Information Integration
Exchanging data between systems and applications that weren't designed to work together can be a Herculean task. In the past, the only option was to tap into the underlying data layer, which typically involved extensive re-engineering. More recently, web services and APIs sometimes offer functional integration points, but they don't always fit the bill and are far from ubiquitous. Now there's a practical alternative; WebQL® and QL2 Integration Platform enable non-intrusive integration through existing end-user interfaces.
Integrate through the Interface
Every application has a front-end interface that allows users to interact with the underlying data. With WebQL and QL2 Integration Platform, you can leverage these interfaces and programmatically extract information to be re-packaged or re-purposed for another application. They even support bi-directional flow of data so applications can interact with one another and exchange information, all through existing interfaces.
WebQL and QL2 Integration Platform can navigate even the most complicated interfaces. They robotically submit authentication credentials, manipulate session and state data, and complete form fields to input or retrieve information through any existing web interface.
Integrate Third-Party Data
The presentation layer might be your only option when integrating third-party data into your internal applications. More and more, integration projects involve customers, vendors and government agencies who offer a web interface as the sole means of accessing information. External partners are often reluctant to grant access directly to their data layer, and may have yet to deploy web services that meet your needs. The QL2 Integration Platform and WebQL bypass these barriers to integration and creates a virtual SOA layer on top of any web interface; there's no need to reverse engineer an application or retrofit it with new APIs.
Non-intrusive and Painless
Approaching integration through the existing web interface is much more straightforward, and doesn't require a high degree of technical sophistication. WebQL and QL2 Integration Platform shields developers from the complexities of underlying data formats and intermediate network protocols. With built in support for HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, NNTP, POP3, IMAP and SMTP, developers can integrate any network
accessible data.
WebQL and QL2 Integration Platform acts like a virtual database layer and provides a consistent, universal platform for accessing data. In fact, the query syntax is based on ANSI standard SQL and uses SELECT, FROM, and WHERE clauses in much the same way. They even makes it possible to query unstructured data and document repositories as though they were organized in a database.
Compatible with your Systems
QL2 is designed to fit seamlessly into your existing infrastructure and is compatible with major programming languages including Java, ActiveX, .NET, C/C++. With a flexible software development kit (SDK), you can even embed it in custom applications. You can access the Integration Platform or WebQL through SOAP, and use them to fill holes in a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) by converting web interfaces into
web services.
Built to Scale
QL2 Integration Platform is highly scalable. No matter what the demands of your integration project, it can handle the load with a massively parallel deployment engine and built-in server clustering. It also offers other enterprise-class features including flexible scheduling, real-time event monitoring and secure encryption. Learn more about the
QL2 Integration Platform.