2PC

2PC (also known as two-phase commit) is a protocol, sitting between the transaction manager and all of the resources enlisted for a transaction, which facilitates a successful transaction and thereby help provide transactional integrity.  The 2PC ensures that either all the resource managers commit the transaction or they all abort. (see transactional integrity & transaction manager)

A2A integration

Application to Application integration

ACID Test

The ACID test is the term applied to the four criteria (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation & Durability) for transactional integrity.

ActiveWorks

Active Software’s application integration solution. ActiveWorks is an eBusiness integration platform enabling EAI and B2B integration and the quick deployment of specific real-time business process solutions. It fits in the Message Broker class of EAI.

ActaWorks

Acta Technology’s data integration solution

Active X

ActiveX is a brand name from Microsoft used originally to brand its entire COM object architecture but nowadays specifically to ActiveX controls. ActiveX controls are COM based software modules which enable programs to add functionality by calling in ready made components  which blend in and appear as normal parts of the program.

ADO

ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) is Microsoft’s latest high-level interface for data objects designed to be the Microsoft standard for data access. ADO is a COM object.

Application Servers

Application Servers are becoming a major part of emerging Web-based distributed application architectures. By accessing back-end systems and delivering data & applications to browser based front ends, they are the software engines for operating the middle-tier of 3-tier Web application environments. They are also a platform for developing web applications in server-side, distributed architectures such as COM, EJB & CORBA.

Alliance

Extricity’s (formerly CrossRoute) B2B integration product.

Amtrix

Viewlocity’s (formerly Frontec) B2B integration product.

Application Integration

Application Integration provides a framework in which a variety of technologies can work together to provide near real-time integration. These include application adapters (which provide application interface integration to leading ERP packages), message brokers (which provide event integration) & custom applications. Application Integration vendors, and their products, include:

Active Software (ActiveWorks), Constellar Corp. (Constellar Hub), Forte Software (Fusion), HIE (Cloverleaf EAI Suite), Mint Software Technologies (MINT), NEON (MQIntegrator), OnDisplay (CenterStage eIntegrate), Software Technologies Corp. (DataGate), TIBCO (TIB/Active Enterprise), TSI Software (Mercator) and Visual Edge (Madrid).

BEA eLink

eLink is BEA’s family of off-the-shelf EAI products for the integration of applications, including legacy and B2B, within the enterprise and across the Internet. It leverages BEA’s E-Commerce Transactions Platform.

B2B Integration

Business to Business (B2B) Integration is what takes EAI technology beyond the enterprise boundaries and delivers full e-Business by integrating customers, suppliers and partners. There are several approaches to B2B with some vendors taking a process integration approach, some focus on XML as a solution and others focusing on creating technology for brokering exchanges in on-line trading communities. B2B Integration vendors, and their products, include Extricity (Alliance), Tempest Software (Tempest Messenger System) and Viewlocity (Amtrix).

BEA Jolt

BEA Systems’ Jolt is a set of software components that connects Tuxedo to the Internet. By enabling Java programmers make BEA Tuxedo service requests from the Java language, Jolt takes mission critical applications to the Internet. 

BEA M3

BEA System’s M3 is an OTM (Object Transaction Manager), which has been described as next generation of middleware designed to provide a scalable, mission-critical component management platform for the development and deployment of component-based applications in the enterprise. (see BEA WebLogic Enterprise).

BEA TopEnd

BEA System’s TopEnd is an enterprise middleware suite. Acquired from NCR in June 1998, it is a transaction monitor product similar to BEA Tuxedo that is used to support distributed transaction processing & e-business applications; TopEnd is currently being integrated with BEA Tuxedo in order to provide a seamless integration of TopEnd applications with BEA Tuxedo & BEA WebLogic enterprise applications.

BEA Tuxedo

BEA Systems’ application server for e-commerce is the world’s most widely used e-commerce transaction & messaging server for distributed mission-critical applications. It forms the core engine of BEA’s Enterprise Middleware Solution. 

BEA WebLogic

BEA’s WebLogic Server (formerly known as Tengah) is BEA’s flagship Web application server. It’s an e-commerce transaction platform for Internet-based solutions and applications .

BEA WebLogic Enterprise

BEA Systems’ unified CORBA & Java enterprise application server for running missing-critical, Web-enabled applications. BEA WebLogic Enterprise was created by fusing BEA WebLogic (application server) and BEA M3 (its OTM). 

