System integration: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 11:37, 25 November 2019

Revision as of 18:43, 19 December 2019

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The [[system integrator]] [[data integration|integrates]] discrete systems utilizing a variety of techniques such as [[computer network]]ing, [[enterprise application integration]], [[business process management]] or manual [[Computer programming|programming]].<ref name="Info">{{Citation| last=Moore | first=June | date =13 December 1982| contribution= Software Reviews, BusinessMaster II+, ledger for CP/M systems| title=InfoWorld | publisher=InfoWorld Media Group, Inc| page = 31 | issn=0199-6649}}</ref>

System integration involves integrating existing, often [[disparate system]]s in such a way "that focuses on increasing value to the customer"<ref name="VonderembseAPost97">{{cite journal |title=A post-industrial paradigm: To integrate and automate manufacturing |journal=International Journal of Production Research |author=Vonderembse, M.A.; Raghunathan, T.S.; Rao, S.S. |volume=35 |issue=9 |pages=2579–2600 |year=1997 |doi=10.1080/002075497194679}}</ref> (e.g., improved product quality and performance) while at the same time providing value to the company (e.g., reducing operational costs and improving response time).<ref name="VonderembseAPost97" /> In the modern world connected by [[Internet]], the role of system integration engineers is important: more and more systems are designed to connect, both within the system under construction and to systems that are already deployed.<ref name="Info2">{{Citation | last = Merriman| first = Dan| date =19 Feb 1996| contribution = Tying it all together |title=Network World|publisher=IDG Network World Inc| pages = 51|ISSNissn= 0887-7661}}</ref>

==Methods of integration==

'''[[Vertical integration]]''' (as opposed to "horizontal integration") is the process of integrating subsystems according to their functionality by creating functional entities also referred to as [[Information silo|silos]].<ref name="E-gov">{{Citation | last = Lau| first = Edwin | year =2005

| contribution = Multi-channel Service Delivery|title=OECD e-Government Studies e-Government for Better Government|publisher=OECD| place =Paris|pages = 52|oclc =224889830}}</ref> The benefit of this method is that the integration is performed quickly and involves only the necessary vendors, therefore, this method is cheaper in the short term. On the other hand, cost-of-ownership can be substantially higher than seen in other methods, since in case of new or enhanced functionality, the only possible way to implement (scale the system) would be by implementing another silo. Reusing subsystems to create another functionality is not possible.<ref name="Integ">{{Citation | last1 = Gold-Bernstein| first1 = Beth| last2 = Ruh| first2 = William A| year =2005|title=Enterprise integration: the essential guide to integration solutions|publisher=Addison Wesley|ISBNisbn= 0-321-22390-X}}</ref>

'''Star integration''', also known as '''spaghetti integration''', is a process of systems integration where each system is interconnected to each of the remaining subsystems. When observed from the perspective of the subsystem which is being integrated, the connections are reminiscent of a star, but when the overall diagram of the system is presented, the connections look like spaghetti, hence the name of this method. The cost varies because of the interfaces that subsystems are exporting. In a case where the subsystems are exporting heterogeneous or proprietary interfaces, the integration cost can substantially rise. Time and costs needed to integrate the systems increase exponentially when adding additional subsystems. From the feature perspective, this method often seems preferable, due to the extreme flexibility of the reuse of functionality.<ref name="Integ"/>

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The horizontal scheme can be misleading, however, if it is thought that the cost of intermediate data transformation or the cost of shifting responsibility over business logic can be avoided.<ref name="Integ"/>

A '''common data format''' is an integration method to avoid every adapter having to [[data conversion|convert data]] to/from every other applications' formats, [[Enterprise application integration]] (EAI) systems usually stipulate an application-independent (or common) data format.<ref>{{Citation|title=Aircraft/Store Common Interface Control Document Format Standard|urlpublisher=https://SAE International|doi.org/=10.4271/as5609a|publisher=SAE International|access-date=2019-08-13}}</ref> The EAI system usually provides a data transformation service as well to help convert between application-specific and common formats. This is done in two steps: the adapter converts information from the application's format to the bus's common format. Then, semantic transformations are applied on this (converting zip codes to city names, splitting/merging objects from one application into objects in the other applications, and so on).

== Video Wall Systems ==