Simplifying EAI Paul Butterworth Forté Software Inc. HPTS 99

2 Integrate and Develop “Extended” and “Composite” Applications Generally involve pulling together many of the functional systems within your environment -- Integrate Combine existing functional systems with new functions -- Develop Deploy these to new audiences (customers and partners) -- Develop

3 HPTS 99 What’s Hard in EAI? Hooking up the applications - they don’t want to be integrated. –No interfaces –Batch systems –getting confirmation –screen scraping Settling on or converting data representations Recovering from errors Managing performance

4 HPTS 99 Too Many Moving Parts Applications Transformations Interfaces Messaging Web App Servers DBMSs

5 HPTS 99 Two Types of Integration Tightly-coupled Components –CORBA, COM, Java models –Generally Synchronous Loosely-coupled Components –Applications and Packages –Generally Asynchronous Both Required in Most Systems

6 HPTS 99 How do we simplify EAI? Process-based Integration –The business value is in automating the process (particularly in web applications) not in the plumbing. XML Data Interchange –The best bet for interoperability Component Assembly for faster integration and development –TOOL –Java –COM and CORBA “One Button Run”

7 HPTS 99 Technology Integration Forté Fusion Architecture Component Develop & Deploy Legacy App Custom App Packaged App App Process Automation Forté Fusion Backbone FunctionalLogic ProcessLogic IntegrationLogic

8 HPTS 99 Forté Fusion Components Fusion Manager Process manager Application Proxy Application e.g. Inventory Connector API (e.g C++) Application Proxy Application e.g. Shipping Connector API (e.g Java) Application Proxy Application e.g. Credit Check Native XML XML messages Rule Base (XSL) Forté Fusion

9 HPTS 99 Who Owns the Business Data? EAI framework holds a bunch of business data. Business wants access to it. EAI framework is now in the database business. Some of the state (state of the process/message) must be there.

10 HPTS 99 Performance A bunch of disparate applications Many layers of software Implications: –Too many requests –Too many translations –Too many failures (see next issue)

11 HPTS 99 Keeping This Mess Running Lot’s of applications Lot’s of infrastructure Lot’s of machines Lot’s of communications What doesn’t go wrong?

12 HPTS 99 Who Worries About the Boring Stuff? Installing new versions of software Compatibility System management Footprint

13 HPTS 99 Summary It’s more than just messaging Tools for –Development –Mapping –Assembly –Deployment –Operations