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Introduction to Oracle Applications InterConnect

This chapter provides an overview of Oracle Applications InterConnect, its features, and components.

Topics include:

• Oracle Applications InterConnect Overview

• Oracle Applications InterConnect Features

• Oracle Applications InterConnect Core Components

• Oracle Applications InterConnect Architecture

Oracle Applications InterConnect Overview

Oracle Applications InterConnect is the integration component of Oracle 9iAS and provides a comprehensive application integration framework to enable seamless integration of enterprise software. It is built on top of Oracle's robust integration platform and leverages its underlying services. It is designed to integrate heterogeneous systems, such as Oracle Applications, non-Oracle applications, or 3rd party messaging oriented middleware. This integration can be deployed either within an enterprise or across enterprise boundaries through the Internet.

The following are technical design goals for Oracle Applications InterConnect:

• Elevate the integration problem from a technical coding exercise to a functional modeling exercise thereby reducing, or even eliminating, the programming effort normally associated with integration.

• Develop and expose an integration methodology that promotes reuse and reduces the complexity and management issues that arise over the software lifecycle.

Oracle Applications InterConnect Features

Oracle Applications InterConnect features include:

• Separation of Integration Logic and Platform Services

• Unique Integration Methodology

• Business Process Collaboration

• Use iStudio for Integration Specification

• Integration Lifecycle Management

• A Robust Oracle Infrastructure

• Prepackaged Adapters

• Extensibility Using SDKs

• Standard Messaging Middleware Services

• Value Added Features

• Flexible Deployment

Separation of Integration Logic and Platform Services

Oracle Applications InterConnect cleanly breaks up the integration problem into two discrete components:

• High-level integration logic.

• Low-level platform services.

Integration Logic

Integration logic consists of the business rules and transformation logic necessary to integrate heterogeneous systems. Using iStudio, this integration logic can be modeled. The results are then stored in the Oracle Applications InterConnect repository as metadata.

Platform Services

Platform Services consist of the integration infrastructure provided with Oracle 9iAS and the Oracle database. In addition, Oracle Applications InterConnect provides application and protocol adapters. The platform services provide the requisite infrastructure necessary for integration.

Integration Logic Drives Platform Services

Integration using Oracle Applications InterConnect is a two-step process. During design time, integration logic is modeled in iStudio and captured in the repository as metadata. At runtime, the underlying services treat this metadata as runtime instructions to enable the conversation among participating applications.

Figure 1-1 Oracle Applications InterConnect Metadata and Data Flow

Unique Integration Methodology

iStudio exposes an integration methodology that eliminates the complexities of point-to-point custom integration solutions. The integration methodology is based on a hub-and-spoke model.

How the Hub-and-Spoke Methodology Works

An integration point is defined as an "event" that triggers communication between two or more participating applications in the integration scenario. The following are examples of such "events:"

• Create Customer--The integration scenario above might require that customer information across the two applications be synchronized in realtime. Whenever a new customer is created in App1 above, the customer should be created in App2 also. Therefore, "Create Customer" is an "event" that triggers the communication between the two applications--App1 produces the information, App2 consumes it.

• Get Item Info--A user of App1 might request information on some item stored in App1. The information on that item might be segmented across the two applications. To give a meaningful response to the user of App1, it is necessary to query App2 for information on the item. Therefore, "Get Item Info" is an integration point between the two applications because it triggers communication between the two applications--App1 produces a query, App2 consumes it, App2 produces the response, and App1 consumes it.

The common view consists of a list of such integration points, each with its own associated data. Applications participate in the integration by binding to one or more of these common view integration points.

In the context of each binding, applications have their own application view of data that needs to be exchanged. Each binding involves mapping, or transformation, between the application view and the common view in the context of the integration point. In this model, the application views are at the spokes and the common view is the hub.

The Create Customer example helps to explain Figure 1-2, "Oracle Applications InterConnect Hub-and-Spoke Model". Create Customer is an integration point. If the information to exchange is the new customer's name only, then the common view has all the information potentially captured in a name defined in an application-independent way. In the very least, this information must be a superset of all the information that needs to be exchanged across App1 and App2.

Prefix, First Name, Last Name, Middle Initial, Maiden Name, Suffix is an example of a common view customer name definition.

Now, App1's internal "definition" of name (App1's application view) could be First Name, Last Name, Middle Initial, Prefix.

