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=== Architecture of Interoperable Information Systems =
An Architecture of interoperable information systems describes, how interoperating information systems can be efficiently designed and implemented. Since the invention of information system, concepts were created to describe how information systems can be connected to each other in an efficient manner. However, in the context of enterprise information systems, in 2010 also a concept named Architecture of interoperable information systems was published.
== Business Interoperability ==
In a similar vein it was argued, that previous interoperability definitions focused too much on technical aspects. In consequence, the term Business Interoperability was proposed, for example defined as "''the organizational and operational ability of an enterprise to cooperate with its business partners and to efficiently establish, conduct and develop IT-supported business relationships with the objective to create value''".<ref>Legner, Christine; Wende, Kristin (2006): [http://www.bledconference.org/proceedings.nsf/0/978ff10dff1d440bc125718000316bbe/$FILE/18_Legner.pdf Towards an Excellence Framework for Business Interoperability]. Proceedings of the 19th Bled eConference eValues. Bled, Slovenia.</ref> [[Interoperability]] is usually understood as the capability of autonomous systems to work together. Since the "working together" of autonomous organizations means that they execute a collaborative business process, Business Interoperability can be defined as follows:<br />
''Business Interoperability is the capability of autonomous organizations to execute a collaborative business process among them''.
== Definition of Business Interoperability Interface ==
Based on the definitions of business interoperability and interface the term BII can be defined as follows:
''The Business Interoperability Interface of an organization comprises all information that is relevant for partner organizations in order to enact a collaborative business process with the organization. The interface comprises those elements of a collaborative business process, which are provided by the organization itself as well as the elements, the organization expects from partner organizations.''<ref>Ziemann, Joerg; Loos, Peter (2009): Transforming cross-organizational processes between European Administrations – Towards a comprehensive Business Interoperability Interface. In: Weerakkody, V.; Janssen, M.; Dwivedi, Y. (Eds.): Handbook of Research on ICT-Enabled Transformational Government: A Global Perspective.ISBN 978-1-60566-390-6, pp. 93-116</ref>
The BII contents are not restricted to process descriptions: in order to enact a collaborative business process, the collaboration partners do not only need to know the sequence in which activities are executed but also require complementary information like organizational roles, specifics of individual activities or document types. Likewise, the description of the BII should cover different levels of technical granularity, since the systematic enactment of collaborative business processes requires models on both the business and the technical level.
== Business Interoperability Interface Implementations ==
An EU-research project, aiming at improving interoperability between European public administrations, delivered a proposal for designing and implementing a Business Interoperability Interface, which was later refined in scientific publications.<ref>R4eGov IOP Architecture and IOP Lifecycle (Version 1). Deliverable WP4-D7, 2008. R4eGov - Towards e-Administration in the large, project number IST-2004-026650.</ref>
The illustration summarizes the idea of this BII-implementation: Organization A and B each has an internal/private view on its information system. From this internal model, they derive a view for their collaboration partner. For example, in the public process of Organization A, only those activities of the private process from Organization A are comprised which are relevant for the collaboration partner (i.e. Organization B). All these public elements are then bundled in the BII where a collaboration partner can read them. If the elements of adjacent BII-elements fit together and all collaboration partners agreed on how to interpret them, they are also called global elements.
[[File:Business Interoperability Interface.jpg|thumb|right|Concept for a Business Interoperability Interface]]
The BII described there tackles four enterprise dimensions: In the organization dimension, roles, units and other organization elements relevant for the collaboration are described and related to internal elements. This ensures for example, that the collaboration partners have a common understanding of the interacting roles. In the data dimension, document types used in the collaboration are defined and related to internally used document types. In the function dimension, business functions and services offered in the collaboration are described. In the process dimension, the processes that each organization offers are described as well as how these public processes are related to adjacent processes of partner organizations.
== References ==
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