The ABCs of AIA

A non-technical introduction to
Oracles Application Integration
A hit t
Architecture
Michael Butler
Rolta TUSC
FLOAUG Annual Tech Event September 1717-18

Goals and Objectives

IIntegration
t
ti
O
Options
ti
Optimal Integration Approach
Overview of AIA
Implementing AIA
Getting Started
Summary

Copyright 2009 by Rolta TUSC

Integration Options
Integration
I t
ti
methods
th d

Manual
E
E-mail
il
Flat File
Point to Point
Point-to-Point
Web Services

Why havent things changed?

Age old conflict: doing it fast vs. doing it
right

Typical Integration Architecture

Requesting Application

Responding Application

What Does That Lead To?

What is a better approach?

Trends in Software Integration

Increased use of Best-of-Breed
Best of Breed applications is
creating more and more integration points
More p
packaged
g
solutions means more upgrades
pg
and system interdependence
Need for real-time analysis requires
replacement of slower batch integration
methods
Constant q
quest for cost reductions requires
q
maximum efficiency for system maintenance
and new system development

Trends

(continued)

Greater complexity of integration scenarios

(e.g. workflow orchestrations; real-time error
handling that crosses application boundaries)
Greater need for master data management

Overall Impact
Real
Real-time
time number of integration
points complexity master data
management issues = escalating cost
and risk
Constant opposing pressures
Business need to upgrade/swap in
best-of-breed vs. cost and risk

Optimal Integration Approach

What if you could

Maximize re-use
re use of business technology
components to minimize maintenance and
development costs?
Support the ability to use/swap-out
applications to take advantage of best-ofbreed with the least risk to the applications
breed
environment (Applications Unlimited)?
Create an environment that minimizes the cost
and time of regression testing in support of
upstream and downstream application
changes?

What if you could

(continued)

Create an agile environment that can rapidly

adapt to changing business and regulatory
requirements?
Evolve to this environment over time, with low
risk?

How Do You Achieve It?

Establish a loosely
loosely-coupled
coupled application
integration approach
Adopt
p a strategy
gy that allows the organization
g
to evolve away from tightly-coupled point-topoint integrations rather than requiring a bigbang replacement effort
Establish and leverage cross-industry
standards where possible
Build the integrations on an architecture that is
application-neutral
Re-use
R
i t
integration
ti
components
t where
h
possible
ibl

How Do You Achieve It?

(continued)

Adopt an integration strategy that can address

packaged software, custom legacy systems, as
well as 3rd party applications
Build a framework of re-usable features that
are common to all integrations such as security
and error handling
Incorporate a robust testing scenario capability
to ensure high-quality deployments
Take advantage of off-the-shelf, pre-built
integrations where possible

How Would You Build This?

Start with an application
application-neutral
neutral buffer zone
Place industry-standard data models and
business flows in the buffer zone
Place an application-neutral
application neutral interface on each
side of the buffer zone
Use connectors to link the buffer zone to each
application
Build the buffer zone on a service-oriented
architecture

How Would You Build This?

(continued)

Keep track of all the integration components in

a repository which makes them easy to find,
re-use, and extend when needed
Use the repository for impact analysis when a
component needs to be changed
Build an automated test system with built-in
test cases that lets you validate that each
component change has a benign affect on the
existing integrations
Build a framework that has built-in error
handling and security

How Would This Look?

Start with an Application Neutral

Buffer Zone

Add Industry-Standard Object

Definitions & Business Flows

Add Translators for Each

Application

Build It on an Application-Neutral
Framework
Application-Neutral
Buffer Zone

Requesting Application

Translator

Responding Application

Industry Standard Data

Layouts and Business
Flows

Service Oriented Architecture

Translator

Organize the Components in a

Searchable Repository

Add Automated Testing Capability

Application-Neutral
Buffer Zone

Requesting Application

Responding Application

Automated Testing Framework and Suite of Test Cases

Repository

Translator

Industry Standard Data

Layouts and Business
Flows

Service Oriented Architecture

Translator

Add Infrastructure for Error

Handling & Security
Application-Neutral
Buffer Zone

Requesting Application

errorhandling
&
security

Translator

Responding Application

Automated Testing Framework and Suite of Test Cases

Repository

error-handling
& security

Industry Standard Data

Layouts and Business
Flows

Service Oriented Architecture

error-handling
& security

errorhandling
&
security

Translator

Weve Just Described Oracles AIA

Application-Neutral
A
li ti
N t l
Buffer Zone

Requesting Application

ABM
AIA
Error
Handling
&
Security

Responding Application

ABM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services

ABM
AIA
Error
Handling
&
Security

ABM

AIA Composite Application Validation System (CAVS)

AIA Business Service Repository (BSR)

EBM
AIA Error Handling
& Security
EBM

AIA
Enterprise Business
Objects/Services
(EBO and EBS)

Oracle SOA Suite

EBM
AIA Error Handling
& Security
EBM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services

Overview of AIA

Terminology
T
i l
Building Blocks
Foundation Pack
Pre-built Integrations
Extensibility

AIA Terminology
Architecture Components
Enterprise Business Objects (EBO)
Enterprise Business Services (EBS)
Application Business Connector Services
(ABC)
Enterprise Business Messages (EBM)
Application Business Messages (ABM)
Business
B i
Services
S
i
Repository
R
it
Composite Application Validation System

