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Real-Time and Batch Mode Usage Models

When considering your requirements, you must develop an understanding of how you intend to use the integration capabilities that are provided by Siebel EAI. You must determine how the integration behaves under specific circumstances. How are you planning to use this integration? This model is referred to as the usage model.

Figure 2 illustrates real-time and batch usage models. Batch mode uses a single mode, while real-time uses two modes, either tightly coupled or loosely coupled. To help you determine the appropriate usage model, answer the following questions:

• How do I plan to integrate Siebel applications with other applications?
• Do I need to integrate in real time, or in batch mode?
• If I need to integrate in real time, do I need the solution to be tightly coupled or loosely coupled?

Figure 2. Integration Usage Model

Integration with the Real-Time Model

With a real-time model, you might choose to deploy Siebel applications as a client or as a service. As a client, Siebel applications access another program or initiate a transaction on an external system. As a service, Siebel applications are accessed by an external program to query, insert, update, or delete data without initiation from Siebel applications.

Typical scenarios that involve Siebel applications as a client include:

• Replicate data. For example, to maintain the SAP order number in the Siebel application so that an end user can relate a Siebel order to a SAP order.
• Access a mainframe system to retrieve information for a customer account in real time, then display it within the interface for the Siebel application.
• Send a sales opportunity to a trading partner over your corporate firewall without compromising system security.
• Access a function for an external system to check inventory, then display the results in a Siebel application.

Typical scenarios that involve Siebel applications as a service include:

• An external Web application that accesses a Siebel application in order to retrieve information for a contact.
• Call center software that extracts information for a service request from a Siebel application.

Integration with the Batch Model

Batch processing is typically used to periodically upload or download a large amount of information into or out of the Siebel Database. Typical batch scenarios that involve Siebel applications include:

• Uploading a batch of product catalog and item information into a Siebel application from an external system.
• Downloading a batch of opportunities from Siebel applications to another database.