App2's application view could be Name (one field that contains Last Name, First Name).

For App1, in the context of sending this information out or publishing an event, transformations are defined from its application view to the common view. For App2, in the context of receiving this information or subscribing to an event, transformations are defined from the common view to its application view.

Figure 1-2 Oracle Applications InterConnect Hub-and-Spoke Model

This hub-and-spoke model has the following advantages:

• Loosely coupled integration--Applications integrate to the common view, not with each other directly. This reduces the number of integration interfaces.

• Easy Customization--Changes in application views due to application upgrades are localized. The changes in the upgraded application should only be reflected through changes in its application view and mappings to the common view. In other words, only the spoke of the changed application needs to be re-mapped to the hub. The other spokes and their relationships with the hub remain unchanged.

• Easy Extensibility--Applications can be added or removed from the integration scenario without affecting other applications. For example, if a new application is added to the integration scenario, it must define its spoke component (the application view) and map that to the hub (common view) on a per integration point basis. This exercise does not affect other applications in the integration.

  In the diagram below, App3 and App4 have been added to the integration scenario by plugging them into the common view. This does not affect the integration of App1 or App2.

  

• Enhanced Reusability--This is best explained through an example. To integrate the Marketing CRM module to SAP, the integration would be from iMarketing to common view to SAP. If there is a requirement to integrate iMarketing to Peoplesoft, then the iMarketing to common view integration can be reused. Only the common view to Peoplesoft integration needs to be built.

Business Process Collaboration

Oracle Workflow provides a comprehensive business process management system that enables traditional workflow applications, as well as process collaboration in a single solution. Oracle Workflow's new Business Event System enables Oracle Applications InterConnect and Oracle Workflow to work together to provide a complete business process driven integration solution. With Oracle Applications InterConnect and Oracle Workflow, you can define business collaborations across two or more applications to implement the organization's business processes.

Use iStudio for Integration Specification

iStudio is a design time integration specification tool targeted at business analysts. This tool helps business analysts specify the integration logic at a functional level, not at a technical coding level. iStudio exposes the integration methodology using simple wizards and drastically reduces, even eliminates, the need for writing code to specify the integration logic. This reduces the total time required to complete an integration.

Considering iStudio is a multi-user tool with fine-grained locking for all Oracle Applications InterConnect first class objects, multiple users can work simultaneously on the same integration scenario without compromising the consistency of the metadata.

Integration Lifecycle Management

Managing, customizing, and evolving an integration over time is as important as creating the integration in the first place. The hub-and-spoke integration model has advantages to help achieve this goal. In addition, the Oracle Applications InterConnect repository, which contains all the integration logic, provides extensive services for managing changes over time. The repository provides fine-grained versioning of all Oracle Applications InterConnect first class objects such as events, messages, and data types. Some of the important aspects of versioning to help with the lifecycle support include the following:

• Basic Versioning--New versions of first class objects such as messages, can be created to address changing integration needs. Different versions of the same object can co-exist in the repository. This approach has two advantages:
  • Eliminates the need for an expanded namespace to address modifications.

  • Allows related entities to be grouped together for easier management.

• Multiple Active Versions--Multiple versions of the same message can be active in the same integration scenario simultaneously. This can help transition an integration incrementally without requiring changes to existing messages. For example, if a purchase order definition for an application, or the application view of the purchase order, needs to change, a new version of the message can be created and activated for that application. Once this metadata is created, the application can smoothly transition from sending/receiving messages based on the old definitions to the new one.

• Migration Support--Different versions of metadata can be migrated across repositories on a first class object basis. This feature allows fine-grained control of content in different repositories, such as a development repository and a production repository.

• Consistency Control--Oracle Applications InterConnect detects and flags metadata conflicts. This helps to prevent accidental overwriting of metadata and maintains consistency of metadata in the repository.

A Robust Oracle Infrastructure

All Oracle Applications InterConnect components are written in pure Java and utilize proven Oracle infrastructure to deliver a robust, reliable, and scalable integration solution. Oracle 9iAS and its corresponding database constitutes the messaging hub for Oracle Applications InterConnect. In particular, Oracle Workflow in Oracle 9iAS and Advanced Queues in the database allows an Oracle Applications InterConnect user to build integrations on top of a solid platform. Using Oracle Workflow, complex business processes can be built to handle different integration needs. In addition, Advanced Queues provide a robust messaging infrastructure, message retention, auditing, and tracking support.

