EAI project implementation experience
Written / Li Guoping
introduction
Corporate Informationization is a never endless topic. Different development periods, different business environments, forcing corporate information systems to continuously develop changes to adapt to the business environment of "on demand" and maintain strong business competitiveness. Domestic enterprises have experienced the basic information system construction and development, and has entered the relative mature platform period of the functional application system, and how to improve the collaboration and strain capacity of the enterprise system under the system, optimize business processes and Management system, reduce business costs and system risks, maximize data value, and become the technical hotspot that explores the competitiveness of the company during this period. Application integration is often established between independent functional systems within the enterprise, the transaction collaboration and process automation system is called EAI, and information data exchange between enterprises and enterprises worldwide, is called B2BI. EAI is based on intranet, and B2BI is based on Internet, and the integrated technology taken by both is not the same, such as EAI, can be implemented by non-XML Web Services architecture, and B2BI is "standardized" It is needed, more is achieved by Web Service. (Essentially, both are the purpose of reducing coupling, enhanced collaboration. This article will integrate two concepts of EAI and B2BI, collectively referred to as EAI deployment description). EAI is a more special enterprise informationization project. The usual enterprise informationization project is a functional system for enterprise-oriented applications, while EAI is not a specific functional requirement for enterprise applications, but on the basis of multiple functional systems. Provide a set of information system collaboration solutions for connecting and coordinating the entire application system and corporate value chain. This article will focus on EAI project implementation, share some of the experience and experience in EAI technology projects.
Ten-sided ambush
It is because of the particularity of EAI technology, EAI projects have also highlighted many differences compared to the establishment of traditional application systems, and these features are reflected in the project. Difficulties, some are the lessons of the project problem, here, this five major troubles are:
1. Participate in role uncertainty
Usually participate in the role of enterprise informationization projects, there is no more than two major classes, and the final customer and application solution provider of application needs, and EAI projects may have end users of the company, providing companies with the old application system. Vendors, providing end customers with three roles of application integrators with cross-system solutions for end customers. It is not difficult to see that the participation role of EAI technology is more complicated than traditional application system applications, and there is still a role overlap and transformation between these three characters. For example, in a simplest case, the vendor who provides EAI solution for the end customers is the supplier of the original application system, and if the application is developed by the final customer, the role of the three is completely overlapping. But more actual conditions are more complicated, such as: one or more end customers (if it is an enterprise integration into one, if it is multiple applications into multiple applications), one or more application vendors (a number of applications for docking It is possible to come from one to multiple application developers), one or more EAI vendors (the entire EAI project may be independent by an application integrator, or by many manufacturers collaboration responsible for different application transformation).
2. Contractual relationship complexity
Because the role of the EAI project is determined, the contractual relationship of the EAI project highlights greater complexity, and some contracts are actively put forward demand to end customers due to the application manufacturers hope to provide standardized standardized interfaces for their own applications. Another situation is that the final customer aware of the needs of EAI technology to connect multiple application systems in the corporate value chain. In the form of contract, there are versed customers and applicants and EAI vendors, end customers and EAI manufacturers. In the application vendor, there is also an active initiative and integrated passive mood application manufacturer. The definition of rights and obligations is relatively complicated. If the contract is not strictly cautious enough, it is easy to lead to coordination or mutual discipline in the implementation of the project, and the project is difficult to continue. This is also the author of the author in the early several projects, the consequent context of the association is not available, which will result in a lower wind in the legal status and negotiation perspective, which is not conducive to the launch of follow-up. 3. Customer demand difference
As the demand difference between enterprise application systems, the product-based enterprise application system is extremely feasible, and EAI projects that connect complex and multi-change enterprise information systems also have differences and complexity risks, trying to provide or fully productive EAI. The solution is just an unrealistic aerial pavilion. Here is the full solution that meets the ultimate business needs of the enterprise customers. The product-based EAI server can only meet some degree of abstract demand, and EAI's implementation manufacturers must carry out a lot of custom development and configuration deployment work, so that Meet different application integration needs and adapt to a differential system environment, thereby completing the final project. In the EAI project inside the company, most of the information interaction and application integration under process operation, transaction collaboration, financial statistics, business processing, internal strategy and other management systems; in the B2BI between enterprises and businesses, more It is a procurement supply, property flow, electronic trade, and information release between the upper and downstream supply chain vendors. In fact, even the same business needs, different application systems in the implementation of the project implementation. Different business processes will also lead to different variations in demand. For example, a cross-system financial approval process within an enterprise, different companies will have different understanding and management systems, which is also the EAI developer and implementers that cannot be ignored.
