Loyalty Switch Routing Messages to Multiple Hosts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current gas station loyalty programs lack the ability to route transactions to multiple loyalty hosts, limiting their flexibility and efficiency in managing customer loyalty transactions across different partners and systems.
Innovation Solution
A loyalty switch is introduced to examine and route loyalty messages to one or more loyalty hosts, enabling communication between stores and multiple loyalty hosts without altering existing communication protocols, and maintaining connections with all configured hosts for seamless transaction processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If only one national loyalty host is configured, then system simplicity is maintained, but routing flexibility and adaptability to different loyalty programs are limited
Solution Approach 1:
A switch system is introduced as an intermediary component between stores and multiple loyalty hosts. The switch receives loyalty transactions from stores, examines routing information within these transactions, and intelligently routes them to appropriate loyalty hosts. This mediator approach enables multi-host support without requiring stores to directly manage multiple connections, thus improving routing flexibility while keeping the store-side system simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system architecture is segmented into distinct functional layers: the store layer that generates loyalty transactions, the switch layer that handles routing logic and multiple host connections, and the loyalty host layer that processes specific program logic. This segmentation allows the switch to independently manage multiple loyalty hosts while stores continue to operate with simplified single-point connectivity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If stores directly connect to multiple loyalty hosts, then routing capability is improved, but connection management complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The switch acts as a centralized intermediary that consolidates all connections to multiple loyalty hosts. Stores connect only to the switch, which then manages all interactions with various loyalty hosts. This eliminates the need for stores to directly manage multiple complex connections, maintaining ease of operation at the store level while enabling multi-host routing capability through the switch's intelligent examination and routing of loyalty transactions.
3Reliability
If a single loyalty host is used, then system reliability is maintained with fewer failure points, but transaction processing continuity is vulnerable to host unavailability
Solution Approach 1:
The switch system establishes beforehand connections to multiple loyalty hosts, creating redundant pathways for transaction processing. When a primary loyalty host becomes unavailable, the switch can cushion the impact by routing transactions to alternative hosts, ensuring transaction processing continuity. This prior cushioning through multi-host connectivity protects against single points of failure while maintaining a manageable connection architecture through centralized switch management.
4Adaptability or versatility
If loyalty transaction routing is not controlled, then system simplicity is preserved, but the ability to direct transactions to specific loyalty hosts based on program requirements is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The switch serves as an intelligent intermediary that examines routing information within loyalty transactions and directs them to appropriate loyalty hosts based on program requirements. The switch analyzes transaction data, identifies the intended loyalty program, and routes transactions accordingly. This controlled routing capability is achieved through the switch's mediation function, which adds routing intelligence without requiring complex control mechanisms at the store level.
Data Source
AI summary
A loyalty switch for examining loyalty messages and routing the loyalty messages to one or more loyalty hosts and examining responses and routing the responses back to stores. Such a switch has configurable number of selector handlers pool, and the switch accepts a connection from stores and reads loyalty host information from master data to establish the connection with a loyalty host and to route messages. Each selector handler in the switch has multiple store objects that contain a routing map and connection information from companies' sites and the loyalty host.