Message Brokers and B2B Application Integration

1. Message Brokers and B2B Application Integration Chap 13 B2B Application Integration Sungchul Hong

2. Message Brokers • Message brokers can be positioned between any number of source or target systems that exist within any number of organizations and broker the information exchange between them. • They can account for differences in application semantics and database structure or format of the information • Message brokers also provide a mechanism to integrate multiple business processes.

3. Middleware data Message Broker Custom Applications Packaged Applications

4. Message Broker Services • Message transformation • Intelligent routing • Rules processing • Message warehousing • Flow control • Repository services • Directory services • Management • APIs and adapters

5. Message Broker Service • Leave systems “where they are” • Minimizing change while allowing data to be shared • Lends tremendous value to B2B application integration.

6. Message Transformation Information in Information Out Rules Engine Intelligent Routing Message broker have three primary components: the message transformation layer, the rules engine, and the intelligent routing mechanism

7. Message Broker Service • Asynchronous • Target systems need not be active. • Store-and-forward messaging • Manage interactions between applications and other information resources. • Translate and convert data • Format and reconstitute messages • Any-to-any and many-to-many capability • Utilizing abstraction techniques

8. Source & Target • Database server • Web server • Host application • User screens • Distributed objects • ERP applications • Custom applications

9. Source & Target • The source and target applications don’t require many changes in order for information to be moved among them. • API is the mechanism that allows an application to access the services of a message broker. • Costly approach • Adapters can link deeply into an application

10. Application Message Transformation Application Rules Engine Intelligent Routing Adapter API

11. Message Transformation Layer • It understands the format of all messages • Fixed or variable • It translates those messages. • Restructuring data from one message so that it makes sense to the receiving application. • It provides common dictionary • It has application information in a repository

12. Source Target F_Name: Dave L_Name: Linthicum SSN1: 999 SSN2: 99 SSN3: 9999 City: Reston State: Virginia Name: David Linthicum SSN: 999-99-9999 City: Reston State: Va Transformation Layer

13. Conversions • Schema conversion • Date_of_last_Bill Date • Last_Billed Alphanumeric • Data conversion • Floating point • Alphanumeric • Integer

14. Intelligent Routing • Flow control • Identifying the source • Understand schema • Rules and services are applied • Message transformation • Rout the processed message to the target

15. Rules Processing • The rule processing engine provides the B2B application integration architect and developer with the ability to create rules that control the processing and distribution of messages. • Special requirements of integrating applications • Intelligent message routing and transformation

16. Message Warehousing • A database that is able to store messages that flow through the message broker. • Message mining, message integrity, message archiving, and auditing • Buffer or queue function

17. Repository Services • A database of information about source and target applications. • Owner of the system (company) • Location of the system (directory) • Security parameters • Massage schema information • Metadata • Enabling technology • Transformation information • Rules and logic for message processing • Object information

18. Directory Services • Message broker requires directory services to locate identify, use, and authorize network resources for those systems. • Using directory services, the message broker or B2B application integration developer can build applications that are able to negligently locate resources anywhere on the network.

19. Adapters • Adapters are layers between the message broker and the source or target application. • Hide the complexities • Thin Adapters • API wrappers that map the interface of the source or target system to a common interface. • Thick Adapters • Many functions • Using abstract layer, it negotiate the differences between all the applications requiring integration. • No programming is needed. (use repository)

20. Adapters • Static adapters • Manually coded with the contents of the source and target systems. • Dynamic adapters • Learning capability • Discovery process (reading repository) • Determine the structure, content and application semantics

21. Topologies • Multihub • A number of message brokers are linked, whit the source and target applications connected to any of the brokers in the configuration. • Federated • Supports several message brokers working together to solve a B2B application integration problem. • Must learn inter operations • Use common interchange format (XML)