2.
Types of System Integration
and Integration Patterns
Introduction to System Integration and Architecture
Learning Objectives:
1. Differentiate between various types of System
Integration.
2. Discuss integration patterns and strategies in
software development.
Module Overview
• This week, we will delve into the fascinating
world of system integration. We will explore the
various types of system integration and the
integration patterns and strategies employed in
software development. By the end of this week,
you will have a solid understanding of how
different systems can be integrated and the
techniques used to achieve seamless connectivity.
Module Overview
• In today's lecture, we will focus on the following
key points:
• Classify different System Integration types.
• Identify suitable integration patterns for specific
scenarios.
I. Types of System Integration:
• System integration is the process of connecting
different software systems and hardware
components to act as a coordinated whole. There
are several types of system integration, each with
its unique characteristics:
1. Vertical Integration
Definition: Vertical integration involves the
integration of systems that are situated at
different levels of the organization's hierarchy.
Purpose: It is employed to facilitate a seamless
flow of data and information between various
departments or functional areas within an
organization.
1. Vertical Integration
Benefits: Vertical integration enhances efficiency,
reduces data silos, and enables quicker decision-
making by ensuring that relevant data is readily
accessible across different organizational levels.
Vertical Integration
•Level 2
•Level 1
•Level 0
2. Horizontal Integration
Definition: Horizontal integration, on the other
hand, focuses on integrating systems that exist at
the same hierarchical level, often within the same
department or business unit.
Purpose: It facilitates the sharing of data,
resources, and functionalities among similar
systems to enhance collaboration and streamline
operations.
2. Horizontal Integration
Example: Within a hospital, horizontal integration
might involve integrating the electronic health record
(EHR) system used in the emergency department with
the EHR system used in the radiology department. This
allows immediate access to patient data and test
results.
Benefits: Horizontal integration promotes consistency
and collaboration within a department, reducing
duplication of efforts and enhancing the overall
quality of services provided.
Accounting
Registrar
Horizontal Integration
Campus Security
3. Enterprise Application Integration (EAI):
Definition: EAI is a comprehensive approach to
integrating various enterprise-level applications
and systems used throughout an organization.
Purpose: Its primary goal is to improve business
processes by ensuring that different applications
can communicate and share data seamlessly.
3. Enterprise Application Integration (EAI):
Example: In a financial institution, EAI may be implemented
to connect customer relationship management (CRM)
software with core banking systems, allowing customer data
and transaction history to be readily available to customer
service representatives.
Benefits: EAI simplifies data sharing, reduces manual data
entry, and enhances the efficiency of business operations. It
often involves the use of middleware solutions, such as
Enterprise Service Buses (ESBs), to facilitate communication
between disparate systems.
Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)
4. Data Integration:
Definition: Data integration involves the process of
harmonizing data from diverse sources to create a
unified and consistent view of information.
Purpose: It is essential for effective data analysis,
reporting, and decision-making by ensuring that
data is accurate, up-to-date, and easily accessible.
Data Integration
4. Data Integration:
Example: In a retail company, data integration may
combine sales data from various brick-and-mortar
stores, e-commerce platforms, and inventory systems
to provide a comprehensive view of product
performance and stock levels.
Benefits: Data integration reduces data
inconsistencies, improves data quality, and supports
accurate reporting and analysis, enabling
organizations to make informed decisions.
5. Cloud Integration:
5. Cloud Integration:
Definition: Cloud integration is crucial as
organizations adopt cloud computing, enabling the
seamless coexistence of on-premises systems and
cloud-based services.
Purpose: It ensures that data and services can be
shared and accessed seamlessly across both on-
premises and cloud environments.
5. Cloud Integration:
Example: A company might use cloud integration to
connect its on-premises customer relationship
management (CRM) system with a cloud-based email
marketing platform, allowing marketing campaigns to
be executed using up-to-date customer data.
Benefits: Cloud integration enhances flexibility,
scalability, and accessibility, enabling organizations to
leverage the benefits of cloud services while
maintaining connectivity with existing systems.
Understanding these types of system integration is
fundamental for modern businesses, as they
provide the foundation for efficient operations,
data-driven decision-making, and adaptability in
an increasingly interconnected and digital world.
Integration Types and Strategies
Integration Patterns and Strategies
• Integration patterns and strategies are essential
for ensuring that system integration projects are
successful. They provide a structured approach to
address common challenges and requirements in
integration
1. Point-to-Point Integration
Definition
• Point-to-point integration is a method in which
systems are directly connected to one another,
allowing them to communicate independently
without an intermediary.
• In this approach, each system establishes a direct
connection with its partner systems to exchange
data and information.
1. Point-to-Point Integration
Simplicity
• Point-to-point integration is characterized by its
simplicity and ease of implementation. It's often
the go-to choice for basic integration needs,
especially when connecting just a few systems.
• Setting up point-to-point connections requires
minimal configuration, as systems communicate
directly without the need for complex
middleware or additional components.