Start with an Application

Neutral Buffer Zone

Enterprise objects & services

based on industry standards

Application Business Connectors

Built on best-of-breed SOA

infrastructure
Application-Neutral
Buffer Zone

Requesting Application

ABM

Responding Application

ABM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services

ABM

EBM
EBM

AIA
Enterprise Business
Objects/Services
(EBO and EBS)

Oracle SOA Suite

EBM
EBM

ABM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services

Infrastructure for visibility,

testing and error handling
Application-Neutral
Application
Neutral
Buffer Zone

Requesting Application

ABM
AIA
Error
Handling
&
Security

Responding Application

ABM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services

ABM
AIA
Error
Handling
&
Security

ABM

AIA Composite Application Validation System (CAVS)

AIA Business Service Repository (BSR)

EBM
AIA Error Handling
& Security
EBM

AIA
Enterprise Business
Objects/Services
(EBO and EBS)

Oracle SOA Suite

EBM
AIA Error Handling
& Security
EBM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services

Implementing AIA
Foundation Pack
AIA infrastructure
Toolkit for building your own AIA
AIA-compliant
compliant
integrations
Available in generic or industry-specific form
Process Integration Pack (PIP)
Pre-built collection of integration
components
Direct Integration (DI; industry-specific)

AIA Foundation Pack

AIA infrastructure
i f
t
t
Pre-built Enterprise Business Objects (EBO)
Best-in-class data object definitions

Pre-built Enterprise Business Services (EBS)

Best-in-class web-service definitions for
performing standard business tasks

Business Service Repository (BSR)

Visibility to all AIA integration components
Facilitates impact analysis and component re-use

AIA Foundation Pack

(continued)

AIA infrastructure (continued)

Composite Application Validation System
(CAVS)
Testing framework
End-to-end integration scenarios

Oracle AIA Common Error Handler

Toolkit for building your own AIA-compliant
integrations
Available in standard or industry-specific form
Communications, Insurance, and Utilities
Cross-industry standard

Foundation Pack Components

Process Integration Pack (PIP)

Pre
Pre-built
built integration between two Oracle
Enterprise Systems
Built using
g Foundation Pack components
p
Includes ABCs and ABMs for specific
applications
PIPs available for
f many integration
scenarios
Oracle CRM On Demand to EBS
Agile PLM to EBS
Etc.

Foundation Pack + PIP

Foundation + PIP Components

Application-Neutral
Buffer Zone
Oracle Participating
Application

ABM
AIA
Error
Handling
&
Security

Oracle Participating
Application

ABM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services

ABM
AIA
Error
Handling
&
Security

ABM

AIA Composite Application Validation System (CAVS)

AIA Business Service Repository (BSR)

EBM
AIA Error Handling
& Security
EBM

AIA
Enterprise Business
Objects/Services
(EBO and EBS)

Oracle SOA Suite

EBM
AIA Error Handling
& Security
EBM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services

Partial Hybrid PIP Use

AIA Extensibility
All AIA integration artifacts are user-extensible
user extensible
EBOs
EBSs
ABCs
EBMs
ABMs
Extensions are stored separately
Designed to survive upgrades

AIA Extensibility
Application-Neutral
Buffer Zone

Responding Application

ABM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services
Custom Extensions

ABM

AIA Composite Application Validation System (CAVS)

AIA Business Service Repository (BSR)

EBM
Custom Extensions
EBM

AIA
Enterprise Business
Objects/Services
(EBO and EBS)
Custom Extensions
Oracle SOA Suite

EBM
Custom Extensions
EBM

Custom Exte
ensions

ABM

Custom Exten
nsions

Requesting Application

ABM

Application
Business
Connector (ABC)
Services
Custom Extensions

Getting Started
Identify integration scenarios that can be
implemented quickly by leveraging the
Foundation Pack components
Pursue an evolutionary vs. big bang approach
Start with a PIP if appropriate to get a head
start on development

Get Started: Foundation Pack

Proof of Concept
Install the AIA Foundation Pack and the
Oracle SOA Suite
Start small and design
g one integration
g
scenario:
New or updated customer data in EBS is pushed to a CRM
System

Use the AIA Enterprise Business Object (EBO)

for customer
Write the EBS-side ABC (that translates the EBS
customer data to the EBO definition) and publish
it to the AIA Business Services Repository.
Repository

Get Started: Foundation Pack

Proof of Concept
Write the CRM-side
CRM side ABC (that translates the
EBO definition to the custom CRM systems
version of customer data) and publish it to the
AIA Business Services Repository.
Set up testing scenarios using the AIA
Composite Application Validation System
(CAVS)
Insert/update customer data in EBS and it will
be sent to the CRM system via AIA
Test and put into production.

Value
Enables your applications to evolve and
remain agile over time
Provides the g
governance and tools to reduce
both costs and risks associated with crossapplication integration
Increases as AIA becomes the enterpriseenterprise
wide standard and the multitude of point-topoint, tightly-coupled, possiblyundocumented, disparately-designed
integrations are migrated to AIA

Summary
AIA addresses many of the key integration
challenges facing organizations today
AIA p
provides a world-class infrastructure for
building enterprise-wide, loosely coupled, reusable, scalable integrations
Can be leveraged now for an evolutionary
approach to establishing a SOA-based system
integration platform
AIA will be the standard architecture for
future Oracle Fusion Applications

Contact Info:
www.tusc.com
t
Mike Butler: butlerm@tusc.com