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relational or binary from an EIS, you may want to consider other solutions, such

as using the J2EE Connector architecture, which provides a metadata facility to

dynamically discover the data format in the EIS.

Table 6.1 compares these approaches for different integration problems and

indicates the approaches best suited for these integration problems. The adventure

builder enterprise uses Web services for partner and inter department interactions,

and the enterprise beans with JMS (EJB/JMS) approach for intra department

interactions.

Table 6.1

Comparing Different Integration Approaches

Operation

Connector 

EJB/JMS Approach

Web Services 

Approach

Approach

Coupling 

Tight coupling. 

Can add a layer of 

No hardware/software plat 

with EIS

Uses EIS data 

abstraction in the 

form coupling.

model directly.

EJB/JMS layer.

Can add multiple layers of 

abstractions and transla 

tions.

Transac 

Available

Declarative, automatic 

Global transaction propa 

tional 

context propagation

gation is not currently 

support

available. The endpoint 

implementation can use 

transactions for the busi 

ness logic. 

Supporting 

J2EE 1.4 platform 

Message driven beans 

Currently no asynchro 

asynchro 

adds asynchronous 

provide an easy to use 

nous support. WSDL 

nous 

capabilities to con 

abstraction for receiv 

provides a primitive mech 

operations

nectors.

ing asynchronous events 

anism for one way calls, 

from EISs.

although the quality of 

service is low. 

Performance

Highest

Overheads because of 

Significant overheads 

remote calls, and 

because of remote calls, 

requirements of running 

requirements of running a 

a server.

server, and of XML pro 

cessing and validation.

Heteroge 

Requires that the 

Requires a J2EE appli 

Supported on a variety of 

neous 

client is 

cation server (available 

hardware/software plat 

platform 

programmed in 

on a broad range of 

forms.

support

Java.

hardware/software plat 

forms).