40 Broker Interactions for Intra- and Inter-enterprise
The focus of this redbook is Application patterns for Process-focused Application
Integration. In particular the Broker application pattern and its Router variation
are explored. A brief overview of the other Application Integration patterns is
provided. For full details on the other Application Integration patterns, please see
the IBM Patterns for e-business Web site:
http://www.ibm.com/developerWorks/patterns
The diagram conventions shown in Figure 3-1 are used in the Application
patterns that follow.
Figure 3-1 Application pattern diagram conventions
3.4 Process-focused application patterns
Process-focused Application Integration patterns are observed where multiple
automated business processes are combined to yield a new business offering or
to provide a consolidated view of some business entity by integrating multiple
corporate business systems. An often quoted example is the consolidated view
of the state of all relationships of the business with a particular customer.
This mode of integration is highly flexible. In its more sophisticated form it
enables “late binding” of the targets of integration and is particularly useful in
tying together different platforms and technologies. However, it represents a
more difficult design and development task compared to data-focused integration
and often requires complex middleware.
Transient data
Work in progress
Cached
committed data
Staged data
(data replication flow)
Application node
containing existing
code with no need
for modification for
this project or that
cannot be changed.
Read/write data
Read only data
Application node
containing new or
modified code
for this project.
A set of applications
whose characteristics
are unspecified. Only
the means with which
to interact with them
is specified.
A small solid circle indicates the initiating node.
A single arrow indicates that a response is not needed.
Double arrows indicate that a response is needed.
Chapter 3. Application Integration pattern 41
The Process-focused Application Integration patterns are presented here in
order of increasing flexibility and sophistication. As the Application patterns build
on each other, their capabilities and reliance on middleware increase, and they
require less application development effort. From the following Application
patterns, select the one that best fits your requirements:
򐂰 Direct Connection application pattern: Message/Call Connection
variations
򐂰 Broker application pattern: Router variation
򐂰 Serial Process application pattern: Serial Workflow variation
򐂰 Parallel Process application pattern: Parallel Workflow variation
Business and IT drivers
Table 3-1 and Table 3-2 summarize the business and IT drivers for the
Process-focused Application Integration patterns and their variations.
Table 3-1 Business drivers
Business Drivers
Direct Connection
Message variation
Direct Connection
Call variation
Broker
Router variation
Broker
Serial Process
Serial Workflow
variation
Parallel Process
Parallel Workflow
variation
Improve the organizational
efficiency
üüüüüüüü
Reduce the latency of business
events
üüüüüüüü
Support a structured exchange
within the organization
üüüüüüüü
Support real-time one-way
’message’ flows
ü üüüüüü
Support real-time request/reply
’message’ flows
üüüüüüü
Support dynamic routing of
’messages’ to one of many
target applications
üüüüüü
42 Broker Interactions for Intra- and Inter-enterprise
Table 3-2 IT drivers
Support dynamic distribution of
’messages’ to multiple target
applications
üüüüü
Support automated coordination
of business process flow
üüüü
Reduce cycle time through
parallel execution of portions of
a process flow
üü
Support human interaction and
intervention within the process
flow
üü
IT Drivers
Direct Connection
Message variation
Direct Connection
Call variation
Broker
Router variation
Broker
Serial Process
Serial Workflow
variation
Parallel Process
Parallel Workflow
Minimize total cost of ownership
(TCO)
üüüüüü
Leverage existing skills üüüüüüüü
Leverage the legacy investment üüüüüüüü
Enable back-end application
integration
üüüüüüüü
Minimize application complexity üüüüüüüü
Minimize enterprise complexity üüüüüü
Business Drivers
Direct Connection
Message variation
Direct Connection
Call variation
Broker
Router variation
Broker
Serial Process
Serial Workflow
variation
Parallel Process
Parallel Workflow
variation
Chapter 3. Application Integration pattern 43
Quality of Service concerns
This section highlights Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities that are of particular
concern in the Process-focused Application Integration domain. A QoS
capabilities framework for business integration is based on the following general
concerns:
򐂰 Operability
򐂰 Availability
򐂰 Federation
򐂰 Performance
򐂰 Security
򐂰 Standards compliance
򐂰 Transactionality
The following QoS concerns are of particular importance when working in the
Process-focused Application Integration domain.
Operability
The complexity of IT infrastructure is increasing so systems management
capabilities are needed to ensure that Application Integration solutions can be
managed effectively. For example, clustering solutions may be a consideration
for availability management and reducing operational costs.
Improve maintainability üüüüüü
Improve flexibility by
externalizing process logic from
application logic
üüüü
Support for long running
transactions
üü
IT Drivers
Direct Connection
Message variation
Direct Connection
Call variation
Broker
Router variation
Broker
Serial Process
Serial Workflow
variation
Parallel Process
Parallel Workflow
Important: This profile is intended as a rough first guide to QoS concerns
which differentiate this domain, suitable for high level architectural design.
They are not a substitute for thorough analysis at a later design stage.

Get Patterns: Broker Interactions for Intra- and Inter-enterprise now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.