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I've been considering for some time now to get into be b2b integration business. I've researched the tools available for doing this, like Oragle's WebLogic Integration, IBM's WebSphere, or Microsoft's BizTalk. They all seem to do the job (each having their ups and downs).

I've also looked at some companies that already are doing this (ex: www.hubspan.com). It seems that b2b integration is very needed service.

Although my background is in integration of commercial products with open source software, I feel that concerning the b2b integration world, I still feel that I need to feel some blanks.

So basically I'd like to clear a few things concerning all this:

  1. All the frameworks that I previously mentioned are just that, frameworks. They allow to build an application ON TOP of the said frameworks, they are not itendet ot be a final product. I assume that this is because the integration needs of different companies vary so much, that an out-of-the-box solution is just not possible. So my question is, do the applications build with the said frameworks vary so much from business to business, that it's not possible to reuse them?

  2. Also, is it possible to build a single framework of Suppliers and Customers (build a Core of somekind), and connect new Costumers and/or Suppliers as they come? (this is the way HubSpan did it, not counting the developing of custom Connectors to the Client ERP systems). Or will I have to do a separate integration for each Customer?

  3. How much work hours is required to complete a typical integration project, (assuming everything is planned and executed properly)? (For the sake of simplicity, let's say that the integration includes only 'Query Product Price', 'Query Product Availability', and 'Purchase Order Management'.

  4. And finally, is this a job for a sigle person (can I do this myself?, assuming I have the knowledge to do it) or a team is required?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughs and oppinions.

Dorin
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2 Answers2

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  1. Yes they can vary that much.
  2. It depends on the business. Some will integrate easily while others will need custom modules and connectors
  3. There isn't really a "typical" integration project.
  4. Depends on the size of the project. If you're talking fortune 500 companies then no. If you're talking a local manufacturer and local supply house (presumably small) then maybe.

This is probably a question better asked on the programmers.stackexchange

Brian
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  • Thanks man. Will post it to programmers.stackexchange. On a side note, I think I'm going to set up a solution (just for verification), to check all this out on my on skin, so to speak. – Dorin Mar 05 '12 at 00:34
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I think it varies a lot. You should probably define what you mean by B2B, and there are a lot of different types these days. From a BizTalk perspective, it is possible to build an application service provider (ASP) version of B2B but it is hard to do.

The level of customization is one of the factors that drives up cost and the length of the project. I think it is difficult to do B2B alone, usually there is so much business domain knowledge specific to each company that you need those business people to help explain the existing systems.

Thanks,

Ben Cline
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