Integration is not a separate project in itself; it is part of all IT projects that run today. Data integration is not just a technical necessity but an asset that enables better insights, more efficient processes, and a stronger foundation for data-driven decision-making. In an increasingly connected and data-intensive world, effectively integrating and managing data is central to your success and innovation.
My name is Nicklas Andersson, and I have worked as an integration developer, architect, product owner, and with presale for 25 years. Some of my recent assignments have included being a product owner at Beijer Byggmaterial and an integration architect at Würth Sweden. I helped integrate several products with their business system, ranging from synchronous and asynchronous to streaming integrations.
At Navcite, our focus is (among other things) to help companies maximize their ROI using Infor M3
In this article, I give an overall picture of the different types of integrations and how you can use these to create better conditions for your integrations and develop your business.
Integration landscape
If you are running Infor products, such as Infor M3, the service is hosted by Amazon (AWS).
If you use Office 365, starting with Microsoft Azure and the services available with a simple subscription model is simple. The combination of these allows you to build a hybrid landscape easily and securely (a hybrid landscape means a combination of cloud-based and on-premise resources) with integration services and a network of expertise around Azure as a platform.
Microsoft Azure offers several advantages when used as a cloud service in a hybrid landscape. Below are some of the strengths that Azure offers:
Seamless integration – Azure provides a smooth integration between the cloud and on-premises resources. Services like Azure Arc and Azure Stack make it possible to manage applications and data across cloud and on-premises environments in a unified way.
Flexible and scalable infrastructure With Azure, you can easily scale up or down your resources depending on their current needs. This is particularly useful in hybrid and cloud environments where resource demand can vary.
Säkerhet och compliance – Azure erbjuder robusta säkerhetsfunktioner som hjälper till att skydda data över moln och lokala miljöer. Detta inkluderar avancerad identitets- och åtkomsthantering, nätverkssäkerhet och informationsskydd. Dessutom uppfyller Azure en mängd internationella och industri-specifika standarder. Viktigt i dagens IT-fokuserade samhälle där säkerhet blir allt viktigare.
Security and compliance – Azure offers robust security features that help protect data across cloud and on-premises environments. This includes advanced identity and access management, network security, and information protection. In addition, Azure meets a variety of international and industry-specific standards. This is important in today’s IT-focused society, where security is increasingly important.
Developer-friendly – Azure supports various programming languages and frameworks, making it an attractive choice for developers. It also provides access to multiple tools and services to build, test, and deploy applications. Also, the availability of expertise is excellent around the entire Microsoft stack.
In summary, Azure offers a powerful, flexible, and secure platform that effectively supports hybrid and cloud architectures. It helps you maximize the benefits of cloud and on-premises resources and is essential to driving digital transformation.
Whatever your landscape, there are solutions and products to ensure that your integrations are future-proof and robust and help you grow your business as fast as the market moves.
What types of integration are available
Connecting your systems and information according to different patterns, some described below, is possible. Today, there is such good technical support that connecting your systems “hard,” so it becomes difficult to maintain over time, can be avoided.
Batch Integration: This is one of the most traditional data integration patterns. Data is collected and processed in large quantities (batches) at specific times. This pattern is often used in systems where real-time updates are not required, and it can handle large volumes of data efficiently.
Real-Time Integration: In contrast to batch processing, real-time integration is continuous. Data is transferred as soon as it becomes available. This pattern is essential for applications where up-to-date information is critical, such as in financial systems or online trading. There are different ways to handle data technically; in M3, it is common for the EventHub to send data in case of change.
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load): ETL är en process där data extraheras från olika källor, transformeras till ett enhetligt format och sedan laddas in i en måldatabas eller datalager. Detta mönster används ofta för att bygga datalager och för business intelligence (BI)-applikationer.
Streaming data
Data streams play a central role in modern data integration, especially in environments where fast or real-time data is required. They are particularly relevant for some of the data integration patterns I mentioned earlier. In Infor OS, there is support for streaming data; also, in Azure, there are different ways to manage data streams. Apacha Kafka is a product that handles large data streams and allows the client/subscriber to read and manage data at the pace they can handle. It is also possible to go back if the data is persistent for a certain period and process it again.
Let’s see how it fits into different patterns:
Real-time integration: Data streams are crucial for real-time integration. In these scenarios, data flows continuously from sources to target systems. Techniques like event streaming and message queuing (e.g., with tools like Apache Kafka mentioned above and RabbitMQ) are often used to manage these streams. These techniques allow data to be processed and transmitted in near real-time.
ETL (Extract, Transform, Load): Although ETL has traditionally been associated with batch processing, it is increasingly being adapted to handle streaming data. This pattern, sometimes called “streaming ETL,” means that data is extracted in real-time as it is generated, transformed on the fly, and then immediately loaded into the target system or data warehouse. Again, a data warehouse can, for example, read data from Apache Kafka.
Middleware/Data Hub: In a middleware or data hub architecture, data streams can be managed by using a message broker or an event bus. This enables efficient and scalable management of data flowing in and out of different systems within the organization.
Data Streams in Batch Integration and Data Federation: While these patterns do not traditionally focus on streaming data, they can be customized or supplemented with data streams. For example, a batch system can be scheduled to process streaming data collected over a certain period or to include streaming data sources to provide a more up-to-date view.
