Presentation-level Integration

At the presentation level, integration is achieved by presenting several different applications as a single application with a common user interface (UI). Presentation-level integration was previously used to integrate applications that could not otherwise be connected, but applications integration technology has since evolved and become more sophisticated, making this approach less prevalent.

Data Integration

Data integration is also required for successful applications integration. If an application can’t exchange and understand data from another application, inconsistencies can arise and business processes become less efficient. Data integration is achieved by either writing code that enables each application to understand data from other applications in the enterprise or by making use of an intermediate data format that can be interpreted by both sender and receiver applications. The latter approach is preferable over the former since it scales better as enterprise systems grow in size and complexity. In both cases, access, interpretation, and data transformation are important capabilities for successfully integrating data.

Communication-level Integration

At communications-level integration, different applications within an enterprise talk to each other, either through file transfer, request/reply methods, or messaging. In many cases, applications were not designed to communicate with each other, requiring technologies for enabling such communication. These include Application Programming Interfaces (API’s), which specify how applications can be called, and connectors that act as intermediaries between applications. At the communications level it is also important to consider the architecture of interactions between applications.

Business Process Integration

At the business process integration level the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), comes into the picture. SOA is concerned with the independent construction of services which can be combined into meaningful, higher level business process within an organization. It promotes the development of composite applications through the use of existing services (i.e. individual units of functionality) within the organization.

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