nTegrator Features

nTegrator has many unique features not seen in other data integration and Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) products.

• Structure.
  
  nTegrator application systems that support business objectives and functions are made up of small, self-contained component programs that communicate with each other and pass data between themselves using XML-format messages. Applications can be run on one computer or distributed in a ‘geographically irrelevant’ manner across any number of devices connected through TCP/IP networks.
  Applications are organized by business functions rather than according to technology boundaries. Data can be accessed in any form, from any data structure, anywhere. Data access is totally decoupled from business units.
  
  
• Flexibility.
  
  Because of its ‘building block’ architecture, nTegrator adapts quickly to business needs and changes, system changes and emerging technologies by loosely coupling business logic to the architecture.
  
  
• Reuse.
  Many nTegrator components perform standard tasks that apply to different applications. Any component can be reused in any number of systems. Any ‘sub-assembly’ of components can be reused. The more applications an organization develops using nTegrator, the more opportunity there is for reuse.
  
  

• Native XML.

  All of the components in nTegrator communicate with each other by exchanging messages. A message consists of some header information and zero or more elements. Each element consists of a name, a type, attributes, an associated namespace, and a value. The element type can be one of the standard data types (integer, float, double, Boolean, binary, string) or it can have a type of message, thus allowing elements to be comprised of sub-elements.

  It is possible to transform a message into XML and vice-versa. The advantage of communicating by messages instead of  XML is that a message is already in the format one would get from parsing an XML stream using SAX or other XML parser and therefore XML parsing only has to take place when data enters or leaves the nTegrator environment. The contents of a message can be examined using standard XPath, XQuery, and XSLT expressions.

  Certain element names in an nTegrator message are reserved for elements that contain an description of the operation to be performed or method to be executed using all or a part of the data contained in the message. As we shall see later, the operation description can be used for routing the message to an appropriate endpoint in the nTegrator hierarchy. Although usually not necessary, the format of a message can be expressed in WSDL and thus nTegrator components  can be accessed as Web Services.

• Builtin Features
  
  nTegrator automatically provides the infrastructure necessary for integrating and running existing applications such as Web Services, production systems, sales systems, etc. Simple scripts, written in standard scripting languages, are used to describe the applications commands and data to nTegrator. nTegrator uses these scripts to create Web Services or data integration automatically. For many applications, such as those involving database operations, even scripts are not required.
  
  nTegrator has a built in web server, automatic provision of user identity security (PKI), and a small footprint so that infrastructure costs are minimal. Because the entire required infrastructure is built in, nTegrator applications are easy to create and fast to deploy.
  
  nTegrator uses the company’s patented technology to allow legacy applications to be used as Web Services without requiring any modification to the application itself. Any application that is accessible via internet protocols can be used by nTegrator, even legacy applications or those made accessible by another company.
  
  nTegrator provides a straightforward and simple way to combine applications to create a solution to a business problem. Simply use the nTegrator design tool to create a ‘service’ or business process chart that reflects the structure necessary to provide the service or integrate the data.  nTegrator uses this chart to create a computer ready solution that is ready to run. If changes to the business problem arise through changing business needs, a simple update to the chart is all that is required.
  
  nTegrator based solutions are secure and scalable. Even the process of developing an application is scalable. A simple data integration application may be created by using drag and drop functionality in the nTegrator development tool. A very complex application can be easily designed using standard UML (unified modeling language) or BPEL (business process execution language) tools. In most cases, the design of nTegrator solution is very similar to the design of the business process that requires the solution, so that nTegrator solutions can be designed by people with business knowledge and some programming knowledge.