Microsoft BizTalk Server Basics

1. Microsoft BizTalk Server Basics

2. Introduction • BizTalk belongs to the Microsoft Server family • Connects disparate systems together • Communication among systems are established through messages • All messages inside Biztalk are XML data • Since XML can be interpreted in any system, BizTalk helps in connectivity

3. Need for communication • An organisation may follow a software with different configuration for a process and another software with entirely different configuration to take care of another process • Both processes may depend on each other’s data • For example a company’s attendance system need to be connected with payroll system • Or a purchase order need to be communicated to invoice generating system

4. History of BizTalk Server • 2000 – Microsoft Released the first Version of BizTalk • Editor – Writing XML Data • Mapper – Translate data from source format to destination format • Management Desk – Tracking data • Protocols supported – EDI, HTTP, HTTPS, MSMQ, SMTP, FTP

5. History (contd...) • 2002 – Next version. Not much change • 2004 – Added Human Workflow Services (HWS) and Business Activity Services • Supported by .Net framework 1.0 • Integrated VS 2003 support for editor and mapper • 2006 – Business Activity Monitor (BAM) was added. Also Health and Activity Tracking component for tracking the server status was added. • .Net framework 2.0 support • Integrated VS 2005 support

6. History (Contd...) • 2007 – Also called as 2006 R2 (Release 2). • Rich UI administration was incorporated. • .Net Framework 3.0 (WCF, WF) support • 2009 – Recent version. • RFID support • Separate RFID Server)

7. Overview of Basic Configuration • Basic configuration does not allow remote SQL server. To use remote SQL server use custom configuration • The following need to be configured: • Enterprise SSO (Single Sign On) • This is used for managing credentials of users who can log on the server. • Enterprise SSO Secret BackUp • This keeps the password that can be used for taking a back up of credentials in case of any system crash. • After configuring this component a database SSODB is created in MS SQL server

8. Basic Configuration Contd.. • Group • Collection of settings that govern the way BizTalk server behaves and the data store it uses • After this step the following databases – BizTalkMgmtDb, BizTalkMsgBoxDb, BizTalkDTADb are created • BizTalk Runtime • This is to manage the routing capabilities

9. Basic Configuration Contd.. • MSMQ – Microsoft Message Queue. This is to manage messages that are transferred to and from the server • Business Rules Engine – This configuration takes care of business rules necessary for the server. • The configurations are stored in BizTalkRuleEngineDb. • Service used is Rule Engine update service. • Initiates action based on evaluation

10. Basic Configuration Contd.. • HWS – Human Workflow Services • Two components • HWS Runtime • HWS Webservice – encapsulates the functionality of client applications like sharepoint to provide workflow capabilities to information workers • DB – HwsDb • Service – HWS Runtime Account and HWS Webservice Account • This dynamically composes workflow

11. Basic Configuration Contd.. • BAM – Business Activity Monitor • BAM Tools – Provides business users a set of monitoring tools • BAM Alerts – Notification services are provided based on subscription • Uses DB like BAMAlertsNSMainApplication • BAMPrimaryImport, BAMStarSchema, BAMArchieve, BAMAnalysis are the other databases used • BAM Portal – Service used is BizTalk EDI/AS2 Runtime. Messages are sent and received using EDI/AS2 Protocol

12. BizTalk Editor - Overview • Editor is used for generating Schema. • BizTalk generates XDS (XML Schema Definition) as the application communicates through XML • Editor comes as a part of Visual Studio IDE. • In VS IDE, create a biztalk project and add a schema file to create a schema.

13. Creating XSD • Open Visual Studio 2005 (if you are using BizTalk 2006 and higher version) • Click on File -> New Project • Select BizTalk Projects and click on Empty BizTalk Application • Give a name and click OK • In the solution explorer, right click on the project and select Add -> New Item • Select Schema Files on the left pane and select Flat File Schema Wizard. • Refer to the screen shots for further processes.

14. Editor Overview

15. Flat File Schema Wizard • Refer to notes page for explanation

28. Generating XML from the XSD • Right click on the Project and select Validate Schema • Once the validation is over, click on Generate Instance Message. • An empty XML file with sample data entry in accordance to the schema will be generated. • This XML file can be modified and used with any application that supports XML.

29. BizTalk Mapper - Overview • Mapper is a tool that is used for mapping data • The source data is mapped with the destination data • Since BizTalk involves with connecting disparate systems, the source data need to be transformed to another format acceptable by the destination. • Hence Mapper plays a vital role. • Mapper too comes integrated with VS IDE.

30. Creating Maps • Open BizTalk Project containing the XSDs • Right click on the project and select Add -> New Item. • Select Maps in the left pane and Empty Map in the right pane • Give a name for the map and click OK • It will open a GUI where we can select the source and the destination schema and map accordingly. • Refer to the screen shots for more details.

32. Functoids • Functoids are functions that can be used with mapper. • The source data can be applied with functoids and transformed to destination friendly data. • Many functions for manipulating strings (concat, uppercase conversion etc), numbers (add,multiply etc), scientific functions (log, exponent etc), database are available. • Refer to the tool bar, the violet color box in the grid in the previous picture.

33. BizTalk Administration Console • Administration console is used for performing administrative tasks like • Starting and stopping an application • Taking reports concerned with messages transferred, application usage etc • Configuring send and receiving ports • Adding resources to the application • Managing Orchestration, Maps, Schemas, Pipelines for the application

34. BizTalk Application • Feature of biz talk server that helps in deployment, management, trouble shooting of biz talk server solutions • Logical grouping of artifacts • Biztalk and .Net assemblies • Send ports, groups • Receive ports, locations • Policies • Certificates, scripts, COM Components • BizTalk specific resources (schema, map, orchestration, pipeline)

35. Orchestrations • To add orchestration for a biz talk project, right click on the project and select Add -> New Item • Select Orchestration from the left pane and empty orchestration from the right pane • Give a name for the orchestration and click OK • A new orchestration designer with a file extension odx is opened. • Use the tool bar to add components that we want.

36. Pipelines • To add pipelines for a biz talk project, right click on the project and select Add -> New Item • Select Pipelines from the left pane and either send pipeline or receive pipeline from the right pane • Give a name for the pipeline selected and click OK • A new pipeline designer is opened. • Use the tool bar to add components that we want.

37. Receive Pipeline • This is for transforming data at the receiving end • It has • Decoder – to decode the incoming data (MIME decoder) • Disassembler – to convert data (flat file or any) to XML • Validator – to validate the generated XML against a schema (XSD) • Party Resolver – To determine identity of party from who the message is received.

38. Send Pipeline • This is present at the sending end for transforming the outgoing message • It has • Pre assembler – optional component containing custom tools • Assembler – Converting XML data to destination data • Encoder – To encode the outgoing data

39. Human Workflow Services • This is for dynamically configuring workflow • We can define constraints and lot of other condtions and design the workflow. • HwsDb stores details about workflow. • Refer to screen shots in the following slides for more details about Human Workflow Services

40. Business Rule Composer • This is used for composing business rules • We can set an action to be performed upon an occurrence of an event • Actions are evaluated based on the facts (rules) • We can compose vocabulary (definitions) or policy (logical grouping of rules) using business rule composer.