6 Oracle Application Server Integration

6.1.1 Oracle Application Server Integration InterConnect Architecture

OracleAS Integration InterConnect uses adapters to perform transformations between your application and the application with which it is communicating. OracleAS Integration InterConnect supports four messaging paradigms:

• Implemented procedures (request-response service)

• Publish (event service)

• Subscribe (one-way request service)

• Invoked procedure (InterConnect is the server and the EIS is the client making the request through the adapter)

Figure 6-1 illustrates the relationship between your application and partner applications through adapter transformations.

Figure 6-1 Oracle Application Server Integration InterConnect Architecture

Description of "Figure 6-1 Oracle Application Server Integration InterConnect Architecture"

6.1.2 Oracle Application Server Integration InterConnect Features

When enterprises implement an enterprise information system (EIS) by integrating diverse applications that run on different platforms, they rely on a set of adapters to provide connectivity between these applications.

The various applications that enterprises use in their daily operations may include database, mainframe, and Web interface applications, all of which run on different operating systems and are developed by different vendors. Oracle provides a suite of integration adapters that implement bi-directional connectivity between applications and various back-end systems to enable fast, flexible, and efficient integration.

Key features of Oracle Application Server Integration Adapters include:

• OracleAS Integration Adapters are written in Java and integrate with several back-end APIs.

• OracleAS Integration Adapters perform translation between Oracle data, usually in XML format, and native back-end data formats.

• GUI-based design-time tools available with OracleAS Integration Adapters provide a standard methodology for downloading, configuring, and storing the schemas that represent the EIS business objects and operations. These tools facilitate rapid change without additional coding effort.

• Through its use of standards like Web services, JCA, and J2EE, OracleAS Integration Adapters provide high availability and scalability to the enterprise. OracleAS Integration Adapters can be deployed as JCA 1.0 adapters or as Web services servlets within the OC4J container.

• OracleAS Integration Adapters can be deployed in Oracle Application Server clusters.

• By supporting bi-directional connectivity, the OracleAS Integration Adapters enable request-response services to back-end applications, and can act as a client in event notifications.

Using OracleAS Integration Adapters to connect Oracle Application Server and other systems and applications ensures that the distributed system has the advantage of inheriting many other Oracle Application Server features. These features include system security, scalability, persistence, transaction support, portability, and NLS support.

6.2.1 Oracle Application Server Integration B2B Architecture

Figure 6-2 illustrates the OracleAS Integration B2B architecture. Who you want to trade with is defined in the trading partner management component. What you do is defined in the business protocol (shown within the dotted lines). How you do the B2B transaction is defined in the transport and packaging components. OracleAS Integration B2B provides extensive connectivity to external trading partners through standard B2B protocols. Within the enterprise, OracleAS Integration B2B can interface with OracleAS Integration InterConnect, Oracle BPEL Process Manager, the E-Business Suite XML Gateway, and third party software applications through Oracle AQ and JMS. This figure also shows that the B2B core supports a number of standard protocols.

Figure 6-2 Oracle Application Server Integration B2B Architecture

Description of "Figure 6-2 Oracle Application Server Integration B2B Architecture"

6.2.2 Oracle Application Server Integration B2B Features

OracleAS Integration B2B provides the features you need to design, deploy, monitor, and manage your integrations. These features include the following:

• Comprehensive trading partner management: As you identify trading partners, you are also defining the basic B2B transaction. This task flow means that you associate business protocols and the communication details as you set up each partner.

• Standard B2B protocols: You can work with trading partners who use various protocols, such as RosettaNet, EDI EDIFACT, EDI X12, AS2, or you can create custom document protocols.

• Predefined business protocols: By defining combinations of a document protocol, an exchange protocol, and a process protocol, OracleAS Integration B2B provides protocols based on your purpose. Predefined business protocols also make it easy to set up multiple protocols for the same trading partner.

• Integrated user experience: The user interface tool and wizards guide all aspects of your B2B transaction, no matter which business protocol you choose.

• Reports: With the integrated reports feature, you can create business messages, wire messages, collaboration, and error status reports. You can also save report definitions for reuse.

• Security: The security features of OracleAS Integration B2B include automatic encryption of the host trading partner's parameters using an obfuscated encryption key created during installation. OracleAS Integration B2B also leverages Oracle Application Server security features.

• Integration with other Oracle integration products: OracleAS Integration B2B can interface with OracleAS Integration InterConnect, Oracle BPEL Process Manager, the Oracle E-Business Suite XML Gateway, and Oracle AQ and JMS.