ABSTRACT
The systems in a process-driven service-oriented architecture are heterogeneous systems, consisting of diverse technologies running on different platforms and communicating over various protocols. The problem of integration adapter maintenance and management especially occurs in larger architectural contexts, for which different systems have to communicate and larger sets of adapters exist. An integration adapter is useful for flexible integration of business applications from external vendors. The pattern enables maintenance of both the connected target system and the adapter by being suspendable and stoppable. Macroflow engine technology often provides such integration adapters for connecting the processes to back-end services. The macroflows contain technical issues that go beyond simple adaptations and data transformations and rather deal with orchestration tasks. Process technology is used and the basic design follows the macro-/microflow pattern. The integration adapter repository pattern addresses the flexible management of adapters at runtime.