Prepackaged Adapters

Prepackaged adapters help re-purpose applications at runtime to participate in the integration without any programming effort.

Agent and Bridge Combination

Adapters are the run-time component for Oracle Applications InterConnect. Adpaters have the following responsibilities:

• Application Connectivity--Connect to applications to transfer data between the application and Oracle Applications InterConnect. The logical sub-component within an adapter handles this responsibility is called a bridge. This is the protocol/application-specific piece of the adapter that knows how to communicate with the application. For example, the database adapter is capable of connecting to an Oracle database using JDBC and calling SQL APIs. This sub-component does not know which APIs to call, only how to call them.

• Transformations--Transform data from the application view to common view and vice versa as dictated by the repository metadata. In general, adapters are responsible for carrying out all the runtime instructions captured through iStudio as metadata in the repository. Transformations are an important subset of these instructions. The logical sub-component within an adapter that handles the runtime instructions is called an agent. This is the generic runtime engine in the adapter that is independent of the application to which the adapter connects. It focuses on the integration scenario based on the integration metadata in the repository. There is no integration logic coded into the adapter itself; all integration logic is stored in the repository. The repository contains the metadata that drives this sub-component. In the database adapter example, this is the sub-component that knows which SQL API's to call, but not how to call them. All adapters have the same agent code. It is the difference in metadata that each adapter receives from the repository that controls and differentiates the behavior of each adapter.

  Figure 1-3 Oracle Applications InterConnect Adapter Architecture

  
  

These adapters can be technology or application adapters. Oracle Applications InterConnect currently packages technology adapters for the Oracle database, Advanced Queues, and HTTP/S technology. Access to non-Oracle databases is possible through Transparent Gateways provided by Oracle. Application adapters include Oracle and SAP R/3 adapters.

Extensibility Using SDKs

Oracle Applications InterConnect is easily extended through SDKs which addresses custom integration needs. There are two SDKs to provide this flexibility:

• iStudio SDK--Extend iStudio using the iStudio SDK by writing Java code to do the following:
  • Add custom transformation functions.

  • Add custom browsers to import APIs or data structures from application-native repositories into iStudio. For example, the database browser provided with a standard edition of iStudio, allows a SQL API, table, view, or Abstract Data Type definitions to be imported from the database to define the application view of data for a database-based application.

• Adapter SDK--Write new adapters in Java using the Adapter SDK for applications or protocols not currently supported by Oracle Applications InterConnect. Specifically, only the bridge sub-component must be written. The agent is a generic engine already written and is part of each adapter.

Standard Messaging Middleware Services

Oracle Applications InterConnect provides all the basic services expected of a messaging middleware platform including:

• Support for all major messaging paradigms--Publish/Subscribe, Request/Reply (synchronous and asynchronous), and Point-to-Point. For more information, see Chapter 2, "Design Time Concepts and iStudio".

• Guaranteed delivery of messages--All messages have guaranteed delivery end-to-end. Messages are delivered exactly once and in the order sent.

• Scalability--Multiple adapters are instantiated to serve one application. The hub runs in an Oracle Parallel Server environment.

• Load Balancing--Messages can be partitioned based on load between multiple adapters servicing one application. At one extreme, one or more adapters can serve all messages for one application. At the other extreme, one or more adapters are dedicated per integration point in which the application participates.

• Runtime Management--An Oracle Enterprise Manager-based runtime management console helps manage the integration scenario and components at runtime. This console allows users to start and stop components, monitor message flow, detect problems, and manage errors.

• Deployment Support--The messaging hub consists of Advanced Queues that are configured for runtime. Number of queues to create, naming these queues, and matching adapters with messages in a specific named queue can be configured using iStudio.

Value Added Features

The following value-added services are exposed through iStudio and do not require any coding:

• Content Based Routing--Route messages by building business rules based on message content. For example, a procurement system routes fulfillment requests to different fulfillment centers based on an originating location.

• Cross Referencing--Correlate keys that uniquely identify the entities in one application with corresponding entities created in other applications. For example, a purchase order created in a procurement system has a native id X. It is then routed to a fulfillment system and the purchase order is created in the fulfillment system with native id Y. Therefore, X and Y must be cross referenced for Oracle Applications InterConnect to correlate communication about this same logical entity in two different systems without each system knowing the native id of the other system.

