IBM E02HMLL-I Implementation Guide - Page 33

Chapter 2. The development model and process This chapter provides an overview of system implementation and contains the following sections: v "Concepts for the business integration system" v "Stages in developing an implementation" on page 22 v "Migration" on page 27 Concepts for the business integration system This section defines integration concepts and structures that are necessary for understanding the development process in IBM WebSphere Business Integration Server Express implementations. Integration components Integration components are low-level, modular artifacts that interact with each other to integrate data. Business objects, collaboration templates and collaboration objects, maps, and connectors are all integration components. They are modular in the sense that they can be created and customized (except for connectors) individually to accomplish specific purposes, and, within licensing restrictions, are potentially reusable. But although they are modular, integration components are designed and configured to work together, as an interface. Interfaces When you develop or select integration components, you typically think about them in the context of an interface. An interface is not a structure or artifact itself, but is a way of thinking about the integration components that will work together to automate your specific business process. For example, you might create one interface to synchronize employee records between PeopleSoft and SAP. Another interface might synchronize customer records between Siebel and SAP. An interface typically centers around a collaboration object, which is an instance of a collaboration template, with its ports bound to the components that are appropriate for the interface. Solutions A solution is a collection of components that are designed to address a general business need, such as order management, or customer relationship management. A solution might consist of the integration components that make up one single interface, or it might consist of the integration components that make up multiple interfaces, each interface addressing a specific aspect of the overall business need. For example, for the general purpose of customer relationship management, there might be one interface for integrating billing data about customers, utilizing a collaboration template and business objects designed for that purpose, and another interface integrating customer credit information, utilizing a collaboration template and business objects designed for that specific purpose. Together, the integration components that make up these specific interfaces comprise an overall business solution. © Copyright IBM Corp. 2001, 2004 21