Integration and external communication
Integration and external communication configuration defines how the system connects to and exchanges information with external systems. By configuring transport mechanisms, messaging, connectivity, and AI tools, you control how data and events flow between the IBM Sterling® Order Management System and external applications.
This configuration supports reliable, scalable integrations and separates external communication from core workflow and business logic. This separation helps you update integrations without redesigning process models.
Overview
Order management often relies on external systems such as payment, fulfillment, and logistics services. Integration and external communication configuration governs how those interactions occur, rather than when logic runs or how workflows are structured.
You can configure how services communicate outside the system by using transport mechanisms, messaging patterns, connectivity settings, and AI tools. AI tools define how the system interacts with external services by using service definition files, which helps you manage integrations in a consistent and reusable way.
This configuration works alongside service definitions and actions. Service definitions describe available services, while AI tools define how those services are used in integrations. Together, these configurations help you control both what the system does and how it communicates with external systems.
Separating integration configuration from workflow and execution logic helps ensure that external communication can be updated or extended without redesigning process models.
Managing integrations with AI tools
Use AI tools to define how the system interacts with external services. Each AI tool uses a service definition file to configure how requests are sent and how responses are processed. AI tools help you manage integrations in a consistent and reusable way. You can create, view, modify, and delete AI tools in Order Hub.
For more information, see AI tools.
Transport mechanisms
Transport mechanisms define how messages are sent to and received from external systems. They provide the technical foundation for integration, such as synchronous or asynchronous communication, and determine how data is transmitted beyond the order management system.
Teams configure transport mechanisms independently, and services reference them for consistent reuse.
Messaging and event publishing
Messaging and event publishing define how the system communicates state changes and processing outcomes. Events enable external systems to react to order lifecycle milestones without tightly coupling integration logic to workflows.
Messaging configuration supports scalable and loosely coupled communication patterns across functional domains.
Integration endpoints and connectivity
Integration endpoint and connectivity configuration defines where messages are sent and how connections are established. These configurations include endpoint definitions, connection settings, and other connectivity details that are required to communicate with external systems.
Centralized connectivity configuration helps isolate environment‑specific settings from business logic.
External system connectivity
External system connectivity covers the management of connection settings that help ensure reliable and secure communication with external applications. This configuration includes maintaining connection parameters and helping ensure that integrations remain operational as systems and environments change.
Apache Kafka integration
Apache Kafka is supported as a transport mechanism for event‑driven integration scenarios. Kafka enables scalable, asynchronous communication for publishing events and messages to external consumers.
Kafka integration is used with service definitions and transport components to support high‑volume and loosely coupled integrations.