Establish and Document the Application's Integrations

This chapter explains how to establish and document the connections through which data and information flow between an Application and other Systems.

Definition

An Integration is a governed connection between Systems through which data and information flow. An API is an interface; an Integration is a connection that may use one. Integrations may also use other mechanisms, such as file transfers, messaging, database links, or event streams.

Establish the Application’s Integrations

For each Integration, establish:

• The two Systems it connects, and which one initiates the exchange.

• The direction in which data and information flow.

• The data and information exchanged, at the level of logical data types.

• The mechanism and protocol used, and the API involved where there is one.

• The frequency or trigger, such as real time, scheduled, or on demand.

• Error handling, monitoring, and recovery.

• Security, such as authentication and encryption.

• The owners and contacts on each side.

Document and Share the Integrations

Record each Integration in the Application Documentation, preferably with an Integration diagram, and register it in the enterprise’s Integrations inventory where one exists, so that it is visible from both connected Applications. Explicitly identify any Integration that exists only in some Instances. Review Integrations with every Release.

Best Practice: Establish and Document the Application’s Integrations

It is a best practice to both establish and document the solution for an Application’s connections: record each Integration with its connected Systems, direction, data, mechanism, schedule, error handling, security, and owners, and register it in the enterprise’s Integrations inventory where one exists.

Benefits: Documented Integrations make the flow of data between Applications visible, which is essential for impact analysis, incident diagnosis, data protection, and replacement planning. Registering them enterprise-wide means that a change in one Application reveals every Integration it will affect, on both sides.

Connections to Related IF4IT Practices and Inventories

The Integrations Inventory and Attributes describes the attributes recorded for each Integration. The Application Portfolio Management (APM) Best Practices addresses connecting APM to the integrations inventory.