Application Integration - Integration - Update 44 - Help - Hexagon

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Smart 3D Version
12.1 (2019)
Smart Construction Version
2019(7.0)
SmartPlant Foundation / SDx Version
10
Smart Electrical Version
2019 (9.0)
Smart Materials/Smart Reference Data Version
2020 (10.0)
Smart P&ID Version
9 (2019)
Smart Review Version
2020 (15.0)
Smart Engineering Manager Version
10 (2019)
Smart Interop Publisher Version
13.1 (2019 R1)
Smart Isometrics Version
7.0(2019)
Spoolgen Version
9.0(2019)

Application integration extends the data integration capabilities by adding transportation of the data to the correct location for the receiving application, and then importing it via an application-specific protocol.

This is different from data integration, because the data integration mechanism does not assume that anything more than a “file parser/loader” capability exists for the receiving system – which results in reduced time and cost of deployment, but requires that the tool supports some form of validation (correctness) of the data.

Many tools today provide sophisticated Application Programmatic Interfaces (APIs) or other methodologies for data acquisition which ensure quality and integrity of the resulting data. But they do require more effort to deploy. Typically, this route is chosen if the applications are going to exchange data bi-directionally, on a frequent basis, and the user is engaged in the export and import process. Such examples include high-value, high-frequency point-to-point exchanges – for example, between a 3D design tool and a stress analysis program.

Another key difference is in the scope of the content being exchanged as represented by the data overlaps. The circles represent the content of data within three different applications. The primary goal for data integration is to remove the overlaps so that the receiving system has the total sum of the data – or, in other words, to “enforce consistency.”

ApplicationIntegration

Conversely, the primary goal for application integration is to exchange only the common/shared data between the applications. So the goal is to manage the data overlaps – or, in other words, to “manage inconsistency.” This latter aspect of application integration is provided in the SmartPlant Enterprise via SmartPlant Foundation and SmartPlant Adaptors to the tools.

Why are these two methodologies different or required? To answer that question, one needs to look at the business process being executed. Consider two examples:

  1. The engineering data about an instrument have been checked and approved. The data are pushed to the procurement system for purchasing.

  2. A dialog is going on between a process engineer and an instrument engineer during the definition of an instrument.

In the first example, there is no dialog – it is non-negotiable. In the second, there is a back-and-forth exchange of evolving data. It is this negotiation, the iterative refinement process, which is the substance of engineering – the essence of SmartPlant Enterprise.