What's the difference between BPM and Integration Landscape?
Quick Answer
- The Integration Landscape documents how one Integration is built: its Systems, Services, and Contracts on a drag-and-drop canvas.
- A BPM shows how a business process runs: Domains as swimlanes, steps as columns, and Services or sub-processes in the cells. Search one order and the BPM plots its real Log Events on the steps.
Both reuse the same Repository Model artifacts, so you document a Service once and it appears in both.
How They Relate
Systems, Services, Integrations] RM --> IL[fa:fa-map Integration Landscape
one Integration, as built] RM --> BPM[fa:fa-project-diagram BPM
process steps by Domain] LE[fa:fa-bolt Log Events] --> BPM style RM fill:#2678BD style IL fill:#3F827B style BPM fill:#93d16d
Both views reuse the Repository Model (blue); only the BPM (green) also plots runtime Log Events.
Key Differences
| Aspect | Integration Landscape | BPM |
|---|---|---|
| Answers | "How is this Integration wired?" | "Where is order PIC-20261009-1644-0010?" |
| Scope | One Integration (1:1 with its canvas) | One business process, across many Integrations |
| Layout | Free canvas; each System once, Services and Contracts with direction | Grid: Domain rows, step columns |
| Runtime data | None; it's documentation | Log Events of one interchange, colored by Log Status Code |
| Search | No | BPM Log Search by a business value such as Order Number |
| Monitoring | Through the Repository links to Monitor Views | Lightbulb per Service, with Remote Actions if your role allows |
| Audience | Architects, developers | Process owners, business users, operations |
| License | Part of the Repository Model | BPM feature pack; see License Options and Feature Matrix |
Same Services, Two Views
In the Order-to-Cash demo, the Services of the Portal, ERP, WMS, and ERP-Finance systems are Repository artifacts:
- An Integration Landscape for each Integration would show, for example, how the Portal sends orders to the ERP.
- The BPM INT1337 - Order-to-Cash Flow places those same Services in four Domains (Sales, Planning, Logistics, Finance) across seven steps, from Order Received to Order Invoiced. Search an order and you see which steps happened and where it stopped.
Rename a Service or add Custom Metadata once, and both views reflect it. Nothing in the logging code refers to a BPM or a landscape.
Common Questions
Do I need an Integration Landscape before I build a BPM?
No. You need the Services that the BPM cells use; the landscape drawing isn't required.
Can I build the BPM after go-live?
Yes. A BPM binds late: you draw it over events that are already logged, and you can redraw it or add more BPMs over the same events without changing any logging. See End-to-End Process Tracking.
Which one should I start with?
If events already flow and people ask "where is my order?", start with a BPM. If you're documenting an Integration, start with its landscape. Most teams use both.
Next Steps
Related Topics
- Business Process Model (BPM) - Main BPM overview
- Repository Model - Shared foundation
- Domains - BPM swimlanes
- Services - Used in both views
- Order-to-Cash demo
- All FAQs - See all BPM FAQs