Analysis of integration levels of heterogeneous information system components
Integration uncoordinated enterprise information systems is by far the most efficient way to build a unified information environment in the enterprise. To implement such a paradigm shift we need an integrating tool class. This paper analyzes the basic levels of heterogeneous information systems integration. There is an author's classification of integration levels, as well as the variants of information systems interaction depending on integration goals. The authors analyze the integration options at the broker level, the data level, the service level and at the level of meta information interpretation. The proposed classification is an attempt to highlight the key information systems integration options in terms of practical implementation. The paper shows the examples of successful implementation of integration tasks on each of the proposed levels. It also considers the strengths and weaknesses of each integration option. The broker level is useful in the case when a source code of integrated applications is available and there is an opportunity to add a required integration module. Integration at the data level can be recommended for information systems and data circuits that allow us to construct a single consistent data structure. The main advantages of the service level is the ability to reuse them, loose coupling of services, a lack of necessity in a single database or repository. When working at the level of meta-information interpretation it is possible to quickly reconfigure the meta-information in data integration from a new source. The classification makes it possible to determine the most rational set of tools and methods to create an integrated system with specified characteristics. The authors believe that the most promising way of integration of control information systems components, which requires further study and improvement, is the integration of specialized systems at the service level.