4. Technical means diversity
The technical implementation of the EAI project is more flexible. By newsletter (such as Socket Direct Connection, Message Queue), data exchange (such as EDI, data intermediate table), application components (such as DCOM, EJB), etc. can be satisfied Different needs of integrated integration integration integration in data, applications, business logic, and user interfaces. These technologies can be divided into synchronous real-time and asynchronous non-real time two major classes according to their interaction mode. From the influence of the application system, the implementation of the technical solution has an intrusive integration of the application system completely transparent and needs to be transformed into an invasive integration of the application system to adapt to the EAI interface. Different application vendors and end customers will also have historical accumulation or special preferences for system platforms such as operating systems, database systems, development languages and application environments. During the project, the project decision makers and architect designers face a challenge of one or more integrated techniques suitable for their own projects from multi-level diversified techniques. The technical solution provided by EAI vendors should be a holistic solution to different integration levels.
5. Risk uncertainty
Is there a perfect contract guarantee, a clear customer needs, a comprehensive design architecture and mature implementation technology, can it think that the success of the integrated project has been made? In fact, this is not the case due to the intrinsic complexity of the application integration project, we will soon find that this should follow the design and development and testing of the class in accordance with the department, and it is helplessly follow the "Parkinson's Law": Project Progress Continuous adjustment, continuous extension, project "black hole" allows companies to "unbearable pain", "unbearable pain", and engineering implementors "difficult", is it difficult to take "unsuccessful hell", this is really a special software engineering Is it a rendend of the application integration project that cannot be jumped off? (Jun did not see a Windows XP SP2 of the Software Empire Microsoft in Three Carriages to make people look at the eyes, and Longhorn's launch is repeatedly delay to be far away.) In fact, this is also a domestic commercial application and application integrated manufacturer. The survival status of survival is also an objective challenge that is constantly reflected and examined in the people in my generation. The integrated enterprise informationized organism -RP is less than 10% of the implementation success rate is ruthlessly revealing the integrated hardship and the forward vortex. It is no wonder that Liu's predecessors who are in the past few decades and the wind and rain are unspeakable: "I am looking for death, I don't go to ERP." Information collaboration has a self-contained difficulties. Strategize
For the five major problems of the EAI projects, after thinking and practices, the author also summed up some experience in the implementation of the EAI project, hoping to provide a number of reference to those in the field of application integration:
1. Clear play role, break the communication barrier
Participants in integrated projects include end users, application vendors, and EAI vendors. During the entire project, the tacit understanding of the three roles can ensure the smooth progress of the project. The law in the management of harshona to our warning is "The work under the multi-leadership overlapping of authority conflicts is even more difficult to carry out, working hours and project costs" will be increased more than no main status. As a contractor of the EAI project, the implementer may have to face a number of conflicts and cognitive differences between the various final customers and applications, and multiple characters, including interest, permissions, understanding, and culture are inevitable. As the EAI implementation, we should clarify the key role of the success or failure of the leadership of the leadership, monitor management, to establish a company's distribution (differently independent "system) information system, and do a good job in Communication, relationship, coordination, permission definition, etc., and clarify the permissions and obligations of all participants in the project. If the integrator is employed in some application vendors rather than end users, it should pay more attention to the contract customers, but directly communicate with the end customers, master the user needs and the overall technical information.
2. Improve the details of the contract, avoid project risks
Most IT technology project contracts are signed by market business people. They often regardless of demand differences and technical details or indifferent, they often push the end customers, technicians and the entire company for their own performance. And embarrassing situations. Most contracts are made by them through thick feasibility demonstrations (even completely empirical, do not carry out technical assessments, and make commitments to the contract to get together in the form of the contract template), Less will involve a variable customer demand and technical definition between technology collaboration vendors. This buried a great hidden danger to the successful implementation of future projects. Due to the particularity of the EAI project, the technicians of all parties should actively participate in the development process of the contract, and carry out the necessary technical assessment and responsibility division of labor. The multi-party rights obligations, cooperation methods, default liability periods and termination of the project contract should be more defined and reflect the content of the technical level. Otherwise, the minor changes in the interface will lead to multiple participant tests, maintenance of the entire project. Human time and other costs, even due to the progress and quality of individual participants, the project indefinitely delayed even completely failed. The author's project has been dragged down the example of being smoked because of such reasons. 3. Enumerates multiple demand, examining old processes
The software industry knows that "customers' needs have been changing" this painful truth, "It is" unchanged "to become the pursuit of software designers (although this goal is not true, it can only be as possible Close this goal). In the specific project implementation, the demand should be described as specific, enumerated, in the controlled range, which can ensure that the project is delivered and the cost budget will not exceed (just like shooting A movie must have a good script to do blueprints, otherwise the project may not be completed in 2046). In summary, the more integrated function, interface agreement, business process, etc. covered by customer needs, the better, the author believes that the overall demand of the EAI project is basically clear before the contract has not signed in the contract. Demand analysis is only in-depth and refinement of enumerated demand, rather than starting to discuss interface definitions between several manufacturers. In addition, due to the inherent inertial thinking of inertial thinking, in the integrated interface, business process, there should be "diverted new" revolutionary idea, because intelligent automation information system interaction is not an old manual business handling and operational process. Reproduce, and should be reviewed with the attitude of criticism and innovation, establish a reasonable, optimized, conform to the new specifications and application models of modern enterprise management and informationization. Enterprise application integrators must grasp and balance the multi-change business needs, architecture, communication mechanisms, system platforms, data formats, business processes, etc., to peel out the main object of EAI projects, quantify and The key factors in the success of the project risk, project cycle, humanity and funding costs are evaluated.