ClearCommerce

ClearCommerce Corporation is a leading provider of transaction management software for e-commerce infrastructure.

Cloverleaf EAI Suite

HIE’s application integration solution

COM

COM (Component Object Model) is a component software architecture from Microsoft which enables programmers to develop objects that can be accessed by any COM-compliant application.

COM+/MTS

Microsoft’s COM+, combined with MTS, can be described as an OTM. However it could also be viewed as an application server or transaction processor dependent upon how it is being marketed. (see OTMs & MTS)

Component Integration

Component Integration, provided by application servers, enables new functionality to be easily combined with ERP packages, Client/server & legacy applications. Component Integration vendors, and their products, include :

Allaire (Cold Fusion), Apple (WebObjects), BEA Systems (Web Logic),  BlueStone (Sapphire/Web), Forte (Forte Application Environment and SynerJ), Fujitsu (Interstage), GemStone Systems (GemStone J), HAHT Software (HAHTSite), IBM (Websphere), Inprise (Inprise Application Server), IONA Technologies (OrbixOTM), Metaserver (Metaserver), Netscape (Netscape Application Server), Novera Software (Novera), Oracle (Oracle Application Server), Progress (Apptivity), Prolifics (Panther), SilverStream Software (SilverStream), Software AG (Bolero), Sun Microsystems (NetDynamics), Sybase (Sybase Enterprise Application), Unify (Unify Vision AppServer) and Vision Software (Jade).

Constellar Hub

Constellar’s Hub software, an example of a database-to-database EAI, enables enterprises to integrate disparate applications, including legacy, CRM, ERP & data warehousing, within the enterprise and across the Web, thus enabling companies to transform themselves into e-businesses. Constellar’s next generation EAI solution, code named ‘Project Orion’ will focus on B2B integration for the e-Commerce market.

CORBA

CORBA (Common Object Request Broker) was introduced by the Object Management Group (OMG) in 1991 as a standard to address the need for interoperability among the proliferating number of software and hardware products. CORBA 2.0, introduced in 1994, defined true interoperability by specifying how different ORB’s from different vendors can operate.

CrossWorlds

CrossWorld Software’s EAI solution - which fits in the process integration class of solutions - enables enterprises to integrate their applications (packaged, custom and legacy applications) by uniting common business processes and sharing key information in realtime. 

DataGate

STC’s (Software Technologies Corporation) application integration solution. It is an EAI product suite which integrates legacy, database and ERP applications. It includes prepackaged DataGateWays for packages such as SAP R/3 & PeopleSoft. It fits in the Message Broker class of EAI.

Data Integration

Data Integration products fit into 2 categories (1) database gateways (e.g. Oracle Open Gateways) which provide SQL access to heterogeneous data sources (1) EMT tools which extract, load data directly, bypassing  application logic. Data Integration vendors, and their products, include:

Acta Technology (ActaWorks), Ardent Software (DataStage), Carleton (Pure View), D2K (Tapestry), Data Junction Corp. (Data Junction), ETI (ETI Extract), Informatica (PowerCenter), Information Builders (EDA API/SQL), Oracle (Open Gateways), PLATINUM/Computer Associates (DecisionBase), Sagent (Sagent Solution), Scribe Software (KitchenSync) and Sybase (DirectConnect).

DCE

Distributed Computing Environment

DCOM

DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) is Microsoft’s technology for supporting objects distributed across a network. It defines the RPC which allows distributed objects to be run remotely over the network. DCOM is based on COM and is Microsoft’s counterpart to CORBA. Unlike CORBA, DCOM is presently only implemented for Windows.

DDE

DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) enables running applications to share the same data by automatically requesting and exchanging data; it is being supplanted by Microsoft’s OLE which provides greater control over shared data.

EAI

acronym for Enterprise Application Integration .

EAI Packages

EAI Packages are packaged applications which provide simple solutions for integrating enterprise applications. These include Active Enterprise (Tibco), ActiveWorks (Active),  BusinessWare (Vitria), Cloverleaf (HIE), eGate (STC),  eLink (BEA), EntireX (Saga), Forte Fusion (Forte/Sun), LiquidLink (Liquid Software), Mercator (TSI), NEON, NLink (Junot Systems) & Roma (Candle).

