‍

In our article series based on ACE, we discussed the importance of integration tools such as App Connect Enterprise (click here). We argued why ACE could be a fruitful experience for both enterprises and end-users (click here).

Our story is far from over, and below, we will present one of our success stories in implementing IBM ACE.  

The activity of linking and unifying various types of software pieces or sub-systems is known as software integration. Organizations may require software integration while migrating from a traditional system to a new cloud-based data app. The necessity of a tool that can successfully facilitate integrations and give enterprises an edge in making the most out of the information provided led us to IBM App Connect Enterprise v11. The experience we had while using v11 turned out to be one of the best in terms of performance, loading times, features, and user experience compared to v9, which was previously used.

Join our upcoming webinar, Insights on IBM ACE, where we will give valuable insights related to platform integration and on how to make business information one of the strongest assets.

Click here to Save your Spot!

With ACE v11, IBM has re-engineered it from the inside out. The requirement on IBM MQ has been eliminated in IIB V10, and you no longer need to establish Integration Nodes in V11. What is the reason behind this? Today, we live in the Cloud age, which may be private or public (even hybrid and multi-cloud). ACE was re-engineered to allow for cloud deployment using a single process (integration server). The single process features further aid the ability to execute ACE in a Docker container. In the public Docker repository, there is an official image. The first repair pack for IBM ACE V11 was just released. Support for integration nodes is included in this patch pack, as promised.

How ACE made a smooth integration

Our client is one of the major retailers in several countries. Since integration is a significant factor in the client’s solution, we successfully implemented ACE to create a swift integration. It gives the client some of the most innovative solutions that can modernize the current infrastructure and make room for new features that will be a standard in the near future, such as cloud and without the potential of losing essential legacy software.

With ACE v11, we quickly and easily integrated apps with data across the company's system. IBM App Connect delivered a single integration solution for the organization, supporting a wide range of connection types from conventional SOA to the current event, API, and microservices-based integration.

Integration Flow

This is an example of the integration flow. The flow is based on how the process would actually look in the transformation of code into a visual representation. Every line of code is a small step in defining the integration flow.

How ESB helped us in the process?

An ESB (enterprise service bus) is a pattern in which a centralized software component performs backend system integrations (and data model translations, deep connectivity, routing, and request translations) and makes those integrations and translations available as service interfaces for reuse by new applications.

Old protocols and proprietary data formats are commonly used by legacy systems and systems of record, which must be translated and integrated to function with SOA network protocols. An ESB handles these translations and integrations on the fly. You could develop a SOA without an ESB. Still, each application owner would have to figure out how to expose service interfaces in their unique method, which is a lot of effort (even if the interfaces are eventually reusable) and poses a considerable maintenance burden in the future. IBM App Connect delivered a single integration solution for the organization, supporting a wide range of connection types from conventional SOA to the current event, API, and microservices-based integration.

As the firm moves toward a hybrid cloud strategy, they will almost certainly be converting a range of workloads, including those based on SOA and ESB patterns, to more lightweight and flexible deployment models. On an organization's path to the cloud, such transitions are simply one component of application modernization.

Conclusions

ACE v11 helped our client achieve complex integrations with maximum performance, using the latest connectors and drivers (SAP, MQ, ODBC) and with easier maintenance via the Web GUI.

Check our article on How to integrate IBM ACE with ELK, where you can find out how we completed a successful integration of IBM ACE with ELK.

Click the link and learn more-> https://mindit.io/blog-posts/what-is-tibco-businessworks-6-and-why-it-is-an-innovation-in-enterprise-

‍