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E-business has quickly migrated from pure-play Web companies to the established old guard that has finally muscled its way into the e-commerce world. Those traditional companies have substantial investments in legacy systems, and they're loath to give them up.
To offer a total solution, Web integrators must be able to link Web front-end solutions with legacy systems. There are several middleware solutions available in the market today. Vendors like BEA, ATG and IBM have developed application servers that act at middleware to facilitate legacy integration. However, we consider these to be first-generation solutions, because they not only add to the maintenance burden, but also do nothing to address underlying structural issues within the application, which is where much of the value of adopting XML is derived.
XML provides a loosely coupled interchange of data that is very similar to SQL. Adopting a loosely coupled data exchange architecture based on XML, not only removes the need for middleware with its attendant maintenance burden, but also reduces the maintenance burden across all programs, which must share data.
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"Invest in a Web application framework that facilitates the rapid integration of information from multiple enterprise data sources into dynamic Web applications."
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Transforming a legacy application into a web portal integrating with a legacy database
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Development of new applications that 'plug-in' to the legacy systems
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ASAP Approach :
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Most engagements start with an assessment of legacy integration needs, followed by a detailed analysis. This analysis normally includes working closely with the legacy experts and often results in a technical proof-of-concept. The goal is to bring together the e-business functional needs with a well-prepared legacy integration strategy.
Most integration strategies are implemented using one of the following techniques:
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Batch Transfer/Synchronization
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This method involves moving static 'snapshots' of data at a particular moment in time, back and forth, between the e-business system and your legacy systems.
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Well-defined industry protocols (XML and EDI)
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This method involves the movement of transactions and other business information between different systems based on a well-defined, industry standard mechanism. For years EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) has been the de facto standard for inter-system communications. Although EDI offers a rich set of transaction definitions, it is still based on batch processing. We follow the XML approach for standard intra-system transactions. We also work with fixed transaction standards such as commerce oriented
cXML.
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Proprietary API's and object models
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For tight integration between systems running in close proximity, few interfaces offer better performance than proprietary API's (Application Programming Interfaces). ASAP Integrators are experienced at integrating with proprietary legacy systems and
ERPs, such as SAP, through JNI (Java Native Interface), RMI (Remote Method Invocation), C++ libraries, and other interfaces.
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Direct Database Integration
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From a performance perspective, direct database integration offers both fast execution speed and a relatively accelerated development timeframe. However, in many environments, the ongoing cost of ownership can be high since changes in the database to support the legacy system will require that the e-business system be modified in order to operate. ASAP Integrators can help you evaluate your cost of ownership issues and, if applicable, provide direct database integration to your legacy system via open standards such as JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) and ODBC (Open Database Connectivity). ASAP Integrators not only offer a variety of options to integrate your e-business and existing legacy systems, but also have the experience to assess your needs and recommend the right solution.
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