EDIFACT

EDIFACT (Electronic Data Exchange for Administration Commerce & Transport) is an ISO standard for EDI proposed to supercede both X12 & TRADACOMS as the global standard.

Encina

Encina (or TX Series/Encina) is is a transaction management product from Tranarc, a wholly owned subsidiary of IBM. As with other commercial transaction management products, such as BEA’s Tuxedo and TopEnd, it supports the TX interface. iOuay tTranarc’s aackage

Enterprise/Access

Enterprise/Access is CNT’s (Computer Network Technology) solution for Siebel legacy integration. Using  a three-tier server-based architecture to communicate between Siebel and legacy applications, the Enterprise/Access server permits data from many different back office systems to be retrieved in real time and mixed together and displayed on a single Siebel screen.

EntireX

Software AG’s  platform integration solution which brings together  Message oriented Middleware (ie Software AG’s Message Broker technology) an Microsofts’ DCOM: it thereby enables the integration of all major systems and enables developers to build application components in any language or to ‘wrap’ existing applications for reuse on other platforms.

Extricity

Extricity’s (formerly CrossRoute’s) B2B integration solution

FalconMQ

Level 8 Systems’ Falcon MQ is now known as Geneva Message Queuing.

Forte Fusion

Forte Fusion is Forte Software’s EAI application integration solution. The Forte Fusion EAI solution allows integrated business processes to be deployed across multiple application systems. Fusion  consists of a centralised  business process engine, multiple application specific adapter modules (enabling the communication and integration of individual  e-business applications) and a native HTTP messaging backbone.

Data transformation, an essential component of application integration (as it allows data from one application to be translated for use in another application) has typically been performed through a proprietary data transformation tool or by custom coding; Fusion instead enables data integration via an innovative use of XML and XSL-based data mapping and transformation. The individual adapter modules provide the necessary data-to-XMl data conversions necessary for each application and transmit these over the HTTP messaging backbone.

The latest version, Forte Fusion 2.0. released in April 2000, includes support for every major style of integration, including integration at the business process level, rules-based message brokering and point-to-point integration. In addition to its core focus on XML, the latest version also supports  XSLT data translation, a standardised method of translating XML documents to and from one another, in its transformation engine.

Geneva Integration Suite

The Geneva Integration Suite is Level 8 Systems’ comprehensive set of eBusiness integration products for integrating the diverse business systems that enable eBusiness. The Geneva Integration Suite, which encompasses application integration, enterprise messaging, business process automation and application engineering, enables information systems to work seamlessly  together.

The suite includes the Geneva Message Queuing solution for connecting Microsoft and non-Microsoft applications. It also includes Geneva Enterprise Integrator (an integration portal that provides unified, real-time views of enterprise business information for eBusiness applications), Geneva Business Process Automator (which is built on top of the Integrator to automate business processes), Geneva Integration Broker (a transport-independent message broker that enables the rapid integration of diverse business systems regardless of platform, transport, format or protocol) Geneva XIPC (for use with Linux and other brands of Unix Servers) and Geneva application engineering technology (which provides a component-based application development environment for building large-scale, client-server applications running across heterogeneous platforms. (see Geneva Message Queuing).

Geneva Message Queuing (formerly Falcon MQ)

Geneva Message Queuing (GMQ) is Level 8 Systems’ platform integration solution. Formerly marketed as FalconMQ, it is a message-oriented middleware product that is a comprehensive implementation of MSMQ, which allows the passing of messages between Windows applications and applications on non-Windows platforms.

In March 2000,  Level 8 Systems announced the availability of GMQ 2.0 (with General Message Queuing for Java),  the next generation version of the product that allows any platform with a Java Virtual Machine to integrate with MSMQ. This enables developers to write downloadable, platform-independent Java applets for the Web that integrate with Windows applications. (see Geneva Integration Suite, Message-queuing Middleware & MSMQ).       

Java RMI

see RMI

JTA

JTA (Java Transaction API) is a specification for enterprise distributed computing that was introduced by Sun Microsystems, along with JTS, as part of the Java initiative in 1999. It specifies an architecture for building transactional application servers. It also defines a set of interfaces for the various components (ie the application, resource managers and the application) of this architecture. (see JTS).  

