Interfaces and integrations serve this purpose
Increasing digitalization is giving rise to many new business ideas that require the exchange of business data across different systems and channels. This leads to an increasing demand for connection options between software products, either via interface or integration. This is the only way to ensure a continuous flow of information and processes across program boundaries.
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Interface or integration: 2 solutions for the same goal?
Interface vs integration: which option is the right one?
Since the software components exchange their information unnoticed by the users, users will not notice any difference between the two variants. Which one should be used depends on the answers to these questions:
- What are your company's objectives?
- Which security regulations must be observed?
- What technology do the individual systems use?
For example, a CRM may be operated on local servers, whereas an e-commerce system may be operated on the Internet.
Important differences that need to be taken into account when deciding on interface or integration:
1. synchronization: speed & convenience of data exchange
One disadvantage of interfaces is that it is necessary to synchronize certain assignments or references between the systems, as the systems work with different databases. As soon as changes are made in a system, the corresponding tables or directories must also be updated via the interface.
This means that not only does a "translation" from one programming language to another have to take place (via the common file format), but also the information on where information can be found (i.e. an entry has been made at a certain point in a database) has to be transmitted. Only then can the other system recognize how information relates to each other. This additional comparison is a source of errors, because incorrect information could be retrieved if the assignment is missing.
An example:
2. flexibility: speed & convenience of exchanging individual components
One advantage of interfaces is that it is easier to replace individual software products, as only the interface needs to be adapted, not the software component. This allows a company to connect different programs from different manufacturers and thus always use the right solution for a specific task. Integrations are too complex for this because they contain a large number of partial solutions that are closely linked to each other.
Interfaces can be the solution for a quick and easy connection of additional products, especially if a program that has already been introduced is to continue to be used.
Conclusion
The decision between interface and integration can only be made if the company has clearly defined which requirements the overall solution should fulfill. Depending on the software components that are already in use, both variants can be an option and may also be combined.
