Full or partial system of record

When you need to alter a resource, such as a product, there may be one or more systems responsible for recording its latest state. This could be an ERP system, such as SAP or IBM Maximo, a custom backend database used for product lifecycle management, or an external ECommerce SaaS service, such as Hybris. In many cases when new features are introduced requiring new data points to be persisted there is no obvious “natural home” for them. For example, enhancements to a product’s resource with new attributes, none of which can be accommodated any of the existing backend systems, means having to extend them. This is far from ideal introducing technical debt and many not even be possible or indeed too expensive to undertake.

Instead, you can leverage a service orientated approach whereby a Neptune DXP microservice represents a business service. In this case, a Neptune DXP Product microservice can be built to compose the update of all the underlying systems of record. As an aggregator function, it becomes a trusted source for acquiring product information. When new data requirements emerge, rather than warp the functionality of backend systems with bespoke development you can use Neptune DXP’s database integration to introduce new data tables or field additions to existing ones to gracefully enhance your product database. Neptune DXP becomes complementary to your existing landscaping protecting you from a build-up of unwanted bespoke additions.

In a similar vein, Neptune DXP can be a full system of record for features that cannot be accommodated by our backend. For example, you can introduce a Neptune DXP fulfilment microservice to sanitise multiple backend transportation carrier SaaS services with opinionated API implementations on managing parcel shipments. Instead, you can utilise Neptune DXP’s database integration to record service-specific data entities such as delivery zones, fulfilment propositions or heuristic rules for packing.

In this case, your Neptune DXP Fulfilment service not only orchestrates your backend carrier services to compose responses to delivery requests but also stores all the data created by the frontend acting as the full system of record.