| SOA is too big and too expensive regardless of | | | | agility in terms of solution is needed. The more |
| what all the vendors tell you. Is it wise to trust | | | | rigid the user interface, the processes, data and |
| the people who created the original mess with | | | | content access is the less it will support corporate |
| fixing it? Isn’t it likely that the typical large | | | | agility. Code a single line in Java for any of the |
| corporation will end up with a larger mess than | | | | five integration levels and there goes your |
| before? | | | | so-wished-for agility! |
| Every IT expert must be aware that developing | | | | It is PARAMOUNT that for all levels of integration |
| a software product is an expensive proposition. | | | | – data, content, backend apps, business |
| Thus it is understandable that any software | | | | process and user interface – full lifecycle |
| vendor will have to try and expand the lifetime of | | | | change management is available. All levels of |
| a product by selling it under a new name. The | | | | consolidation/integration need integrated |
| same is obviously true for an inhouse application. | | | | SECURITY as otherwise one cannot open up |
| So how can we utilize those applications and data | | | | between levels. This is one of the huge issues still |
| without too much cost and effort? Using a clever | | | | hindering consolidation today! What is needed is |
| mix of integration, consolidation and federation | | | | FULL consolidation and not just interaction that is |
| does the trick without the need for a fully blown | | | | smugly shown on a dashboard. Any change |
| SOA project. | | | | needed on any level has to be propagated |
| Business service consolidation integration and | | | | automatically to ALL levels. |
| federation is a difficult task, and given the data | | | | A business service approach as suggested here |
| and applications explosion in most organizations, it | | | | requires a powerful data federation technique, |
| will not get easier if you wait. Large organizations | | | | which in turn requires a metadata repository to |
| typically have large amounts of legacy data and | | | | provide the flexibility to define and use multiple |
| numerous hard-coded processes because they | | | | data sources. A business service can then query |
| typically buy the so-believed best-of-breed | | | | any data source or business application at any |
| products that create the integration problem. SMB | | | | time. Because of the metadata information, |
| or small to medium businesses have less legacy | | | | synchronized writes are possible when needed, |
| data and thus focus on integration from a | | | | but must be used carefully. Data federation can |
| business intelligence perspective. | | | | be slower in accessing than data consolidation or |
| Five integration towers are to be considered: | | | | propagation but requires the least changes to |
| metadata, content, applications, business process, | | | | current systems and provides the highest |
| and user interface. Do not forget SECURITY on all | | | | flexibility and the most accurate and real-time |
| levels. There are many offerings for each tower | | | | data access that offsets the possible additional |
| but it is important to consolidate on all levels of | | | | runtime issue. |
| enterprise IT and not just on one of them. Only | | | | By means of the metadata the business service |
| then a coherent view of the business can be | | | | has access to semantic and model information |
| given to the user as well as the customer. I call | | | | and can merge data from different sources into a |
| this approach a Business Service Approach or | | | | coherent image for the business user or |
| BSA. The key problem is that in the sense of | | | | customer without the huge overhead of |
| consolidation ERP, ECM, CRM, and BPM products | | | | consolidation or propagation. Model information can |
| are legacy systems and have to be considered as | | | | provide data access paths that the user can |
| expendable. | | | | freely explore given the right authorization. |
| Integrating on any level lower than the user | | | | Data federation is also the best approach for |
| interface and customer service will come back to | | | | existing content from archives or newly created |
| haunt the IT organization once again. Yes, I know | | | | content from the federated data that is |
| that IBM and others talk about integrating on a | | | | transmitted back to the source application. A |
| business process level, but that it still not enough | | | | simple process oriented changed-data mechanism |
| and a huge problem if it involves any Java coding | | | | can ensure that data changes are written back to |
| at all. Yes, SOA as a concept is good, but it is | | | | the data source with full conflict resolution. |
| nowhere near enough. Calling some other | | | | Time-stamps and versioning that are common in |
| approach with business process SOA is just | | | | content management are here used for data |
| adding to the confusion. | | | | records. |
| Several vendors now support business process | | | | A solution than can perform data consolidation, |
| and application integration with a single product | | | | propagation and federation from a SINGLE |
| set, just business intelligence vendors fail to | | | | metadata definition is the best choice. A solution |
| understand that business data only make sense | | | | also has to perform data replication to remote |
| to anyone from a business process perspective. | | | | locations and easily link to the data sources by |
| A business service approach has to provide users | | | | means such as ODBC, JDBC, SQL or messaging |
| - and/or customers via the web - with a | | | | services such as JMS, MQ-series, SOAP or others. |
| personalized interface to customer focused | | | | Enforcing the use of SOA Webservices at this |
| business services using data, content, business | | | | point will drive integration cost and time sky-high. |
| processes, and backend applications. At this point | | | | As you can see, much of that is not part of the |
| the user interface also has to support | | | | typical SOA project, but these are the problems |
| collaboration via email and other means. Setting up | | | | that have to be and can be solved without SOA |
| a portal without taking integration to that level will | | | | overhead. These were the consideration that |
| only highlight the lack of integration and reduce | | | | went into the development of the ISIS Papyrus |
| the possible benefits and thus the return of | | | | Process and Content Platform. |
| investment. It is at this point where the most | | | | |