B2B Integration : A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce

48 B2B Integration — A Practical Guide to Collaborative E-commerce
3.1. Types of Integration
We discussed various benefits, challenges and components of B2Bi in
the last chapter. But how does the actual integration occur? What are
the different integration patterns and methodologies used by companies
in the real world? What are the pros and cons of each pattern?
These are just a few questions that we will try to find answers for in
this chapter on the different types of B2Bi.
There are four fundamental types of B2Bi methodologies or patterns
(see Figure 3.1)
1. Data Oriented Integration — This pattern integrates cross-organization
data through batch processes, replication, data warehouses, data marts
and data federations.
2. Portal Oriented Integration — This pattern presents a consistent Web
interface or presentation layer for all the major applications and
business processes to the user in a personalized, secured way.
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Portal Oriented Integration
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Application Oriented Integration
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Data Oriented Integration
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Business Process Oriented Integration
Figure 3.1. — B2B integration patterns