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What's the difference between BPM and Integration Landscape?

Understand when to use Nodinite BPM for runtime business process tracking versus Integration Landscape for architectural documentation. This page explains:

  • Key differences in purpose, audience, organization, and data sources
  • Shared capabilities built on the same Repository Model foundation
  • Complementary usage patterns for maximum operational value
  • Technical implementation differences and common questions
  • Practical guidance on which feature to use for specific needs

BPM is for business process execution tracking (organized by business workflow milestones, domains, and process steps with runtime logging), while Integration Landscape is for architectural documentation (organized by systems, services, and integration design with drag-and-drop canvas).

Key Differences

Aspect BPM Integration Landscape
Purpose Track business process execution and milestones Document integration architecture and system connections
Audience Business analysts, process owners, operations teams Integration architects, technical designers, developers
Organization Swimlanes (Domains) with process steps (columns) Canvas with Systems, Services, and Contracts
Time Perspective Runtime execution (what's happening now) Design-time architecture (how systems are connected)
Data Source Real-time Log Events and Resources monitoring Static repository artifacts (Integrations, Systems, Services)
View Type Table/grid with milestone-based logging Graphical canvas with visual flow diagrams
Focus "Where is Order 12345 in the fulfillment process?" "How does the Order System connect to the Inventory API?"
Color Coding Automatic from Log Status Codes (green/yellow/red) Custom colors assigned to Systems for visual clarity
Historical Data Full audit trail with searchable payloads and reindexing Static design documentation, no runtime history
License Requirement Requires Nodinite BPM Module license Included in base Nodinite license

Key Similarities

Both features share these capabilities:

Built on Repository Model

Service & Resource Integration

  • Both can display Services with associated Resources for monitoring
  • Both show real-time operational health status from monitoring
  • Both support navigation from service to monitoring details
  • Both enable access to Remote Actions on monitored resources

Knowledge Base Access

  • Both provide access to bound Knowledge Base Articles
  • Both support contextual documentation at the service level
  • Both help teams access institutional knowledge quickly

Domain Organization

  • Both can organize content using Domains (BPM uses as swimlanes, Integration Landscape can reference domain ownership)
  • Both support organizational unit (OU) associations for governance
  • Both enable role-based documentation and responsibility tracking

When to Use Each Feature

Use BPM when you need to

  • Track business process execution across multiple systems in real-time
  • Visualize milestone-based logging with automatic status colors (green/yellow/red)
  • Correlate business identifiers (Order ID, Invoice Number) across process steps
  • Troubleshoot end-to-end flows quickly with Search Field Links
  • Prove compliance with full audit trails and retroactive reindexing
  • Monitor process health with real-time service and resource status
  • Preserve institutional knowledge about business workflows and process steps
  • Analyze runtime performance and identify bottlenecks in executing processes

Example: "Show me all orders processed today for Customer XYZ, where they are in the fulfillment workflow, and any errors encountered."

Use Integration Landscape when you need to

  • Document integration architecture and system connectivity design
  • Visualize static system relationships for architectural planning
  • Design new integrations before implementation
  • Communicate technical architecture to stakeholders and new team members
  • Map data flows between systems at a high level
  • Create visual documentation for architecture reviews and audits
  • Plan system dependencies and impact analysis for changes
  • Onboard developers by showing them how systems connect

Example: "Create a visual diagram showing how the Order System, Inventory API, Payment Gateway, and Shipping Service are connected in the production environment."

Complementary Usage Patterns

Many organizations use both features together for maximum value:

  1. Design First, Execute Later

    • Start with Integration Landscape to design and document the architecture
    • Then create BPM to track runtime execution of the designed integrations
    • Architecture remains documented while execution is monitored continuously

  2. Static + Dynamic Documentation

    • Integration Landscape provides static "as-designed" architectural reference
    • BPM provides dynamic "as-executed" runtime visibility
    • Compare design intent vs. actual execution for governance

  3. Different Stakeholder Views

    • Show Integration Landscape to architects, developers, and executives for planning
    • Show BPM to operations teams, business analysts, and process owners for execution monitoring
    • Both reference the same underlying Repository Model for consistency

  4. Progressive Documentation

    • Document architecture in Integration Landscape during design phase
    • Add monitoring and logging to systems as they go live
    • Create BPM views over the same services for runtime business process tracking
    • Both views stay synchronized via shared Repository Model artifacts

Technical Implementation Differences

BPM Implementation

  • Uses Domains as horizontal swimlanes (rows)
  • Process steps are columns (milestones in business workflow)
  • Cells contain Services that execute specific process steps
  • Colors inherited automatically from Log Status Codes of most recent Log Events
  • Runtime data from Log Events populates the view
  • Supports reindexing to create new views over historical log data
  • Search Field Links enable correlation across business identifiers

Integration Landscape Implementation

  • Uses 1:1 mapping between Integration and canvas
  • Drag-and-drop Systems, Services, and Contracts onto canvas
  • Systems can be resized horizontally and vertically
  • Each System appears only once per landscape
  • Services and Contracts can have direction (left-to-right or right-to-left)
  • Static documentation—does not change based on runtime events
  • No automatic color coding from log events (manual color assignment to systems)

Common Questions

Can I use BPM without Integration Landscape?

Yes. BPM requires the BPM Module license and operates independently. You create Domains, Services, and BPM definitions directly without needing Integration Landscape. However, having documented Systems and Services in the Repository Model helps you build BPMs faster.

Can I use Integration Landscape without BPM?

Yes. Integration Landscape is included in the base Nodinite license. You can document your integration architecture, visualize system connections, and access monitoring data without purchasing the BPM Module license.

Do changes in Integration Landscape affect BPM?

Indirectly, yes. Both features reference the same Repository Model artifacts (Systems, Services, Integrations). If you:

  • Rename a Service - Name change reflects in both BPM and Integration Landscape
  • Add monitoring Resources - Monitoring status appears in both features
  • Update Custom Metadata - Metadata visible in both contexts
  • Delete a Service - Service disappears from both BPM and Integration Landscape

However, BPM runtime tracking is independent—log events and execution data are not affected by Integration Landscape changes.

Can the same Service appear in both BPM and Integration Landscape?

Yes, absolutely. A Service is a repository artifact that can be referenced:

  • In one or more BPM process steps (cells)
  • In one or more Integration Landscape canvases
  • In Monitor Views for operational monitoring
  • In Log Views for event searching

The same service can appear multiple times across different BPMs, Integration Landscapes, Monitor Views, and Log Views—providing flexibility to document and track services from different perspectives.

Which feature should I start with?

It depends on your immediate need:

  • Start with Integration Landscape if you need to document your architecture first, communicate design to stakeholders, or plan new integrations before implementation.

  • Start with BPM if you already have systems logging to Nodinite and need immediate visibility into business process execution, troubleshooting capabilities, or compliance audit trails.

Many customers start with Integration Landscape for architectural documentation, then add BPM later when they need runtime business process tracking. Both approaches are valid.

Next Step

Explore Business Process Model (BPM) for runtime process tracking or Integration Landscape for architectural documentation. Check the Troubleshooting Overview for more FAQs.