In the context of using Actian DataConnect and for the purposes of this document, the following two high-level categories of integration patterns are considered:

Bulk/Batch integrations typically deal with large data sets on a scheduled and reasonably predictable occurrence. For example, loading sales data from multiple point of sales systems to a data warehouse on a nightly basis. The initial load time is usually long running but there are small batch updates, or deltas, that can be run ad hoc or at more frequent intervals. While these bulk/batch jobs are typically scheduled, they can also be run on demand or through an event trigger such as the file folder listener service with Integration Manager.

For complete details on integration patterns, see Enterprise Integration Patterns available at http://www.enterpriseintegrationpatterns.com/.