Parts of an Integration

Every integration can be broken down into three parts - a Source, Processor and Destination:

1. Source

Responsible for gathering data from the source system. There are two broad categories for how data can be gathered:

Polling interfaces are set to run at regular intervals and query the source for data to be processed. Data can be queried in various ways, such as:

Polling a source directory (local directory, SFTP, etc.) for files to be processed.
Querying a database for records to be processed.
Making API queries.

Listening interfaces are event triggered and listen for data sent by a source system. For example:

LLP listeners receive data through LLP from an LLP sender.
Hosting an API endpoint that listens for and receives HTTP requests.

2. Processor

Once data is received, there is often some kind of processing that needs to be done in order for the data to be compatible with intended downstream systems. Some examples can include:

Filtering unwanted messages.
Mapping from one field to another, or more generally, converting from one message type to another.
Transforming data (e.g. data formatting, string manipulation, code mapping, database lookup, etc.).

3. Destination

With the data in the correct format, all that is left is to send the data downstream to the destination. This can be done in a variety of ways such as:

Sending through TCP (i.e. LLP, HTTP, etc.)
Inserting/Updating a database
Dropping a file with the data in a file system (local directory, SFTP, etc.)

IguanaX Documentation

Parts of an Integration

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