4 Broker Interactions for Intra- and Inter-enterprise
1.1 The Patterns for e-business layered asset model
The Patterns for e-business approach enables architects to implement
successful e-business solutions through the re-use of components and solution
elements from proven successful experiences. The Patterns approach is based
on a set of layered assets that can be exploited by any existing development
methodology. These layered assets are structured in a way that each level of
detail builds on the last. These assets include:
? Business patterns that identify the interaction between users, businesses,
and data.
? Integration patterns that tie multiple Business patterns together when a
solution cannot be provided based on a single Business pattern.
? Composite patterns that represent commonly occurring combinations of
Business patterns and Integration patterns.
? Application patterns that provide a conceptual layout describing how the
application components and data within a Business pattern or Integration
pattern interact.
? Runtime patterns that define the logical middleware structure supporting an
Application pattern. Runtime patterns depict the major middleware nodes,
their roles, and the interfaces between these nodes.
? Product mappings that identify proven and tested software implementations
for each Runtime pattern.
? Best-practice guidelines for design, development, deployment, and
management of e-business applications.
These assets and their relationships to each other are shown in Figure 1-1.