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Chapter 3 • Enterprise Systems Architecture 67

still provides the information relevant to their job and business process. The users can download
the data on their PC for any changes they may require that are relevant to their position and
share information in real time within an extended enterprise. This seamless integration will
allow for strategic decisions based on intelligence rather than on circumstance.
Through an application programming interface (API), ERP systems allow legacy and
third-party applications the ability to integrate and share information. There are two basic archi-
tectures for integration. One is where an application will make a direct Java database connection
(JDBC) and call another application’s data tables directly. The second is the middleware-based
integration. According to Abraham Kang King, “Middleware provides generic interfaces with
2
which integrated applications pass messages to each other.” This architecture will allow for the
support of numerous integrations, will require less maintenance, and perform a more complex set
of operations. These types of integrations are common at a variety of layers such as the applica-
tion layer and portal layer. The application layer, however, offers the richest integration, as all
information is converted to a common standard for sharing across systems. These data can be
analyzed along with information originated within the ERP system itself, allowing for reporting
on both internally and externally derived information. Although applications integrated at the
portal layer will be visible through the portal, it will not be fully integrated with the internal
processes of these systems.
Around the industry, such standards as API have been developed to facilitate the integra-
tion and sharing of information across disparate systems. SAP has developed its own platform to
facilitate the integration and sharing of information. The platform, called SAP Netweaver™
system, allows for easy integration of external applications through a Web services architecture
that is based on an industry standard. SAP is able to integrate with such standards as .NET,
IBM’s Web Sphere, and any Java platform, including J2EE, which it utilizes as its internal
standard. These standards allow for a common language to communicate. SAP’s Netweaver
platform and J2EE technology allow an extensive partnership of third-party technology vendors,
system integrators, and applications providers a simple means to integrate and communicate.
SAP continues to be a leader in many of the global organizations that promote the use of a
common language such as the Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information
Standards (OASIS) and the Java Community Process (JCP). Standards have been developed to
help reduce the cost of integration and expedite the process. APIs such as SAP’s Netweaver “cost
3
generally between 25 and 40 percent lower than custom integration.” It is easy to understand
from looking at this statistic why SAP has such a vast network of alliance partners.

WEB TIER Employees rarely interact with SAP through an application tier. A Web-based
self-service portal allows users the ability to access and analyze information through their Web
browser. These portals allow the viewing of many independent systems (e.g., an ERP system),
and external third-party applications. Integration is common at the portal layer, but as stated
earlier, it is integrated only from the user-interface perspective, and not from a process perspec-
tive. Portals provide the ability to customize views for every function within an enterprise.
Each function of an organization is able to see relevant data in real time and to alter and share
information from within an extended enterprise. This collaboration, enabled by the Web, truly
demonstrates the power of an ERP system. Information is shared instantaneously across oceans

2 Kang, A. (August 2002). Enterprise Application Integration Using J2EE. www.javaworld.com/javaworld/jw-08-2002/
jw-0809-eai_p.html (accessed March 15, 2011).
3 Gartner Research. (September 16, 2002). High-Availability Networking: Towards Zero Downtime.