Systems Integration

Providing a fully integrated systems infrastructure, with the required depth of functionality across all areas of the business, is a challenge faced by every organisation. SSI assists in meeting that challenge by providing not only off-the-shelf integration with key specialist partner products, but also making integration with other applications or legacy systems possible by using the TROPOS Integration Toolkit.

The open nature of the TROPOS Technical Architecture supported by the TROPOS Integration Toolkit makes the exchange of information between TROPOS and other PC and server applications very easy. This has many advantages, reducing the development time for systems integration, reducing cost by reducing the need for specialist software skills and reducing risk by using a proven, supported toolkit rather than customised programs.

Finance Link is an option that integrates TROPOS and the Financials application of choice, such as CODA-Financials. TROPOS Export Link provides data export to specialist Export Document Management systems such as GTA-Connect from i2i. TROPOS Schedule Link provides integration with specialist finite scheduling systems such as S-Plan 4 from Greycon.

The TROPOS Integration Toolkit provides the key components needed for the rapid development of integration with legacy systems and other applications. All common integration scenarios are covered, whether the other application resides on the server or the desktop, taking as a one off data load or on a batch, continuous, event-triggered or interactive basis.

The TROPOS design enables information to be easily accessed by ODBC compliant tools such as Microsoft Access and Excel, and Lotus. Data can also be read from TROPOS transactions by OLE-compliant applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel.

The TROPOS Integration Toolkit

The TROPOS Integration Toolkit enables the import and export of data from and to third-party systems, databases and devices. The tools use standard TROPOS transactions to add data to the database, maintaining the integrity of the system through standard security management and error trapping.
The TROPOS Integration Toolset comprises:

• BLW (Batch Load Wizard)
• TIGI (TROPOS Incoming Generic Interface)
• TOGI (TROPOS Outgoing Generic Interface)
• TNI (TROPOS Network Interface)
• TSI (TROPOS Server Interface)

BLW provides a simple and highly configurable PC based interface component for loading data into TROPOS, using comma-delimited files as input and updating the TROPOS database using standard transactions. It is easily configured using a WYSIWYG set-up tool to map the data files to one or several TROPOS transactions. It is commonly used to import data into TROPOS during implementation, or to import data from spreadsheets, forecasting systems and other tools that output standard files to the PC.

TIGI is a server-based integration tool allowing data to be imported into TROPOS in real time. It drives standard transactions that are mapped to the incoming data structure using an easy-to-use WYSIWYG interface configurator. This provides a generic robust mechanism for data to be imported into TROPOS from external systems with the minimum of development effort and minimum requirement for ongoing maintenance.

It supports incoming interfaces running at a regular frequency and will handle integrity checking to ensure that interface file versions are managed and errors are reported for re-processing.

The ease of configuration will speed up implementation by removing the need for development projects to create data load and interface software.

TOGI (part of the TROPOS Active Workflow capability) is a server based integration tool that allows outgoing interfaces to be triggered based on user defined events/transaction conditions. It provides a robust mechanism for invoking and managing outgoing interfaces without the need to write custom database alerts or reports/extracts that have to be continually running.

TNI (desktop) and TSI (server) expose the TROPOS Transaction Objects as an easily callable API (Application Programming Interface) for interactive input/output processing

In a Windows environment, either TNI or TSI can be used at the server level, the most appropriate tool depending on the application. Both TNI and TSI can be used as building blocks for the development of robust interfaces into and out of TROPOS. TNI can be used by any language or application capable of calling DLLs or OLE objects, whilst TSI can be used by application programs written in languages such as COBOL or C.

TNI and TSI can also be used to harness the power of input from bar code readers and other data collection devices. Data collected from the shop-floor can be used to update the database either periodically or in real-time.

Whether the requirement is for a one-off data load, or a real time, synchronous interface requiring two phase commits, the TROPOS Integration Toolkit can be used to help develop a solution which conforms to the standard TROPOS security and data integrity. Advice on selecting the most appropriate toolset component for a specific integration scenario can be given by your SSI consultant, as can training in the use of the elements of the toolset.