EAI

Overview Large organizations in today's world rarely have one completely compatible, seamlessly integrated computer system. Instead, an organization may have an inventory and accounting system that was installed ten years ago and has never had an upgrade, a marketing database that's been active for twenty years, and a brand new Web server with all the newest bells and whistles. What happens when the marketing department wants to get information from the Web server into their database? How do you get orders placed on the Web into the inventory tracking system? EAI (Enterprise Application Integration) is the answer. Follow the links below to learn more about EAI applications, technology, and real-world examples.

General Information Read a definition of EAI at searchWebServices.com or webopedia.com. This Google directory page has many links to EAI resources. Read how XML and Java can be used for EAI in this JavaWorld article. EAI Journal is an on-line magazine that includes discussions on new EAI technologies, "how-to" articles, and case studies. Ebiz, a guide to e-business integration, has a listing of EAI strategies. The EAI toolbox contains links to general EAI information, EAI packages, EAI standards, and development.

Company Information Many software and hardware companies have divisions or products that target EAI projects. Read about them by following the links below.

• IBM
• Microsoft
• HP
• Oracle
• Dell

EAI Projects EAI is used to solve a variety of problems. Read "Distributed Data Mining in Credit Card Fraud Detection" to see how one EAI technique--data mining--is used to catch credit card thieves. The Ford Motor company used EAI to link their engineering and manufacturing systems; read about it in this IBM case study. In 2002, Bank One worked with Epicentric Inc. to allow their customers to complete foreign currency transactions on-line. Read about it in Epicentric's case study of the project.

Other links Download EAI Journal's 2002 EAI Awards pdf file to read about award-winning EAI projects, companies, and products. This article discusses the complexities of EAI and why a single vendor can't always provide a comprehensive EAI solution.