4. Select the integrated way, stick to the technical position
From the author's experience, at this stage, in the domestic enterprise informationization project, the data exchange between the system is absolutely only two ways, that is, the database is open to read and write (mainly for local area network or private network) and Packet Document Exchange (mainly used for exchange of public networks across networks, all in this column), and database-related security issues, real-time performance and data security of packet exchange The problem shows that the heavy responsibility of enterprise information exchange should not be supported by one or two techniques. Throughout the implementation of EAI, there is a characteristic of interacting with the application component from the information to the application component. The EAI interface coupling is greatly improved as the interaction of interaction, affecting the heterogeneity of the interface; if the pursuit of low-coupling and strong integration ability, it has to sacrifice interaction capabilities and easy development deployment, Many workloads; invasive integration may transform difficulty will be relatively low, but the old application system must have the support of application system manufacturers, and increase the risk of compatibility stability, and establish an old application system Realization of non-invasive integration of transparent adapters is relatively difficult, poor real-time. In fact, the end user does not pay too much attention to the details used by the application integration project, as long as it can meet its business needs, but in multiple implementation levels, the implementation technology will be implemented to the application integration project. Significance from the hard work. During the cooperation with different manufacturers, they will always encounter different solutions for the same technical problem. It should be more similar to more than a modest attitude, and I think so "why is their system designed?"; Another In terms of each system designer, it is difficult to jump away "A technical problem" with its own system "such a technique, always consider" how to make our system less change? ", For application integration Interface project, which will form a completely different contrary to the same technical processing based on the protection of respective systems, and we should adhere to the position of the EAI project leader, from the entire EAI project The height of architecture and implementation is analyzed and responded to reality. 5. Control project elements to ensure success
Although we have established a sound contract in the beginning of the project, it clarifies the role of the project participants, but in China's current cultural background and regulations, the strict contracts may not be able to perform well in the same manner. Demand is in the design, development, testing and other stages of the project and will be unchanged. It does not necessarily have a default of money to pay attention to the project cycle; participants may not be able to abide by their roles, but may be the management of the project. Decision, the progress and quality of the project. People are the most active factors in social production activities. In the implementation of people in the project, the changes of function changes, the changes in the process come from the human itself, the important issues of the project manager should deal with, that is, practice, "soldiers will block, water The interpersonal relationship and communication skills of the earth are hidden, and the modern development management system reducing the risk of project management, personnel management and other links. For the system stability and project cycle, "closed-loop negative feedback" should be used in the implementation of the project implementation, and the change and new additions of the process should be evaluated, because the micro-changes in the interface is likely to wave Other docking systems, generating functions, performance, compatibility, and so on, the impact of uncertainty hidden dangers and deployment testing time for sacrifices. In the test deployment phase, it is not perfect when the function is not enough, and it should be performed in timely correction or delaying the next version.
Step by step
Most EAI projects face different industries, different systems and needs, but overall, there is its laws and regular, only to understand the implementation of the application integration project, grasp every aspect of the project implementation, Ensure the final success of the project. The step of implementing the implementation of the integrated project here is summarized as: 1. The investigation and evaluation phase needs to first understand the information:
Application requirements
Application requirements are expectations and planning between enterprises in existing systems or inter-systems, that is, will eventually achieve business collaboration functions and distributed transaction capabilities in highly automated ways. Only clear understanding and grasp of customer business logic and business plan can we sort out accurate application needs.
Business Process
The business process includes the dependence of data exchange between data exchange and business collaboration, mutual exclusive relationship, and actual business processes and business logic of processing related transactions. Application requirements is a customer's business goal, and business processes are ways and carriers that implement application requirements.