1. Point-to-Point Integration
Challenges
While point-to-point integration excels in
simplicity, it presents several challenges when the
number of systems involved grows:
1. Point-to-Point Integration
Challenges
• Complexity: As the number of direct connections
multiplies, the integration landscape becomes
increasingly complex. Each new system requires a
separate connection to every other system it
needs to interact with. This can result in a
tangled web of connections that becomes hard to
manage and comprehend.
1. Point-to-Point Integration
Challenges
• Scalability Issues: Point-to-point integration is
not well-suited for large-scale or rapidly growing
systems. Adding new systems or making changes
to existing connections can be time-consuming
and may lead to disruptions in the overall
integration.
1. Point-to-Point Integration
Challenges
• Maintenance Burden: Keeping track of numerous
direct connections becomes a maintenance
burden. Updates, changes, or troubleshooting can
be cumbersome and time-intensive, as each
connection must be managed individually.
1. Point-to-Point Integration
Challenges
• Risk of Overhead: As the number of connections
increases, so does the risk of overhead and
inefficiency. This can lead to redundant data
transmission, increased network traffic, and
potential performance bottlenecks.
1. Point-to-Point Integration
while point-to-point integration offers a
straightforward approach to system connectivity, it
becomes less practical and efficient as the
integration landscape becomes more complex.
Therefore, for large-scale or highly interconnected
systems, alternative integration patterns such as
hub-and-spoke, message queues, or service-
oriented architecture (SOA) are often preferred to
simplify management and enhance scalability and
efficiency.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Definition
• Hub-and-spoke integration is an approach where
a central hub or middleware acts as an
intermediary between various systems. Instead of
systems connecting directly to each other, they
communicate through this central hub.
• The central hub serves as a central point of
coordination for all data and information
exchange.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Simplification
• One of the key advantages of hub-and-spoke
integration is simplification. By introducing a
central hub, the complexity of direct connections
between systems is significantly reduced.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Simplification
• Changes, updates, or modifications to the
integration setup are made at the hub level,
which simplifies management and eliminates the
need to alter every individual system-to-system
connection.
• This simplification results in easier maintenance
and enhances the overall manageability of the
integration landscape.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Scalability
• Hub-and-spoke integration offers notable
scalability advantages. New systems can be
integrated by connecting them to the central
hub, without affecting or altering existing
connections between other systems.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Scalability
• This scalability is crucial for organizations that
anticipate growth or need to regularly add new
systems to their integration framework. The
central hub acts as a scalable entry point for
integrating additional systems, ensuring that the
integration architecture can evolve without
extensive disruption.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Example
• Consider an e-commerce platform that integrates
various systems, such as inventory management,
order processing, and customer relationship
management (CRM). In a hub-and-spoke model,
all these systems would connect to a central
middleware hub. system.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Example
• When a new feature or system is introduced, it is
integrated by connecting it to the central hub.
This new system can seamlessly exchange data
with other systems through the hub, without
requiring changes in all other connections.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Example
• If the CRM system, for instance, needs to update
customer data, it sends the data to the central
hub, which then forwards it to the appropriate
system, such as the order processing system.
2. Hub-and-Spoke Integration
Hub-and-spoke integration simplifies the
complexity of system connections by introducing a
central hub, making it easier to manage, update,
and expand integration capabilities. This approach
is particularly beneficial for organizations that
seek efficient and scalable integration solutions as
their needs and systems evolve over time.
3. Message Queues
Definition
• Message queues are a system integration
approach that facilitates asynchronous
communication between systems. In this model,
messages, which contain data or instructions, are
placed in a queue and processed by the receiving
system when it is ready to do so.
3. Message Queues
Definition
• Unlike synchronous communication, where
systems exchange data in real-time, message
queues allow systems to communicate without
needing an immediate response.
3. Message Queues
Robustness
• One of the key benefits of message queues is
their contribution to system robustness. Messages
placed in the queue are not lost, even if the
receiving system is temporarily offline or
unavailable.
3. Message Queues
Robustness
• Messages remain in the queue until the recipient
system is operational and ready to process them.
This ensures that data is not lost due to transient
failures or system downtimes, enhancing the
reliability of integration.
3. Message Queues
Scalability
• Message queues provide a foundation for scalable
and decoupled systems. Decoupling means that
systems don't need to be tightly linked or
synchronized in their operations.
3. Message Queues
Scalability
• This decoupling allows for a high degree of
flexibility and scalability. New components or
systems can be added to the integration
framework without disrupting the entire process.
Each system can read from or write to the
message queue independently, making it easier to
adapt to changing requirements and manage the
system's growth.
3. Message Queues
Example
• In a retail system, a message queue may be used
to manage inventory updates. When a product is
purchased, the point-of-sale system adds a
message to the queue indicating that the
inventory needs to be updated.
3. Message Queues
Example
• The inventory management system monitors the
queue for messages and, when it's ready, processes
the message to update the product count. If the
inventory system is temporarily unavailable (e.g.,
due to maintenance or a network issue), the
messages remain in the queue until the system is
back online. This ensures that inventory updates are
not lost and that the systems remain in sync.