JTS

JTS (Java Transaction Service) is a specification for enterprise distributed computing that was introduced by Sun Microsystems, along with JTA, as part of the Java initiative in 1999. JTS ensures interoperability with sophisticated transaction resources such as transaction managers on the Java platform. It specifies the implementation of a Java transaction manager which supports the JTA . The JTS is a Java implementation of the OMG OTS specification. (see JTA and OMG OTS).

IIOP

IIOP (Internet Inter-ORB Protocol) is the protocol developed by the OMG to enable the implementation of CORBA solutions over the Internet.

Kabira

see ObjectSwitch

LiveContent PIPES

PeerLogic’s platform integration solution, formerly called PIPES Platform, is an example of market-leading message-oriented middleware.

M3

see BEA M3

Madrid

Visual Edge’s application integration solution.

MQIntegrator

Jointly developed by IBM and NEON, MQIntegrator is an application integration solution which brings together two of  EAI’s major products: IBM’s message queuing solution (MQSeries) and NEON’s message transformation and intelligent content-based routing system. and formatting system.  It fits in the Message Broker class of EAI.

MQ Series

IBM’s platform integration solution enabled by message-queuing software which enables users to exchange information across more than 35 different platforms. MQ Series has 65% market share (Wintergreen Research 1999) and is used by 70 of the Fortune 100.

Mercator

Mercator Software’s E-Business Broker Suite provides  A2A, B2B & C2B integration.  Until January 2000, Mercator Software was known as TSI International Software.

Message- queuing Middleware

This is a type of MOM that combines a high speed message mover with a queuing service. Examples are IBM’s MQ Series, Momentum’s X-IPC, Digital’s DECmessageQ & Verimation’s VCOM.

Middleware

Middleware is the layer of software which, by optimising connectivity among applications, servers and databases running on different platforms, integrates different components in a distributed, heterogeneous environment.  Since middleware is an essential element of a distributed comuting environment, it has become a critical element for any e-Business solution.

There are many different forms of middleware that are categorised according to the way the services they provide or the role they play. There are 3 main forms of middleware services: middleware that manages communication between an application and a database or file management system (ie remote file access or remote data access); middleware that helps applications transfer data to other applications other than database or file management systems (ie RPC & MOM); and thirdly middleware that helps manage the distributed computing environment and the many requests made between applications for information and for processing tasks (ie application servers, ORB’s, TPM’s and OTM’s).

The demands of e-Business is changing the focus of looking at middleware that provices these 3 services to looking at ‘application integration middleware’ that typically involves a combination of technologies and products that together help provide a flexible middleware architecture.

M.O.M.

Message oriented middleware: see Messaging Middleware. PeerLogic’s Pipes is an example.  

MQSeries Workflow (aka MQWorkflow)

MQSeries Workflow is IBM’s process integration solution and is part of IBM’s MQSeries familiy of products.

MSMQ

MSMQ is Microsoft’s platform integration solution

MTS

MTS (Microsoft Transaction Server) is a component based transaction server based on Microsoft’s COM that was designed to support transactions and to make it easier to write reliable, scalable and mission-critical distributed applications. As MTS was built on the foundation provided by Microsoft’s COM, MTS applications are COM objects and MTS components are COM components.  The MTS programming model provides interfaces for building transactional components whereas the MTS runtime environment provides a means to deploy and manage these components and transactions.

The use of MTS enables the work done by multiple COM components to be composed into a single transaction. MTS was originally launched by Microsoft in late 1996 under the code-name VIPER. The latest version, MTS version 2.0 contains many new features that facilitate the deployment of robust and scalable Internet and intranet applications.  (see COM)

NEON

Neon’s (New Era of Networks Inc.) range of e-business and application integration products which address  both e-business application integration and enterprise application integration. It includes Neon Integration Servers and  pre-packaged solutions called NEON adapters which work with the Integration Servers to reduce development time by jump-starting integration excercises. For example there are adapters for SAP R/3, PeopleSoft, i2 & BroadVision. It fits in the Message Broker class of EAI.

Oberon

Prospero’s process integration solution

ObjectSwitch

Kabira Technologies’ ObjectSwitch is designed to provide a comprehensive software infrastructure solution for the delivery of next-generation services (including 3G wireless data and voice services, Broadband Services and eHubs & Online tradingsytems/financial services).  The Kabira ObjectSwitch Infrastructure Software is specifically designed to enable the deployment of application and services across disparate networks unlike existing technologies such as EAI, Middleware and Application Services which require a great deal of integration effort.

