B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

8.4. Distributed Objects and Components
Middleware Technologies 231
The advent of object-oriented technology was difficult to miss. Almost
every software designer or developer who has been involved with
application programming over the past several years has read about or
experienced object technology. Distributed object technology has
promised to radically alter the way systems are developed and deployed
by:
• Defining a standardized approach to application development;
• Enabling rapid application development by providing flexible,
customizable, prefabricated, reusable components;
• Enabling inter-application communication and integration across an
enterprise;
• Providing interchangeable 'plug-and-play' components; and
• Combining other EAI technologies, such as transaction management,
messaging and API's, into one architectural framework.
Distributed object and component technology allow objects and
components, distributed throughout servers within an enterprise, to
inter-operate and share functionality. Client objects and components
invoke public methods of server objects and components providing
business method level integration.
What is an object? An object is a self-contained software entity that
usually models a real-world object. Objects consist of three distinct
parts:
• Private Data — information or attributes, generally of a persistent
nature, which define an object;
• Private Methods — internal procedures for accessing or updating the
private data; and
• Public Interface — public methods for communicating with other
objects.
An object contains both data and business logic in a single software
entity or package. It is designed to carry out the same functions as those
in the real world. Objects are assigned roles and responsibilities and
contain all information they need to carry out their actions.