Middleware

Middle-what? Here’s Wikipedia’s explanation:

Middleware sits "in the middle" between application software that may be working on different operating systems. It is similar to the middle layer of a three-tier single system architecture, except that it is stretched across multiple systems or applications.

If you are lost, then just know that it is a cool way that we can make programs that were not designed to talk to each other, communicate easily.

Why should you care? Because you may think you have to replace systems to make them talk when actually you can use middleware to accomplish just that.

Here's some of the technology that makes it work, you don't care, but Google does: Microsoft SQL, Microsoft SQL reporting Services, Microsoft SQL Analytical Services, MySQL, Oracle, web services, Soap, SaaS, Service Oriented Architecture, ODBC, XML & Flat file.