Overview: Siebel Enterprise Application Integration > Understanding Integration >
About Exchanging Data with Siebel Applications
When your business problem is accessing other applications from Siebel applications or accessing Siebel applications from other applications, you need to ask: Exactly what kind of data exchange do I require?
- Data Sharing. You may need to share data that exists outside of the Siebel Business Application. For example, you may have several legacy mainframe systems that you need to access with Siebel Call Center in order to provide customers with information on their accounts. You might not want to replicate this information in Siebel Business Applications, but may want to dynamically share this mainframe data as needed and display it within a Siebel application. For data sharing, use Siebel's Virtual Business Components (VBCs).
- Replication. Replication of data is often useful. For example, you might want to integrate data in SAP with data in Siebel applications, keeping order status information in both systems. For mass replication of the order status information in Siebel applications, use Siebel Enterprise Integration Manager (EIM).
- Presentation Layer (UI) Integration. Integration at the presentation layer is useful in cases where you only need to look at the other application's user interface (UI). The data itself does not need to be retrieved to the Siebel applications. In these cases, you would capture just the screen from the external system using ActiveX Data Controls (ADCs) and represent it natively within a Siebel application. This is the least expensive form of integrating two applications, but it is the least flexible as well.
These Siebel solutions can be either real-time or batch. Figure 10 shows the various access mechanism options and where they fit into the integration process.
Figure 10. Siebel Solutions
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Table 2 reflects the Siebel integration tools that can be used in your integration strategy.
Table 2. Siebel Integration Tools
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Data Replication: Real-time |
In real time, synchronize the data in one system with the data in another system. |
Integration Workflow Process EAI Connector EAI Dispatch Service Object Interface |
Data Replication: Batch |
At certain times, synchronize the data in one system with the data in another system. |
Enterprise Integration Manager Integration Workflow Process Object Interface |
Data Sharing |
From System A, access and change System B data. Do not store the data in System A. |
Virtual Business Component Object Interface |
Screen Scraping |
From Application A, access screens from Application B. |
ActiveX Controls Object Interface |
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