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Questions and Answers
What is the main purpose of system integration?
What does Horizontal Integration primarily establish?
Which of the following best describes Vertical Integration?
What is the potential drawback of Star Integration?
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What is a significant advantage of Horizontal Integration?
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How does Vertical Integration benefit its implementation process?
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What is a common misconception about Horizontal Integration?
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Which integration method typically results in higher long-term costs?
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What does the term 'spaghetti' refer to in the context of system integration?
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How can the cost of integration be affected by the interfaces exported by subsystems?
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What role does a common data format play in enterprise application integration (EAI)?
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What is one potential challenge organizations face when integrating new software solutions?
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Why is it important for an enterprise to choose the right set of products?
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How do different business units perceive data within an enterprise?
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What potential outcome can arise from an enterprise using a complex stack of products from a single vendor?
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What is a common service provided by EAI systems besides data format standardization?
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Study Notes
System Integration
- Defined as the engineering process of bringing together component sub-systems into one operational system.
- Ensures subsystems cooperate to deliver overarching functionality.
- In information technology, it involves linking different computing systems and software applications to function as a coordinated whole.
Horizontal Integration
- Creates a unique subsystem acting as a single interface between all other subsystems.
- Functions as an Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), allowing for one interface per subsystem.
- Enables replacement of subsystems without affecting the others due to diverse data and interfaces.
- ESB translates interfaces, reducing integration costs and increasing flexibility.
- Misunderstandings may arise regarding costs of data transformation and business logic responsibilities.
Vertical Integration
- Integrates subsystems based on functionality, creating "silos" of functional entities.
- Quick to implement with limited vendors but potentially becomes more costly over time.
- New functionalities may require the creation of additional silos, increasing long-term expenses.
- Short-term cheaper due to faster integration with necessary vendors only.
Star Integration
- Known as "Spaghetti Integration" due to the extensive interconnections resembling spaghetti strands.
- Each subsystem connects to multiple others, creating a star-like connection pattern.
- More subsystems lead to increased connection complexity and costs related to exporting interfaces.
- Varied interface types, especially proprietary ones, can raise integration costs significantly.
Common Data Format
- Utilizes a standardized data format to avoid extensive transformations between application formats.
- Application-independent format or transformation services streamline data interchange across applications.
- Enterprise application integration (EAI) systems establish a common data format to simplify integration.
Challenges in System Integration
- Integration complexity can diminish ROI on new software solutions.
- Challenges include:
- Lack of trust in data sharing with external partners.
- Reluctance to outsource operations to third parties.
- Poor communication and unclear responsibilities.
- Disagreements on functionality ownership among partners.
- High integration costs and difficulty in sourcing skilled talent.
- Absence of common API standards.
Organizational Data Perception
- Different business units interpret data variably due to differing operational responsibilities and system usage.
- Critical for business success to leverage existing enterprise data effectively.
- Companies may choose complex product stacks that fail to meet needs or become hard to maintain.
- Selecting the right product suite is vital for ensuring future integration flexibility and avoiding monolithic solutions.
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Description
This quiz explores the concepts of system integration in engineering and information technology. It covers the processes of combining component subsystems into a coherent whole and the significance of horizontal integration in various applications. Test your understanding of how these integrations enhance functionality and cooperation among systems.