Kabira is described as the only eBusiness platform that enables the end-to-end flow of services through all eBusiness component systems. It does this by enabling the integration of existing software applications, automation of business processes, integration of network equipment (using high-speed network protocols) and mediation among existing systems, within a single, unified architecture.

ODBC

ODBC is an acronym for Open Database Connectivity

OLE

OLE (Object Linking & Embedding) is Microsoft’s compound document standard which enables objects created in one application to be linked or embedded in another application. It is rivaled by OpenDoc.

OLE TX

OLE TX is a  transaction protocol

OMG OTS

OMG’s OTS (Object Transaction Service) is a distributed transaction processing service specified by the OMG which extends the CORBA model. Based on and interoperable with the X/Open DTP model, OMG’s OTS defines a set of interfaces to perform transaction processing across multiple CORBA objects. Iona’s OrbixOTM, Inprise’s Integrated Transaction Service and Hitachi Software’s TPBroker all offer implementations of the OTS. (see X/Open DTS)

OpenDoc

OpenDoc is a compound document standard developed jointly by an alliance of companies (including IBM, Lotus & Apple) as an alternative to OLE.

Open Gateways

Oracle’s data integration solution

ORB

ORB (Object Request Broker) is the middleware that establishes the client-server relationships between objects and provides interoperability between applications on different machines in heterogeneous distributed environments.

Orbix OTM

Iona Technologies’ component integration solution.

OTM’s

OTM’s (Object transaction monitors) represent an evolutionary development of ORB’s with the addition of a number of services. There is much debate concerning their name, definition and difference from application servers: they are sometimes referred to as OTSes (Object transaction servers) and more recently as application ‘containers’.

PIPES

PeerLogic’s platform integration solution

Platform Integration

Platform Integration provides connectivity among heterogeneous hardware, operating systems & application platforms. It is provided by technologies such as messaging, ORB’s and RPC’s.  Platform Integration vendors, and their products, include:

IBM (MQSeries), TIBCO Software (Rendevouz), BEA  Systems (BEA MessageQ), Level 8 Systems (Falcon MQ), Microsoft (MSMQ), PeerLogic (PIPES Platform), RogueWave (Nouveau), Software AG (EntireX) and Talarian Corp (SmartSockets).

Process Integration

Business process integration requires all the underlying integration services. Some vendors are able to provide the full solution whereas some provide just process integration products which sit on top of other EAI frameworks. Process Integration vendors, and their products, include:

Candle Corp. (Roma BSP), CrossWorlds Software (CrossWorlds), Forte Software (Conductor), Hewlett-Packard (HP Changengine), IBM (MQWorkflow), InConcer (InConcert), Oberon Software (Prospero), Template Software (EIT)  & Vitria Technology Inc. (BusinessWare). 

Prospero

Prospero is Oberon Software’s EAI solution that bring enables companies  to integrate their business processes within their enterprise and throughout their extended value chain by connecting cross-application functions and business logic.  Oberon Software, having shipped the first version of Oberon Prospero in 1995, emerged as one of the pioneers in the EAI market. Prospero enables the rapid assembly and integration of enterprise applications through its ability to seamlessly bridge disparate applications  such as ERP, Warehouse Management, SFA, Supply Chain, CRM and E-Commerce.

Prospero, which fits in the process integration (or business process integration) category of EAI solutions, enables application functions to cross application boundaries thereby allowing the introduction of business processes that can span disparate applications. With its built-in intelligence, it masks the underlying complexities of applications, processes, functions and data sources by using a visual metaphor called Building Blocks. These  allow users to easily configure specific business processes in a visual environment representing business functions without any programming. Oberon Software provides a number of pre-built,  vendor-certified Building Blocks  for the integration of leading of leading ERP applications (such as SAP)  and a growing number of B2B applications (such as webMethods B2B).  Oberon Prospero V2.0 is the latest version.

Rendevouz

Tibco Software’s platform integration solution which is an example of messaging middleware or Message Broker.