Business connection point
To electronize the customer's application requirements and business process, first, you need to enumerate the number and characteristics of data exchange and application integration, and conduct business summarization and summarize abstraction, master application and application, system and system connection And interactive relationships, and combine business processes to explicitly apply boundaries and process boundaries.
Web environment
Mastering the next layer of network environment in which the application system needs to be transformed, including physical distribution, interactive relationship, network infrastructure, security, bandwidth, stability, etc.
the system platform
Understand the operating systems, database platforms, development environments of each application system, and related algorithms related to business applications and integrated interface software, and related algorithms of business logic.
Coordination channel
With the end customers, the application manufacturers have established a smooth fast communication channel, and it is possible to obtain the support and cooperation of relevant personnel in the relevant units, obtain the systematic technical information of the company's medium and long-term information construction planning, application system manufacturers.
2. Determination of solutions and overall design
Electronic application process
According to the preliminary understanding information, reference and the electronic application process suitable for enterprise applications, the electronic application process, which is suitable for enterprise application integration, and the electronic application process may propose alternative, integrated manufacturers. The advantages and disadvantages of multiple options should be given to the decision-making reference.
Interface mapping agreement
Establish an interface mapping relationship related to the actual business needs, if it is a database integration, it is the intermediate table of the two parties, if it is a message communication, the agreed of the packet format and communication response, if it is component technology, Call the specification of the interface.
Infrastructure demand
It is clearly met to meet the needs of platform programs such as actual business needs and application integration demand. These requirements are the basic premise of supporting the implementation of application integration projects. It should ensure that they can provide integrated implementers on schedule, so as not to affect the next step of the project.
Overall program
Determine the application integrated business content and electronic flow, corresponding technical platform, network structure and communication mode, and propose a complete technical solution based on the relevant technical details according to different integration methods of the business application system.
Project control
According to the ultimate overall plan, assess the direct cost, indirect cost, personnel equipments, project cycle, etc., the project's overall cost, project working day and the number of projects, test acceptance planning and standards, project post-maintenance schemes.
3. Project technology implementation
system design
The most analytical work and project preliminary design should be completed in the determination process of the solution. In the early stages of the implementation process, the final determination solution should be made more detailed design work, combined with the characteristics of the current product. The design of structural layers, business logic layers, and user interface layers, this part of the work is closely related to the quality of the project, and the entire project implementation process is more important aspects. Since the contract has signed, the real development work has not yet begun, such as the change and increase in the demand at this stage, it should be decided to accept the change based on the evaluation result of the system changes.
System development and testing
According to the preliminary understanding of business needs and the results of the project analysis design; in principle, laboratory tests should be carried out in accordance with the plan, and the system is stabilized according to the test results. Since this phase has been implemented in a substantive system, it is not necessary to accept customer change needs, otherwise the project's construction period and the stability of the final system will likely be affected. If you must be modified, you should sign a written proof of writing, explain the causes of changes, the impact of the relevant responsibilities, etc. System online deployment
The system has been developed and laboratory test phases. Use real business processes and business data, hardware, software, and network environments during the on-line deployment process, and test the function, performance, stability, and stabilize the mature formal system; due to "customer first" practice, actual In this link, there may still be proposed by customers to change demand, and implementers should respond to the comprehensive assessment of business and technology.
4. Project acceptance
After the system is successfully implemented, the acceptance work of the project should be completed according to the acceptance standard in the project contract, and combine the change of the project implementation to complete the project's acceptance work. After a period of manual / automation business and processes, the end user is officially used. Perform the production application and maintenance cycle of EAI projects.
to sum up
Software engineering is different from architectural projects, the latter provides customers with a highly particularized sensitive understanding and observation building system, and software engineering provides customers with highly abstract "intangible" software system for "intangible" software systems. . At least the user interface can give the user a sensibility of a performance layer, and the application integration project is more difficult to perceive, because the entire project may be in addition to operation of monitoring, system logs, the core system of the entire project is no user interface. Backstage service or middleware engine, but as important tasks such as session coordination and interaction synchronization of enterprise value chain system with corporate information islands. Therefore, only the demand definitions of the project, analyze design, development test, acceptance operations, etc., seize multi-element elements such as management, technology, resources, applications, business, and process to correctly use abstract technologies to exhibit visualized business entities. , Successfully established this high complex distributed integrated application system. This article is not to transmit and share general project management experience, but hope that the author has made a summary and review of some representative issues and characteristics in the implementation of the application of integrated field projects, for everyone to take bricks .
