Executive Summary
Companies are often faced with the challenge of integrating standalone PLM systems with ERP and there are clear business benefits that can be derived from achieving a robust bi-directional flow of bill of material (BOM) information between the two environments.
The sheer variety and complexity of the integration challenge means that ‘off the shelf’ ERP connector products may not always provide the level of flexible bi-directional integration that is demanded.
In these circumstances a more bespoke approach becomes necessary. In this context, there are a number of different ways for integrating to Teamcenter ranging in complexity from the very simple file based to a more sophisticated SOA type approach. The most appropriate approach will take into account the complexity of the integration challenge as well any infrastructure and financial constraints.
The paper begins by looking at basic XML approaches with a particular focus on PLMXML. The various ways of exporting PLMXML are reviewed and the appropriateness of using PLMXML is also discussed. The paper explains when & why PLMXML may not always be the most effective approach and discusses alternatives.
This leads into a fuller discussion of the various Teamcenter APIs. Server side approaches are discussed with particular focus on the Teamcenter Integration Toolkit (ITK) and the new C++ API which is an alternative to ITK with Teamcenter Unified.
The paper then discusses how server side customisations (or user services) can be made accessible from a Teamcenter client via another module in Java (weaved into the Teamcenter Rich Client interface).
The paper explores variations on this theme. For instance, how ITK can be bypassed completely and Java integration programs written directly into the Teamcenter Rich Client Platform using the Teamcenter Portal API. There is also a discussion of how & why it may be desirable to expose server-side (ITK) functionalities through the thin or web client.
The final part of the paper explores the Teamcenter SOA client toolkit. The SOA approach becomes very useful when you have other enterprise applications that cannot be run in the context of a Teamcenter client or server environment but which still needs to access Teamcenter functionality or data.
Read more at AESSiS
Companies are often faced with the challenge of integrating standalone PLM systems with ERP and there are clear business benefits that can be derived from achieving a robust bi-directional flow of bill of material (BOM) information between the two environments.
The sheer variety and complexity of the integration challenge means that ‘off the shelf’ ERP connector products may not always provide the level of flexible bi-directional integration that is demanded.
In these circumstances a more bespoke approach becomes necessary. In this context, there are a number of different ways for integrating to Teamcenter ranging in complexity from the very simple file based to a more sophisticated SOA type approach. The most appropriate approach will take into account the complexity of the integration challenge as well any infrastructure and financial constraints.
The paper begins by looking at basic XML approaches with a particular focus on PLMXML. The various ways of exporting PLMXML are reviewed and the appropriateness of using PLMXML is also discussed. The paper explains when & why PLMXML may not always be the most effective approach and discusses alternatives.
This leads into a fuller discussion of the various Teamcenter APIs. Server side approaches are discussed with particular focus on the Teamcenter Integration Toolkit (ITK) and the new C++ API which is an alternative to ITK with Teamcenter Unified.
The paper then discusses how server side customisations (or user services) can be made accessible from a Teamcenter client via another module in Java (weaved into the Teamcenter Rich Client interface).
The paper explores variations on this theme. For instance, how ITK can be bypassed completely and Java integration programs written directly into the Teamcenter Rich Client Platform using the Teamcenter Portal API. There is also a discussion of how & why it may be desirable to expose server-side (ITK) functionalities through the thin or web client.
The final part of the paper explores the Teamcenter SOA client toolkit. The SOA approach becomes very useful when you have other enterprise applications that cannot be run in the context of a Teamcenter client or server environment but which still needs to access Teamcenter functionality or data.
Read more at AESSiS