3. Message Queues
Message queues offer a reliable, asynchronous, and
scalable method of system integration. They enhance
system robustness by ensuring that data is not lost
during temporary system unavailability and support
decoupled, flexible systems that can easily adapt to
changes and scale as needed. Message queues are
particularly valuable for scenarios where data
consistency and reliability are critical, even in the
face of system downtime or fluctuations in data
processing speeds.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Definition
• Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a software
architectural approach that places an emphasis
on designing systems as a collection of loosely
coupled services. These services are typically
designed to be modular, self-contained, and
independent components.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Definition
• A key feature of SOA is that these services expose
standardized interfaces, making it possible for
them to interact with each other and with
external systems seamlessly.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Flexibility
• SOA promotes flexibility by breaking down
complex systems into smaller, reusable
components or services. This modularity allows
organizations to adapt to changing business needs
more effectively. New services can be added,
removed, or modified without disrupting the
entire system.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Flexibility
• When a business requirement changes or when
new features are needed, the architecture can
accommodate these changes by adjusting or
creating services as necessary. This adaptability is
crucial in today's fast-paced business
environment.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Interoperability
• SOA fosters interoperability, which is the ability
of different systems or services to work together.
Services in an SOA environment communicate
using standardized protocols and data formats.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Interoperability
• This standardization ensures that services can
understand and interact with one another,
regardless of the technology stack they are built
on. It allows integration across diverse systems,
making it easier to connect applications, even if
they were developed independently or use
different technologies.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Interoperability
• As a result, SOA facilitates smoother integration
between systems, both within an organization
and across organizational boundaries.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Example
• Consider a logistics company that employs SOA in
its software architecture. They have services for
route planning, package tracking, inventory
management, and order processing.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Example
• When a customer places an order online, the
order processing service communicates with the
inventory management service to check product
availability. If the product is available, the order
processing service then communicates with the
route planning service to determine the most
efficient delivery route.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Example
• Throughout this process, each service is a self-
contained component with a standardized
interface. The route planning service doesn't
need to know the intricate details of the order
processing service, and vice versa. This
modularity, standardization, and interoperability
enable the company to adapt quickly to changing
customer demands and offer efficient services.
4. Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) offers a
framework for building flexible, adaptable, and
interoperable systems. By breaking systems into
smaller, reusable services with standardized
interfaces, SOA provides organizations with the
tools to integrate and evolve their software
systems efficiently. SOA is particularly valuable in
complex and dynamic environments where agility
and interoperability are critical.
5. Microservices
Definition
• Microservices are a software architectural
approach where an application is decomposed
into a collection of small, independent services.
These services are designed to be highly modular
and loosely coupled, with each one responsible
for a specific function or feature.
5. Microservices
Definition
• Unlike monolithic applications, where all
functionality is tightly integrated into a single
codebase, microservices break the application
into a set of standalone services that can run and
scale independently.
5. Microservices
Agility
• Microservices enable agility in software
development and integration. They allow
development teams to work on individual services
independently. This means that different teams
or individuals can focus on specific services or
features, reducing bottlenecks and speeding up
the development and release process.
5. Microservices
Agility
• As each microservice is isolated, changes or
updates to one service don't necessarily impact
the entire application. This flexibility is essential
for organizations that need to rapidly respond to
changing business requirements or market
demands.
5. Microservices
Scalability
• Microservices provide excellent support for
building scalable applications. Since each service
is independent, it can be scaled independently
based on demand. This means that resources can
be allocated to specific services that require
more processing power, while others remain
unaffected.
5. Microservices
Scalability
• For example, in a microservices-based e-
commerce application, the product search service
can be scaled separately from the checkout
service to handle a surge in user searches during
a sale event, without affecting the order
processing capabilities.
5. Microservices
Orchestration
• Managing a large number of microservices and
their interactions requires careful orchestration.
Orchestration ensures that the microservices
work together cohesively and efficiently to
deliver the desired application functionality.
5. Microservices
Orchestration
• Service orchestration tools, such as Kubernetes,
Docker Swarm, and various container
orchestration platforms, help manage
deployment, scaling, monitoring, and failover of
microservices. These tools are essential to
maintaining system integrity and reliability.
5. Microservices
Orchestration
• Additionally, APIs and service discovery
mechanisms play a vital role in coordinating
communication between microservices.
5. Microservices
Example
• Consider a social media platform that uses
microservices. Different microservices handle
functions like user authentication, posting
content, notifications, and friend requests.
5. Microservices
Example
• When a user logs in, the user authentication
service handles the request, and upon successful
authentication, the posting service manages
content uploads. Simultaneously, the notifications
service can monitor for new content to send
updates to followers, and the friend requests
service can handle new connection requests.
5. Microservices
Example
• Each of these microservices operates
independently, but together they provide the
complete functionality of the social media
platform. Effective orchestration ensures that
these services work seamlessly and coherently.
5. Microservices
Microservices offer a powerful way to build
applications that are agile, scalable, and
adaptable. However, they also require meticulous
orchestration to ensure that they interact
effectively. The choice of integration pattern
depends on the specific requirements of the
organization, such as the need for agility,
scalability, and orchestration capabilities.
5. Microservices
Understanding these patterns enables
organizations to make informed decisions about
their integration strategies, resulting in seamless
connectivity, streamlined operations, and
adaptability to evolving business landscapes.
