A method of exchanging information among application programs executed on one or more computers (207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212), the method comprising: using, by a first transformer class, first transformation rules to transform a data object from a format understandable by a first application into a common format data object, the first transformer class being one of a plurality of transformer classes, each corresponding to a unique transformation from one format into another; publishing the common format data object to a communication channel from which the data can be made available to a second application that subscribes to the communication channel; and using, by a second transformer class, second transformation rules to transform the common format data object into a format understandable by a second application, wherein at least one transformation rule lists the fields of related messages of the first and second application and describes how each field is related to another, and wherein at least one transformation rule includes one or more of the following: - changing numeric fields to alpha numeric fields; - changing status values to enumerator or Boolean values; and - copying string or numeric fields to target string or numeric fields. wherein using the first transformer to transform the data object is performed in response to a recognition of a business event by the first application, wherein using the first transformer comprises translating the data object from a vendor-specific format associated with the first application to an Interface Description Language object and storing the IDL object in a shared object model, wherein the shared object model comprises a central repository of data objects, wherein using the second transformer to transform the common format data object into the format understandable by the second application comprises retrieving the stored Interface Description Language format object from the central repository and translating the IDL object into a vendor-specific format associated with the second application, wherein publishing the common format data object to the communication channel is performed in accordance with a channel architecture that defines a plurality of communication channels (310, 409) having relative priorities, wherein each business event is assigned a specific channel, and wherein the channels are prioritized such that business events are sent in the correct order. using, by a first transformer class, first transformation rules to transform a data object from a format understandable by a first application into a common format data object, the first transformer class being one of a plurality of transformer classes, each corresponding to a unique transformation from one format into another; publishing the common format data object to a communication channel from which the data can be made available to a second application that subscribes to the communication channel; and using, by a second transformer class, second transformation rules to transform the common format data object into a format understandable by a second application, wherein at least one transformation rule lists the fields of related messages of the first and second application and describes how each field is related to another, and wherein at least one transformation rule includes one or more of the following: - changing numeric fields to alpha numeric fields; - changing status values to enumerator or Boolean values; and - copying string or numeric fields to target string or numeric fields. - changing numeric fields to alpha numeric fields; - changing status values to enumerator or Boolean values; and - copying string or numeric fields to target string or numeric fields. wherein using the first transformer to transform the data object is performed in response to a recognition of a business event by the first application, wherein using the first transformer comprises translating the data object from a vendor-specific format associated with the first application to an Interface Description Language object and storing the IDL object in a shared object model, wherein the shared object model comprises a central repository of data objects, wherein using the second transformer to transform the common format data object into the format understandable by the second application comprises retrieving the stored Interface Description Language format object from the central repository and translating the IDL object into a vendor-specific format associated with the second application, wherein publishing the common format data object to the communication channel is performed in accordance with a channel architecture that defines a plurality of communication channels (310, 409) having relative priorities, wherein each business event is assigned a specific channel, and wherein the channels are prioritized such that business events are sent in the correct order.