{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T16:29:51Z","timestamp":1783528191896,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2006,1,1]],"date-time":"2006-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1136073600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2006,1,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Purpose<\/jats:title><jats:p>This paper aims to provide a clarification of the meaning of the term integration.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title><jats:p>A taxonomy of integration definitions derived from the academic and trade literature is developed, analyzed, and documented.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Findings<\/jats:title><jats:p>Integration is a word that is commonly used when discussing enterprise applications. The term integration is inserted in technical papers, e\u2010mail messages, correspondence, proposals, and even causal conversations. After many years of project work, and many misunderstandings and failed meetings and workshops, it can only be stated that the word has multiple and misunderstood meanings. For technical papers (research and trade), the term must be provided with context, or it is impossible to have a meaningful conversation. Next, multiple alternative definitions (that are valid in the literature for the appropriate context) are presented and explained in some detail.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title><jats:p>The paper is not exhaustive, since new definitions of integration may exist or may emerge.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title content-type=\"abstract-heading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title><jats:p>The main contribution of the paper is that it yields clarity on a key term that is frequently used in information systems research. The paper is useful to any researchers or practitioners who are focused on enterprise system implementation.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/02635570610640979","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2006,6,30]],"date-time":"2006-06-30T00:41:38Z","timestamp":1151628098000},"page":"5-20","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":59,"title":["What is integration?"],"prefix":"10.1108","volume":"106","author":[{"given":"Thomas","family":"Gulledge","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"140","reference":[{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Anonymous (1999), \u201cIntegrate with R\/3\u201d, Enterprise Development, Vol. 1 No. 8, pp. 25\u20106.","DOI":"10.3928\/0098-9134-19990101-05"},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b3","unstructured":"Farrell, J. (2001), ERP Financial Interfaces, (Power Point Presentation), Defense Financial and Accounting Services, August."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b4","unstructured":"Ferguson, R.B. and Callaghan, D. (2002), \u201cTools to ease integration\u201d, eWeek, Vol. 19 No. 15, p. 12."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gulledge, T.R. and Sommer, R. (2003), \u201cPublic sector enterprise resource planning\u201d, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 103 No. 7, pp. 471\u201083.","DOI":"10.1108\/02635570310489179"},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gulledge, T.R. and Sommer, R. (2004), \u201cSplitting the SAP instance: lessons on scope and business processes\u201d, Journal of Computer Information Systems, Vol. 44 No. 3, pp. 109\u201015.","DOI":"10.1080\/08874417.2004.11647588"},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gulledge, T.R., Simon, G. and Sommer, R. (2004), \u201cAnalyzing convergence alternatives across existing SAP solutions\u201d, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 104 No. 9, pp. 722\u201034.","DOI":"10.1108\/02635570410567711"},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gulledge, T.R., Hafez, W., Ledwon, M. and Svensson, C. (2005), \u201cSolution architecture alignment for logistics portfolio management\u201d, International Journal of Services and Standardsin press..","DOI":"10.1504\/IJSS.2005.007468"},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b10","unstructured":"Kangas, M. (2005), Introduction to the SAP Web Application Server, SAP AG, Walldorf."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b11","unstructured":"Linthicum, D.S. (2001), \u201cWhere EAI meets B2B\u201d, Software Magazine, Vol. 21 No. 2, pp. 22\u20105."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b12","unstructured":"SAP AG (2004), Enterprise Services Architecture: An Introduction, SAP AG, Walldorf."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b13","unstructured":"Sch\u00e4fer, T. (2002), SAP Exchange Infrastructure Architecture Overview, SAP AG, Walldorf, (Power Point Presentation), (December)."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b14","unstructured":"Sivan, S.S. and Venkatavaradan, R. (2005), \u201cDesign guidelines: building web service wrappers for an XML\u2010based system\u201d, DevX, available at: www.devx.com\/enterprise\/Article\/27882 (accessed 19 April)."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b15","unstructured":"Woods, D. (2003), Packaged Composite Applications: An O'Reilly Field Guide to Enterprise Software, O'Reilly Publications, Sebastopol, CA."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_b16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Zeng, A.Z. and Phatak, B.K. (2003), \u201cAchieving information integration in supply chain management through B2B e\u2010hubs: concepts and analyses\u201d, Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 103 No. 9, pp. 657\u201065.","DOI":"10.1108\/02635570310506070"},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_frd1","unstructured":"CrossWorlds Software, Inc. (1999), Enabling the Real\u2010time Enterprise: Enterprise Application Integration with CrossWorlds Software, CrossWorlds Software (Now IBM), Burlingame, CA."},{"key":"key2022030719451008600_frd2","unstructured":"Joch, A. (2005), \u201cModern design\u201d, Oracle Magazine, May\u2010June."}],"container-title":["Industrial Management &amp; Data Systems"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/02635570610640979\/full\/xml","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/content\/doi\/10.1108\/02635570610640979\/full\/html","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,24]],"date-time":"2025-07-24T23:37:38Z","timestamp":1753400258000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"http:\/\/www.emerald.com\/imds\/article\/106\/1\/5-20\/175239"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2006,1,1]]},"references-count":16,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2006,1,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1108\/02635570610640979"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1108\/02635570610640979","relation":{},"ISSN":["0263-5577"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0263-5577","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2006,1,1]]}}}