At the highest level, the business integration system implemented by IBM WebSphere Business Integration Express and Express Plus is a hub-and-spoke infrastructure. Application-independent business logic resides at the hub, in an integration broker named InterChange Server Express. At the spokes are a set of adapters and the applications or technologies to which they connect. The heterogeneous business applications at the spokes exchange data in the form of business objects, which are passed through business logic at the hub.
The design utilizes modular components, many of which are customizable. Tools are provided both for developing and customizing components, and for administering a system after deployment.
The subsequent topics in this chapter describe the components and flow of information.