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Integration on the messaging level is currently the highest in terms of the level of semantics. While object and component-based integration already provides process-oriented connections that are defined clearly a priori , messaging-oriented integration addresses the kind of business-process automation involving, for instance, multiple objects between disparate applications. Messaging-oriented integration extracts data that create a business event and are transported via a mechanism driven by the business event, and thus ensures the process flow across various applications. Classical products of this type include messaging systems such as IBM MQ Series, TIBCO Rendezvous, Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) and also JMS (Java Messaging Services) of Sun Microsystems. The essential technological characteristics of business-process-oriented integration generally include asynchronous messaging middleware, application adapters, a level of abstraction for process automation, a data transformation mechanism, and a system management tool.
The principal features of a Messaging Middleware cover the following:

  • Hub or Bus Metaphor
  • Integration of Diverse Applications and Hardware
  • Tight Coupling of Applications through API
  • Complex Message Contents in Central Message Object Store
  • Control of Complex Work Flow / Message Flow
  • Session Scheduling and Resource Management
  • Status Tracking and Audit Trails
  • Remote and Mobile Nodes
  • Integrated Security
  • Archives
  • Allow Automated Straight-Through Processing

Messaging Middleware acts as a harness and reins into which the diverse systems, applications, and business operations are drawn together so that they can all be controlled and made to pull together as a team. Within the computer industry, messaging middleware is more commonly likened to a standard —bus“ into which —cards“ from various vendors can be plugged to build a complete system.

The application, service and gateway components of a system, which are tied together with Messaging Middleware, are often supplied by different vendors and distributed over many different types of computers with different operating systems. They can communicate with each other over local or wide-area networks, and multiple components can also co-reside within the same machine. Today, the communications is most often done over TCP/IP or IBM‘s MQ Series. This transport layer is replaceable so that other protocols may be substituted.

Besides connecting to communications lines and gateways, Messaging Middleware provides Application Program Interfaces (APIs) to allow direct coupling with client applications. These applications can be message sources, destinations or intermediate processing nodes. To allow the most flexibility, it is common for multiple APIs to be supplied by a single middleware system. For example: a call level interface library, file import/export, ODBC/JDBC and sockets, as well as industry standard messaging APIs such as Java Message Service (JMS). Object interfaces such as CORBA and DCOM are being added to the list. The call-level and object interfaces expose the full middleware functionality for tightly coupled applications, while the other interfaces make it possible to integrate virtually any off-the-shelf application or tool.    


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