• Domain Value Mapping--Map code tables across systems. For example, a purchase order in a procurement system has a PO Status field with possible domain values Booked and Shipped. The corresponding field in a fulfillment system has the possible domain values 1 and 2. Oracle Applications InterConnect allows the user to create the mappings booked=1, shipped=2 so it can correlate these values at runtime without each system knowing the domain value set of the other system.

Flexible Deployment

Oracle Applications InterConnect provides a complete framework for e-Business application integration across the Application-to-Application, Application Service Provider, and Business-to-Business domains. Oracle Applications InterConnect components can be deployed for all of these domains as described:

• Application-to-Application--Applications are distributed within a Local Area Network or across a Wide Area Network. Oracle Applications InterConnect is deployed within the organization to integrate these applications.

• Application Service Provider--Applications are distributed across firewall boundaries with some applications residing inside the Application Service Provider firewall and others inside the customer firewall. Oracle Applications InterConnect can be deployed inside either one of the two firewalls, or both, to integrate these applications across the firewalls.

• Business to Business--This is similar to the Application Service Provider model if you replace the Application Service Provider with another business.

Oracle Applications InterConnect Core Components

Oracle Applications InterConnect has the following core components.

iStudio

iStudio is a graphical wizard-based design time tool. iStudio allows business analysts to complete the following tasks:

• Define the data that needs to be exchanged across applications.

• Semantically map the data across applications.

• Define the business process collaboration across applications utilizing Oracle Workflow and associate the semantic maps with business processes if required.

• Configure and deploy the integration.

iStudio is deployed as a stand-alone Java application running outside the database. iStudio runs only on Windows NT and can be deployed anywhere with access to the hub machine.

Repository

The repository consists of a middle tier repository server program talking to a backend database. The following functionality is provided:

• At design time, all integration logic defined in iStudio is stored in tables in the repository as metadata.

• At runtime, the repository provides access to this metadata for adapters to integrate applications.

The repository server is deployed as a stand-alone Java application running outside the database. The repository schema is a set of tables in the backend database. Both the server and the database are on the hub machine.

Adapters

Adapters are runtime components which process integration logic captured in the repository as runtime instructions to enable the integration. Adapters have two major tasks:

• Provide connectivity between an application and the hub.

• Transform and route messages between the application and the hub.

Adapters are deployed as stand-alone Java applications running outside the database. Adapters are physically co-located with the applications they connect to either on the same machine as the application itself, or on a separate machine. Adapters are usually not deployed on the hub machine.

Runtime Management Console

The Runtime Management Console is an Oracle Enterprise Manager-based client/server combination. The Runtime Management Console provides the following functionality:

• Manages runtime components and resources.

• Troubleshoots errors and track messages.

The Oracle Enterprise Manager console includes a server component usually installed on the hub machine. The client component can be installed on any machine where the integration environment is managed. Both client and server components are stand-alone Java applications running outside the database.

iStudio SDK

The iStudio SDK is a collection of Java jar and Javadoc files usually deployed on the same machine as iStudio. Using the iStudio SDK and Java, users can build the following:

• New transformation functions.

• New browsers to import application-native data structures and APIs into iStudio.

Documentation and samples are provided with the iStudio SDK.

Adapter SDK

Using the Adapter SDK and Java, users can build new adapters. The Adapter SDK is a collection of Java jar and Javadoc files that can be deployed on any machine. Documentation and samples are provided with the Adapter SDK.

Dependent Products

Oracle Applications InterConnect uses the following products.

Oracle Database

The Oracle database is utilized for storing the repository metadata in tables and storing messages in Advanced Queues. Oracle Applications InterConnect supports the following releases of the Oracle database:

• Oracle 8.1.6

• Oracle 8.1.7

• Oracle9i

Oracle Workflow

Oracle Workflow 2.6 comes with 9iAS 1.0.2.2. This is required only if business process collaborations need to be defined. For basic messaging based integration, this component is not utilized. The Oracle Workflow Business Event System enables Oracle Applications InterConnect and Oracle Workflow to work together to provide a complete business process driven integration solution. With Oracle Applications InterConnect and Oracle Workflow, business collaborations can be defined across two or more applications to implement the business process for an organization.

Oracle Applications InterConnect Architecture

Figure 1-4 An example of Oracle Applications InterConnect architecture.