In summary, data streams are integrated into different integration patterns to meet the needs of faster and more dynamic data management, which is particularly important in scenarios that require real-time analysis, quick decisions, and interactivity. The technologies for managing data streams are constantly evolving to meet the growing demands of data-intensive applications.
Infor OS / ION
Infor OS and ION are powerful tools for ERP integration or other Infor products, such as EAM and WMS. It is cloud-based and comes with continuous updates. You can also connect with local integrations to create or connect to your hybrid landscape. Here are some areas where Infor’s products stand out:
Centralized information management and data consolidation: Infor OS and ION enable a unified view of business data by integrating different business systems, including M3 and LN. Integrating data from different sources, such as ERP systems, CRM systems, and other applications, is possible. The advantage here between different Infor products is that many integrations are ready-made with Infor’s documents (an OAGiS variant in XML internally called BOD). Using Infor OS and ION, you can gain a more cohesive architecture and comprehensive understanding of your business, facilitating better decision-making and efficiency improvements.
Automation of workflows and processes: Another vital element is the ability to automate business processes. With Infor OS and ION, your organization can create custom workflows that automate tasks and simplify processes. This includes everything from simple tasks like approving purchase orders to more complex processes like managing supply chains. This automation helps to reduce manual errors, increase productivity, and improve operational efficiency.
Improved data integration and availability: Infor OS and ION offer powerful tools to integrate and synchronize data across systems. This includes managing large amounts of data and ensuring that information is consistent and up-to-date across platforms. These tools allow users to easily access and analyze data from different sources, contributing to more informed decisions and strategies.
API Connectivity
ION API Gateway
The API part of Infor OS is a central component for integration and customization, both in terms of APIs from Infor and using external APIs directly in Infor OS.
API Gateway: Infor OS använder en API Gateway som fungerar som en central punkt för alla API-anrop. Detta förenklar integrationen av olika system och applikationer, oavsett om de är interna system eller externa tjänster. Genom att använda API Gateway kan utvecklare skapa säkra och skalbara integrationer som kan hantera stora datamängder och samtidigt upprätthålla hög prestanda.
Standardized and customizable APIs: Infor OS uses an API Gateway as a central point for all API calls. This simplifies the integration of different systems and applications, whether they are internal systems or external services. Using the API Gateway, developers can create secure and scalable integrations that handle large amounts of data while maintaining high performance.
Security and Compliance: Security is an essential aspect of Infor OS APIs. The system offers robust security features such as authentication, authorization, and encryption to protect data and API calls. This ensures that sensitive business information remains protected and that company integrations meet current compliance standards. It is important today when security is once again high on everyone’s agenda!
RESTful API-design: Infor OS APIs are typically designed according to REST principles, meaning they are easy to use and integrate. RESTful APIs use standardized HTTP methods and status codes, making them intuitive for developers. This facilitates the creation of flexible and efficient integrations that can interact smoothly with different web services and applications. With this, it is also possible to version-manage the APIs and, in the long run, be able to upgrade them continuously towards the consumers of the APIs.
Opportunities for development and customization: APIs in Infor OS allow developers to create their own custom applications and extend the functionality of existing systems. This opens up opportunities to develop customized solutions tailored to a company’s unique needs and processes.
Microsoft Azure API Management
Just as Infor has a solution in the product ION API Gateway, Microsoft has its solution in API Management. API Management integrates well with other products in Azure that offer REST interfaces, such as Azure Functions and Logic Apps, as well as with other products that provide APIs. API Management provides a range of features for managing, publishing, and securing APIs. Here are three of the most prominent features that characterize Microsoft’s API Management:
Security and compliance: Microsoft API Management provides robust security features such as authentication, authorization, key and token management, and rate limiting to protect APIs from overuse and unauthorized access. It also supports integration with Azure Active Directory to enable secure and controlled access based on identity management. These security features help ensure that APIs and the data they expose are protected according to industry standards and comply with relevant regulations and compliance requirements.
Analytics and monitoring: Another key feature is the ability to monitor and analyze API usage closely. This includes real-time monitoring and logging of API calls, providing insights into how APIs are used, performance measurements, and possible errors or bottlenecks. Microsoft API Management also offers detailed analysis and reporting tools to help organizations understand usage patterns, optimize their APIs, and improve overall service performance.
Developer portal and documentation: To facilitate the use and adoption of APIs, Microsoft API Management offers a customizable developer portal that enables developers to discover, test, and subscribe to APIs. The portal provides automatically generated documentation, interactive testing tools, and sample code, making it easier for developers to get started using APIs quickly. This feature promotes an ecosystem where developers can contribute to and efficiently benefit from APIs.
These three features form the core of Microsoft API Management and make it a powerful tool for organizations that want to manage their APIs efficiently, securely, and scalable.
Summary and tips
- Put your API gateway and management in one place and control it with rights and versions – no matter which provider you choose.
- APIs with the proper management give you flexibility! Make sure to build APIs even against older systems if there is a need to make data available and make your applications live longer.
- APIs will make it easier for you to integrate, regardless of the system and provider.
- Be ready to keep up and act quickly; it will give you an advantage over competitors.
- Don’t forget that every IT project includes integration.
If you want to know more, discuss strategy, go in-depth, or have a general discussion about integrations around Infor M3 or Azure, you are welcome to contact us!
