webMethods.io Reviews

Having experience with various EAI and ESB tools like Oracle Service Bus (former BEA Aqualogic) and Webmethods summary would be that everything can be done with any technology.

However the difference may be the time needed in order to implement the same integration features based on the existing product features.

From my point of view a good EAI and ESB solution needs to have what Webmethods offers

• a layer on top to isolate developers from the J2EE implementation ie to avoid implementing integration services in pure Java as if you were just coding the integration in Java
• Provides needed adapters yes, but with an intuitive front end that allows you to configure and use them (e.g setup number of retries for transient connectivity errors) rather than program in Java to implement calls to use the adapters
• A platform that allows continuous integration with a deployment engine and dependencies (and their changes) resolved and centralized in the server as a repository.

Some features reviewed

• Unit testing & Debugging capabilities: Webmethods allows you to debug your services in a step by step mode with variable watchers whereas in other programming oriented EAI solutions the testing in not dynamic and we can only rely in SOAPUI executions and reviewing returned XMLs and logs. From my point of view this is a decision driver.
• Data Mapping capabilities and XML management: In Webmethods you don’t need to work with XML parsing (if you don’t really want to) and data mapping and transformation is natural and based on UI drag&drop capabilities (No need to use XQuery or XPath if not needed). In webmethods you work with the Pipeline concept and needed transformations using a GUI designer. Canonical document transformations can be created fairly simple. Document structure/schemas are centralized in the server repository so there are no discrepancies when a document structure changes. If a document structure changes all services using that document get automatically updated. I still recall how complicated it was to manage XML transformations, parsing and schema dependencies within other EAI packages. Mapping was basically relying again on coding, XSLT transformation and library dependencies.
• In other solutions, basic tasks (like setting up a DB connection and test that) should not start a huge discussion troubleshoot thread leading the developer to spend most of his time troubleshooting and discussing about technical issues e.g not why he/she cannot connect to the database.
• Deployment and code changes: Webmethods has a central repository where an app dev resource is locking a given resource. Until that resource is unlocked nobody else can work on that item. Once a component is changed there is no deployment, changes are already in that environment. Once the code has been changed and unit tested migrating this to the next environment is a matter of a couple of clicks (no need to restart the server or wait minutes before you can see the changes). This helps having a system that allows maintaining continuous integration.
• Audit and logs: This is natural and simple in Webmethods, you can flag any service to be audited in their log database (on success and/or errors, when the service starts, exits, including parameters or not). You don’t need to have any extra coding for that. You can then use those logs to run your reports in SQLServer.
• Small features that help speeding up development, just as an example: commenting steps in an integration process is fairly simple in Webmethods while in other EAI solutions is a nightmare or impossible.

We used webmethods in an EAI project to integrate transactions from a bespoken HR Portal (e.g bank details change, new hire, salary increase, etc...) to update two different customer ERP systems in the back-end (SAP HR and PeopleSoft) thus providing self service capabilities to end users and reducing the need for manual data entry by agents (prone to errors and systems not being synchronized)

At least in SAG Webmethods 8 there was no Data Value Repository tool that would allow to map values/codes from source (in our case HR portal) and transform that into target ERP codes (SAP and PeopleSoft)

We therefore had to create our own solution and make calls at runtime to that repository (we called it Value List Repository or VLR for short) to resolve correct values in target.

Segregation of deployment for the environments is the most valuable feature of the solution.

The product must improve the performance of Designer. The product must add more compatible connectors. The solution should provide more customization options.

I have been using the solution for about ten years.

I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.

I rate the scalability a nine out of ten. Seven users are using the solution in our organization.

The technical support team is not so good.

Neutral

The initial setup is not difficult for me. I rate the ease of setup a seven or eight out of ten.

The deployment process took around two weeks. We need a team of seven people to deploy the solution.

I rate the pricing a nine out of ten. The product is expensive.

I am using the latest version of the solution. My advice to product users depends on their organization's scale. If an organization is a medium to large enterprise, I would recommend the solution to them. If the organization is small, it should consider other solutions in the market. Overall, I rate the product a nine out of ten.

Our customers use webMethods Integration Server to integrate their retail solution, the frontend with the backend. 

The solution's ease-of-use is its most valuable feature, in which complex issues may be resolved. The visibility with Java is not so easy. However, the solution allows a person to know where his application is in the ecosystem, which application he is using, what the protocol is and the number of requests. The solution makes identification easy. 

The installation process is very complex, there being many products, each having its own. The deployment should be simplified. 

We have been using webMethods Integration Server for more than 12 years. I have been working with it over the past 12 months and continue to do so. 

The solution is very stable.

The solution is scalable. 

The installation process is very complex, there being many products, each having its own. The deployment should be simplified. Other than this, I feel it to be a good tool.

Java's visibility is not so easy and fairs unfavorably with that of the solution.

I'm an integrator and use the product to provide solutions to vendors.

The solution is a good ESB tool.

I rate webMethods Integration Server as a nine out of ten. 

We use webMethods Trading Networks mostly for B2B use cases.

webMethods Trading Networks is a stable solution.

The solution could be improved in the VTA part.

The solution should include REST API calls.

I have been using webMethods Trading Networks for more than 20 years.

webMethods Trading Networks is a scalable solution. We mostly recommend the solution to big companies.

The solution's initial setup is straightforward.

Since webMethods Trading Networks is much like proprietary software, users should try it on the trial version first and do some POC.

Overall, I rate webMethods Trading Networks a nine out of ten.

The tool supports gRPC. It is the best product in the market.

The tool has its own proprietary language. It does not use Java or C#. The learning curve is a little steep at first. Once we get familiar with it, we might like to use it. The product must provide AI features to auto-generate logic based on our request.

I have been working with the product for more than 20 years.

The solution is scalable.

The technical support is good.

The product is easy to implement. We help our customers to implement the solution.

People who want to use the product must request a trial. Overall, I rate the tool a nine out of ten.