Editing Enterprise application integration (section)

=== Communication architectures ===
Currently, there are many variations of thought on what constitutes the best infrastructure, component model, and standards structure for Enterprise Application Integration. There seems to be a consensus that four components are essential for a modern enterprise application integration architecture:{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
#A centralized broker that handles security, access, and communication. This can be accomplished through integration servers (like the [[Schools Interoperability Framework|School Interoperability Framework (SIF)]] Zone Integration Servers) or through similar software like the [[enterprise service bus]] (ESB) model that acts as a services manager.
#An independent data model based on a standard data structure, also known as a [[Canonical Model|canonical data model]]. It appears that XML and the use of XML style sheets have become the ''[[de facto]]'' and in some cases ''[[de jure]]'' standard for this uniform business language.
#A connector, or agent model where each vendor, application, or interface can build a single component that can speak natively to that application and communicate with the centralized broker.
#A system model that defines the APIs, data flow and rules of engagement to the system such that components can be built to interface with it in a standardized way.

Although other approaches like connecting at the database or user-interface level have been explored, they have not been found to scale or be able to adjust. Individual applications can publish messages to the centralized broker and subscribe to receive certain messages from that broker. Each application only requires one connection to the broker. This central control approach can be extremely [[scalable]] and [[Event-driven SOA|highly evolvable]].{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Enterprise Application Integration is related to middleware technologies such as message-oriented middleware ([[message-oriented middleware|MOM]]), and data representation technologies such as [[XML]] or [[JSON]]. Other EAI technologies involve using [[web service]]s as part of [[service-oriented architecture]] as a means of integration. Enterprise Application Integration tends to be data centric. In the near future, it will come to include [[Enterprise Content Integration|content integration]] and [[business process]]es.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}