Patent ID: 8443374

Claim:
A method, performed by a computer, for managing integration adapters used to integrate software applications, the method comprising: fetching, using the computer, a selected integration flow, associated with an integration object, from an integration connector repository if the selected information flow is stored in an integration connector repository, with the integration connector repository storing a plurality of integration flows, where an integration flow is a series of tasks handled by different integration adapters; or creating, using the computer, the selected integration flow by fetching all event triggers and commands for the event triggers if the selected integration flow is not stored in the integration connector repository; fetching, using the computer, a selected integration service, including integration adapters and connectors that handle the series of tasks of the integration flow, from the integration connector repository if the selected integration service exists in the integration connector repository, where a connector is any collection of integration adapters that work together to achieve a specific integration function and that translate a first type of specific message from a first application into a generic message and then translate the generic message to a second type of specific message readable by a second application; or creating, using the computer, the selected integration service if the selected integration service does not exist in the integration connector repository by fetching connector metadata, generating integration adapters and connectors, converting adapters and connectors to services, and storing metadata related to generated adapters and connectors; and employing a connector generation system, a repository control module in communication with the connector generation system and the integration connector repository, a feedback module in communication with the connector generation system, a connector monitor in communication with one or more applications to be integrated, and one or more user interface modules in communication with the repository control module, the feedback module, and the connector monitor module to facilitate implementing the steps of creating and the steps of fetching.