Integrating OMS and mobile enabled WMS: Synergies and challenges
Wireless communications
The ability to connect to a corporate Intranet or the World Wide Web from anywhere without the
requirement of physical wires is what makes wireless communications so valuable and mobile WMS
applications possible. Essentially wireless communications involve the usage of radio waves as the
transport layer. Many possible choices exist ranging from dedicated wireless LANs to two-way wide
area packet data networks. Table 1 summarizes wireless communications options.
Software Technologies
Advances in the technologies used to implement and integrate applications are facilitating the deploying
of complex systems. The two areas which hold the greatest promise are discussed here :
Software Components - Component based software (ActiveX, Java/JavaBeans), distributed objects and
the emerging standards (DCOM, CORBA) are revolutionizing software development. As more
organizations adopt this technology many of today’s software development issues, i.e., interoperability
problems, development cost, will become greatly diminished. Component based development has finally
delivered on the OOP promises of true reuse allowing delivers to concentrate on requirements
unencumbered by programming details.
Messaging and Data Exchange – Messaging and Data Exchange technology are mechanisms for
enabling interoperability of applications. They are revolutionizing applications integration. Perhaps the
most significant benefit of messaging technology is that architecturally disparate systems can be quickly
‘tied together’. The developers of the two systems need not agree on any internal details other that the
content of the messages exchanged. Table 3 summarizes some of the currently available choices and
approaches in messaging and data exchange.
Standards – By adopting the usage of standardized APIs in software development interoperability
between applications can be greatly increased and facilitated. Programmers specializing in particular
application areas by becoming proficient in standard APIs can become more productive. In addition
certification programs can guarantee proficiency. The following list reviews some industry standard
APIs that are noteworthy from an applications integration perspective.
-
CORBA – Common Object Request Broker Architecture, Standard for Distributed Object
Programming
- COM/DCOM – Common Object Model /Distributed Common Object Model.. A Microsoft
standard for object oriented interprocess and distributed process communication.
- SOAP – Simple Object Access Protocol developed as an open RPC protocol using XML, is
becoming widely used and accepted.
- J2EE – Java 2 Enterprise Edition Platform – The subset of Java APIs designated by Sun
Microsystems as the core required for most Enterprise level programming. Certification for core
competency is also offered.
- WAP - Wireless Application Protocol. Industry wide standards and specifications for the
development of applications that operate over wireless communications services. The WAP
forum conducts conformance testing for client APIs
- Bluetooth – A specification for small form factor low cost wireless connectivity for mobile
computing, mobile phones, pagers, intelligent appliances and other hand held devices.
Integration Models
Whereas most OMS/GIS/MWMDS systems can be classified as client server by their very nature
the degree of integration that can be attained can be classified as ranging from loosely coupled in
the case of legacy systems that are exchanging a limited amount of information to tightly coupled in
the case of distributed object based systems. The following classification defines three basic
application integration models:
- Interprocess Communication Based (IPC/RPC) - Systems and or applications to be
integrated must support IPC/RPC based APIs that can be used to ‘link together’ the two
systems. In reality all integration efforts have an IPC/RPC component, but in most other
cases details about IPC/RPC are abstracted within a component such as a messaging
tookit. In the case of IPC/RPC based integration effort no abstraction exists and the
integrator is dealing with these details directly.
- Messaging Based – Message passing APIs are used to integrate the two systems. The
message data contain functional details typically in the form of transactions.
- Distributed Object Based - Objects from separate systems can be tied together via some
Distributed compliant framework such as CORBA or DCOM
In most cases, regardless of the model the integrator will usually implement a listener or broker
component to act as the bridge. If the systems are not legacy systems and are being developed in tandem
a more direct approach that eliminates the need for a listener component could be taken.
