaning they can be easily carried around and shared.

More questions about Smart Integration Express? Visit Smartie’s official blog – for documentation, support, and feedback. Follow us on social media – for latest development announcements. Watch online videos – for tutorials and live demos. Contact us – for questions and comments.

Demo The following linked on-line videos show Smartie tools and solutions in-action. As you’ll see in these videos, solutions automating data- processing tasks can be built in minutes: 4 1 Smartie solution as HL7 network sender tool. Running Smartie solution as Windows Service. 2 Convert HL7 data to CSV report. De-identify HL7 data with Smartie HL7Mapper handler. 3 Question: How would you do these tasks with other tools?

To make Integration really easy, for everyone! Our Mission To make Integration really easy, for everyone!