RMI

RMI (Remote Method Invocation) is a set of protocols developed by Sun Microsystems to enable Java objects stored in the network to communicate remotely with other Java objects. It works only with Java objects unlike CORBA & DCOM which can support objects written in any language. RMI, sometimes refered to as Java RMI, is therefore a Remote Procedure Call or RPC. RMI over IIOP, an extension to RMI, enables Java programs to execute Java objects.

Rogue Wave

Rogue Wave’s two platform integration solutions, Nouveau & NobleNet RPC , run on most operating systems. Nouveau was the first connectivity framework to use XML & SOAP.

Roma

Candle Corp’s process integration solution

RPC

RPC (Remote Procedure Call) is a form of application-to-application that hides the intricacies of the network by using an ordinary procedure call mechanism. DCE, TI-RPC & Netwise are examples.

SNA LU 6.2

SNA  LU 6.2 is a  transaction protocol

Tempest Messenger System

Tempest Software’s B2B integration solution

Tibco

Tibco Software’s application integration solution. It comprises of real-time e-Business infrastructure software for EAI (via Tibco ActiveEnterprise), B2B Commerce (via Tibco ActiveExchange) and for connecting businesses with other enterprises and e-marketplaces (Tibco Active Portal).

TIP

TIP (Transaction Internet Protocol) is a transaction protocol

TopEnd

see BEA TopEnd

Transaction

The transaction is a unit of work that has a number of properties, usually refered to as the ACID properties, that ensure that a transaction is never incomplete, that its effects are persistent, the data is never inconsistent, and that concurrent transactions are independent. (see transactional integrity, ACID test and transaction management).

Transactional Integrity

The ability to guarantee consistency of data in data transactions. (see ACID test)

Transaction Management

Enterprise applications, which  typically require concurrent access to distributed data that is shared amongst multiple components, should be able to maintain transactional integrity. The arrival of new transaction processing technologies, namely MTS and EJB, has simplified distribution transaction management. The concept of a transaction and transaction manager (ie transaction processing service) enables the construction of enterprise level distributed applications whist maintaining transactional integrity in a unit of work.  So with the majority of large applications, in areas such as finance and e-commerce, now being heavily reliant upon transaction processing for delivering their business functionality, transaction management has become a crucial requirement for enterprise application development. (see transaction, transactional integrity, ACID Test, transaction manager).

Transaction Manager

The transaction manager, with its ability to create transactions when requested by application components, allow resource enlistment and delistment, and to initiate and conduct two-phase commit (also known as 2PC) with the resource managers, forms the core component of a transaction processing environment. (see transaction, 2PC).

Transaction Processing Standards & Technologies

A number of standards and technologies have emerged to facilitate distributed transaction processing. These include the Open Group’s X/Open DTP model, OMG’s OTS, Sun Microsystems’ EJB framework & JTA/ JTS and Microsoft’s MTS. The arrival of EJB and MTS, fueled by component-based development and the emergence of the two major competing distributed computing models (ie CORBA and COM/DCOM) has helped simplify distributed transaction management. (see X/Open DTS, OMG OTS, JTA, JTS, EJB and MTS).

Tuxedo

 see BEA Tuxedo

Two-Phase Commit

 see 2PC

VisiBroker

VisiBroker is Visigenic Software’s (now part of Borland International) industry leading CORBA-based ORB. It facilitates the development and deployment of highly scalable enterprise eBusiness applications. (see CORBA)

Visigenic VisiBroker

see VisiBroker

WebLogic

see BEA WebLogic

X12

X12 is a protocol for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) & was the main American standard for defining EDI transactions until merging with EDIFACT in 1997.

X/Open DTP

The X/Open DTP (Distributed Transaction Processing) model is a distributed transaction processing model introduced by the Open Group that has become a standard among many of the commercial vendors. The model specifies a number of interfaces including the TX Interface (an interface between tthe application program and the transaction manager) and the XA Interface (a bi-directional  interface between resource managers and transaction managers).

The TX Interface has been supported by a number of leading commercial transaction management products including IBM’s Encina/TXSeries and BEA’s Top End and Tuxedo. And though Microsoft’s MTS does not the TX Interface, it can interoperate with XA compliant databses including Oracle. Most of the commercial databases (including Oracle, Sybase, Microsoft SQL Server and Informix) and messaging middleware products (including IBM’s MQSeries and Microsoft’s MSMQ) provide an implementation of the XA interface. So although Microsoft’s MTS does not the TX Interface, it can interoperate with XA compliant databses.