When you put a new web2print website online, the purposes usually are pretty clear: more prints with less work! Using InDesign Server and the underlying templates take care of part of the work. But of course you also want to be sure that you don't spend too much time on the administrative part of the orders. So linking the web-to-print website with your existing MIS solution is usually necessary.
Types of communication
Communication can go both ways, but in most cases it will run from the web-to-print website to the MIS. In this case, you can go for JDF/XML links (dropped into one of the MIS' hotfolders), or for a direct link, typically through webservice calls. If you integrate the interface of the web-to-print application into the MIS' interface, or vice versa, you'll undoubtedly also need information from the MIS.
JDF/XML links
While JDF is fast becoming the standard even for communicating with MIS software, many of the vendors still have their own XML formats. While JDF has the advantage of providing a general standard, those XML formats are typically much simpler for integrators. So depending on the needs for the web-to-print applications, they might be the way to go. In most cases, communication in this way is limited to the creation (or update) of contacts/customers and most importantly: placing of new orders (or requests).
SOAP/Webservice connections
When a more direct link with the MIS is needed, usually the technical side will be implemented with webservice calls. The web-to-print application will request the relevant information at runtime from the MIS (and sometimes cache it for more convenient use). This information can contain customer information, delivery addresses, past orders, etc. While giving a lot more possibilities, it is also much more time consuming to set up this type of connection between the web-to-print website and the MIS.
Integrating the interfaces
An often used option is to integrate the interfaces of both systems. The MIS software can, for example, be extended with a wizard which contains the web-to-print interface. Usually the necessary information is passed to the web-to-print tool in XML files or URL querystring information. The user won't know the difference, though. For them it appears as if the web-to-print application is completely part of the MIS.
Incorporating status-information into the web-to-print interface
Even when there is no direct link between the MIS and the web-to-print software (with webservices), a solution can be created where the web-to-print application can visualize statusses from the MIS. This is easily done by creating hotfolders in both directions.
Prepress workflows
In most cases, actual handling of the prepress workflow (if any), and starting the production of the orders, will then be up to the MIS. But in some events, the output of the web-to-print software is so large (or time-critical), that the web-to-print application will communicate it directly to the relevant production workflows. After the production is finished (or at the same time), the orders will also be communicated from the web-to-print solution to the MIS, for accounting purposes.