Is the Java EE Connector Architecture (JCA) used in practice?

[Remko Strating]

During my reading for SCEA I encountered the JCA-principle with the source code I get the impression it's rather complicated to build.

I'm used to use webservices for designing a EIS tier. Off course this couldn't be representative.

Did third party vendors actually develop JCA-connectors or did the standard dye a silent dead. (Dutch-Engels).
I mean it's developed as a good idea a few years ago, but it isn't used in practice. The industry didn't pick up the idea.

[Kuppusamy Venkatasubramanian]

Hi,

Practically, connecting through web services is preferred if the services can be exposed as web services over JCA. The reason is connecting through JCA involves too much of configuration at application server as well as third party JCA drivers are needed (which may cost you). In my case where a SAP functionality needs to be exposed, though we had a third pary JCA driver(iWay) available and could connect to SAP system through JCA, we preferred that the SAP functionality should be exposed as web service instead. This is because that SAP system itself can expose the functionality as web service.

Cheers,
Kuppusamy.V.,

[Sivakumar Varadharajan]

Yes, I have seen it mostly for connecting with Legacy Mainframe systems.

[Remko Strating]

Thanks for your comments. I know now that JCA is still alive and it's wise to have some general understanding of it.

[Andrews Chandana Kumar]

Hi, To add upon, I have seen JCA adapters being used in Oracle Billing and Revenue Management (BRM).

[Gaurav Tripathi]

If you are doing architecture of any application and that application internally / externally use the multiple application then in that case you need to look on connectivity between them. On of the option is to use ESB but any application which doesn't have the capability of Web-Service then you have see the connectors/adapters for connectivity and JCA can play a major role in that case. Also JCA can help you in distributed transaction among distributed applications.

- Gaurav
http://visitgaurav.blogspot.com/