Integration Patterns

Conceptual approaches to system integration that determine how and when data flows between systems

What are Integration Patterns?

Integration patterns define the how and when of system interactions, while transport mechanisms focus on the underlying protocols used to move data. They address questions such as:

When should data be exchanged? (real-time, scheduled, event-triggered)
How should systems communicate? (synchronously, asynchronously)
What happens when errors occur?
How can we ensure reliability and scalability?
How should data be processed? (individually, in batches)

Pattern Categories

Request-Response Pattern

Synchronous communication where a client makes a request and waits for a response

Batch Processing

Processing data in scheduled groups rather than individually

Real-Time Integration

Techniques for instantaneous data exchange between systems

Event-Driven Integration

Systems responding to events generated by other systems

Publish-Subscribe Pattern

Decoupled communication where publishers send messages to topics and subscribers receive them

Data Synchronization

Keeping data consistent across multiple systems

Integration Orchestration

Coordinating complex, multi-step integration processes

Hybrid Patterns

Complex integration patterns combining multiple approaches

Pattern Selection Guide

Pattern	Timing	Coupling	Complexity	Best For
Request-Response	Immediate	Medium	Low	Direct queries, lookups
Batch	Scheduled	Loose	Low	Large data volumes, reporting
Real-Time	Immediate	Tight	Medium	User interfaces, critical updates
Event-Driven	As events occur	Loose	Medium	Reactive systems, workflows
Pub/Sub	As events occur	Very loose	Medium	Multi-consumer scenarios
Data Sync	Varied	Medium	High	Distributed data consistency
Orchestration	Complex flows	Medium	High	Multi-step business processes

When designing FileMaker integrations, you'll often combine multiple patterns to address different aspects of your integration needs.