Chapter 15: Exploring BizTalk Server

Chapter 15

Back in Chapter 7 you were introduced to the Microsoft BizTalk Framework and the Microsoft BizTalk Server in relation to messaging XML documents back and forth between servers and potentially companies. In that chapter you learned about the details of the Microsft .NET Framework and how to use the BizTalk Messaging Manager and BizTalk Document Tracking applications to control and route your messages. But as we alluded to then, that only touches the tip of the iceberg of what the BizTalk Server includes and can be used for.

BizTalk Server 2000 became available toward the end of 2000. Honestly, many people do not fully grasp the potential of BizTalk Server and what it truly is. If you think of this server and its corresponding applications, which we will cover shortly, from a functional standpoint, it becomes clearer as to how it can be used within most companies today.

For instance, if you perform any exchanges with an external partner or affiliate companies or internally, BizTalk Server could be used to manage, track, and greatly reduce the technology and manpower overhead needed to maintain such relationships. Also, if you have data stored in legacy systems, be it mainframes or file systems, BizTalk Server can be used to integrate with these applications, abstracting and hosting the functionality needed to access the data they store. This capability allows you to avoid any "rip-and-replace" approaches you might have previously considered. BizTalk Server can become the legs your legacy data needs to walk again.

These are just a few examples of how BizTalk Server can be used within a company. In this chapter we are not only going to extend our discussion on the server portion from Chapter 7, we are also going to introduce you to the other tools that come with BizTalk Server. These tools help you do everything from create the necessary models of your data in an XML-based format to orchestrating the entire business process of processing data. We are going to begin the discussion, however, on how to get started with BizTalk, and then move into specific information about this suite of products.



XML Programming
XML Programming Bible
ISBN: 0764538292
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 134

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net