Getting different applications to talk to each other is a problem faced by many companies. Application integration is particularly troublesome when legacy systems are involved, and transferring data between old mainframe systems and more modern applications can be cumbersome and time-consuming. A good deal of time is spent on ensuring this happens, and software is often available to help with the process.
A lot of useful middleware exists to handle these problems, but there are so many different languages, operating system and databases around, that it is impossible to handle every combination perfectly, which still leaves a place for in-house bridges. These application bridges are often particularly maintenance intensive.
It was hoped that object oriented applications would overcome these problems in newer systems. But this is only true if an enterprise database is created, and all applications are based on it. With many applications having their own databases, the problem is still around to haunt IT departments.
Different application packages will still have their own databases, and this could easily lead to duplication of entities and redundancy. The need for middleware to capture or transfer common data is once more created. As it often happens that packages are acquired, this scenario is an ongoing problem for most organizations.
The ideal would seem to be to have common data such as customers, suppliers and anything else residing in a central database with standard data maintenance and query modules associated with it. Any new applications or packages should link to this, while any data used only within an application could be kept separate or integrated, as preferred.
Such a simplified view of company date is still completely futuristic. The power of computer hardware makes it possible for inefficient. Sub-optimal configurations to survive. Perhaps the IT professionals could learn from manufacturing, where the lesson was learned long ago that keeping older, inefficient, machinery because it had been paid for and was still work was an ineffective approach, which lowers quality and productivity.
A disproportionate amount of time and money is absorbed by application integration. Many smaller companies cannot deal with the complexities, and simply choose to live with the problem. In time it is possible that a move might be started towards rationalizing the whole approach to applications. Maybe one day everybody will look back and laugh at the current state of the art, after computers have fully emerged from the Dark Ages of systems development.
A lot of useful middleware exists to handle these problems, but there are so many different languages, operating system and databases around, that it is impossible to handle every combination perfectly, which still leaves a place for in-house bridges. These application bridges are often particularly maintenance intensive.
It was hoped that object oriented applications would overcome these problems in newer systems. But this is only true if an enterprise database is created, and all applications are based on it. With many applications having their own databases, the problem is still around to haunt IT departments.
Different application packages will still have their own databases, and this could easily lead to duplication of entities and redundancy. The need for middleware to capture or transfer common data is once more created. As it often happens that packages are acquired, this scenario is an ongoing problem for most organizations.
The ideal would seem to be to have common data such as customers, suppliers and anything else residing in a central database with standard data maintenance and query modules associated with it. Any new applications or packages should link to this, while any data used only within an application could be kept separate or integrated, as preferred.
Such a simplified view of company date is still completely futuristic. The power of computer hardware makes it possible for inefficient. Sub-optimal configurations to survive. Perhaps the IT professionals could learn from manufacturing, where the lesson was learned long ago that keeping older, inefficient, machinery because it had been paid for and was still work was an ineffective approach, which lowers quality and productivity.
A disproportionate amount of time and money is absorbed by application integration. Many smaller companies cannot deal with the complexities, and simply choose to live with the problem. In time it is possible that a move might be started towards rationalizing the whole approach to applications. Maybe one day everybody will look back and laugh at the current state of the art, after computers have fully emerged from the Dark Ages of systems development.
About the Author:
Peggie K. Lambert is an expert in data management and integration. Need to learn more about application integration? If so the author recommends you visit www.liaison.com.
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