Let us go through a use case scenario for a Authorization processing system and show how, by adapting an ESB approach using a series of IBM® products as an example, you can deliver loosely coupled independent systems, which interact through consuming messages independently.
Let us assume that the requirements for the authorization processing system are:
A member of the Auth dept submits a request for Authorization from a Web-based application.
The Authorization request processing information is submitted through a Web service.
Based on some predefined rules, such as the Insurance type of the Patient, a workflow system is required to take further actions for approving the Auth request.
During the approval process, the authorization personal interacts with various server providers to check the multiple insurance details of the patient and act accordingly.
Once the Authorization request is approved, the Authorization information is updated to the legacy system.
With this information, we can provide a high-level framework design of an Enterprise System Bus using various IBM products.
Build ESB architecture with IBM products
We will use WebSphere® Business Integration Message Broker with Rules and Formatter Extension and WebSphere MQ to deliver enterprise bus messaging facilities. The flow of our Authorization processing application and the corresponding product implementations are:
Use WebSphere Portal to build the Web-based application with various presentation rules.
The portal submits Web service requests containing Authorization and patient information to the Enterprise Services Bus layer.
Configure appropriate rules and formatter extensions using the Rules and Formatter Extension options provided with WebSphere Business Integration Message Broker to route soap requests to appropriate WebSphere MQ Queues. With rules such as type of patient insurance plan (HMO/PPO/POS), your application can extract information from the headers and routed appropriately.
Model business processes for Authorization processing, which require human intervention, using MQSeries workflow and then expose them as Web services. Set up the users required for human intervention in LDAP or any user directory. In this scenario, the arrival of a message (based on appropriate WebSphere queues using JMS protocol) triggers the appropriate business workflow.
The Authorization approver interacts with various service providers to check the various insurance of the patient. To implement this, route SOAP requests to multiple service providers using WebSphere Business Integration Message Broker. Then consolidate multiple SOAP responses and provide the results to the Authorization approver.
Once the Authorization is approved, route the Authorization information to the appropriate WebSphere queue. The WebSphere Business Integration Adapter listening on the queues picks up the message from the queue, maps a message to the business object, which in turn is used to create the Authorization record in the legacy system.
Benefits of ESB
In today’s fast-paced business world, the ability to quickly respond to business challenges and opportunities can become the dividing line between success and failure. With Enterprise Service Bus, integrating your business applications and processes quickly and easily helps you to quickly respond these business challenges and opportunities.
The ESB pattern can improve operational performance and reduce costs while it simplifies the task of connecting dissimilar applications across a network of different operating systems using open standards such as SOAP, XML, WSDL, JMS, J2EE, JAX-RPC, and others.
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