When should one use Spring Integration or related framework?

Question

What are some indicators that one should use a Enterprise Integration Patterns framework?, and on the flip side what are some indicators that one should just stick to a plain old code for logic flow?

In my case, we are applying Spring Integration for a mapping/processing application that reads data from a database, applies business logic (using SI), and then makes some corresponding API calls. Not sure what kind of ROI we are getting with SI over the plain old way of coding.

Answer 1

Spring Integration is an implementation of http://www.eaipatterns.com, so probably the question is why to use integration patterns.

From the site of eaipatterns on why we need Integration:

"Today's business applications rarely live in isolation. Users expect instant access to all business functions an enterprise can offer, regardless of which system the functionality may reside in. This requires disparate applications to be connected into a larger, integrated solution. This integration is usually achieved through the use of some form of "middleware". Middleware provides the "plumbing" such as data transport, data transformation, and routing."

So in my opinion it comes down to the choice of doing the plumbing yourself or use a Spring solution.

The ROI is similar as in other Spring projects, it is something that many people have used and it is likely to have less bugs than your own homemade solution.