BizTalk: E-Commerce the Microsoft Way II
Welcome back to the second part of our BizTalk tour. While we focused on the
framework in our last installment, we are going to
examine the BizTalk server and Web site now.
The BizTalk Server
The BizTalk server implements the BizTalk framework. It offers
business-document routing, transformation,
and a rules-based tracking infrastructure. The server has features that enable
the construction of dynamic
business processes by integrating applications and business partners using
public standards to ensure interoperability.
Dynamic Business Processes
The BizTalk server comes with a lot of tools to set up, manage, and execute
business processes across the Internet.
- Business Process Orchestration
- Distributed business processes can be designed and built dynamically with a
visual tool
called the BizTalk Orchestration Designer.
It brings together business analysts, IT professionals, and developers in one
common design environment.
- XML Schema Generation
- XML document schemas can be created and edited with the BizTalk Editor.
- XML Document Transformation
- The BizTalk Mapper transforms one schema into another with XSLT.
- Trading Relationship Establishment
- BizTalk Messaging Manager automates the process of setting up trading
profiles and agreements to
exchange business documents with applications and trading partners over the
Internet. This
technology is also a nonprogrammatic GUI application.
Integrating applications and business partners
The Biztalk server is an integration server that is itself modular, in that
adapters can be developed for different transport mediums and data sources.
- Extensive XML Support
- All BizTalk Server document exchanges are done in W3C-standard XML. All document
transformations are done in W3C-standard XSLT.
- Multiple Transport and Protocol Support
- BizTalk Server supports Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), HTTP, HTTPS, Simple Mail
Transfer Protocol (SMTP), and Networked File Shares.
- BizTalk Framework 2.0
- An open industry framework for reliable document exchange and routing, BizTalk Framework
version 2.0 is compliant with SOAP version 1.1.
- Open Binding Architecture
- The open binding adapter architecture enables any developer or independent software vendor (ISV)
to build adapters that enable their products to be accessed from BizTalk Server.
Interoperability through open standards
While Microsoft usually strives to deliver software tools with proprietary
document formats to maintain its market position, this is difficult to attain for
an integration server that
by its pure definition has to interoperate with non-Microsoft systems. In this
space success can only come with open standards, even for Microsoft.
- Security
- BizTalk Server enables secure communications with trading partners over the Web. It uses
operating system security features, including full support for public-key infrastructure,
digital signatures, and encryption. It offers support for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail
Extensions (S/MIME) versions 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0, plus a pluggable architecture for third-party
security products.
- Document Delivery
- Enabled by BizTalk Framework 2.0, BizTalk Server ensures that messages are sent and
received exactly once. It supports synchronous and asynchronous interaction.
- Scalability
- BizTalk servers can be clustered as needed to meet demand. The BizTalk
Administration Tool handles clustering and replication of servers.
- Robust Document Tracking and Analysis
- Track documents that pass through the system, which is useful for pinpointing and fixing
messaging problems. BizTalk Server integrates with SQL Server, or later online
analytical processing (OLAP) tools to perform analysis.
All in all the server is a reliable message broker for XML business documents,
with neat graphical tools for those steps in the process that still need human
intervention, from setup, and management, to execution.
On to
BizTalk.org.
Produced by Michael Claßen
Created: Jan 21, 2002
Revised: Jan 21, 2002
