In the wonderful "Zero to Biztalk Weekend", Biztalk expert Geoff Snowman gave us two-day FREE hands-on labs and demos about Biztalk 2006 (and R2)! The hands-on labs were well designed and the lab document was in great details.
Biztalk is a useful product to integrate systems together. From concept, it receives messages from Receive Adapter/Port, processes messages in Orchestration (optional), and sends out messages using Send Adapter/Port. Biztalk can run long-running transactions, which is very important for real world business.
Below are the agenda and my comments for the labs:
Saturday (06/02/2007) 1. Architecture and Content-Based Routing: Deciding Where to Send a Message
This hello-world type XCopy lab uses File adapter to receive and send files without transformation. This is a good introduction of Biztalk adapter concept.
2. The BizTalk Mapper: Transforming Between Message Formats
Biztalk uses XML intenally to represent messages. When Biztalk integrates multiple systems, it is necessary to transform different data schemas into one internal schema; after business process, Biztalk will transform internal XML to according external schema.
But how to deal with non-XML input, such as flat file? Well, that is a topic in the second-day lab.
3. The SQL and FTP Adapters: Sending Messages to Databases and IIS
FTP adapter has the same logic with normal FTP client software, which is easy to use.
SQL adapter is a little complex: to map Biztalk XML schema to database table or stored procedure parameters. Fortunately there is a wizard to generate the interesting SQL schema.
4. Creating a Simple Business Process. Publishing a Business Process as a Web Service. Using the SOAP Adapter
Orchestration with complex workflow can be published as a normal web service. Unlike using File adapter where Biztalk checks file system periodically for new file, Web Service request can go directly into Message Box without waiting for Biztalk polling. I believe Biztalk server uses similar machenism of SQL Server Notification Service to notify an Orchestration a request is coming.
5. Correlation: Which Instance of My Business Process Sees My Incoming Message?
Correlation has been one of exciting build-in features of Biztalk for a long time. Correlation is normally used to match responses with proper original requests sent out by Orchestration. You do not need write code for correlation.
Sunday (06/03/2007) 1. The Flat File Wizard and the Pipeline Designer: Dealing with Text Files.
Biztalk 2006 has a new Wizard to convert Flat file into XML. The wizard parse a sample flat file data to let user select delimiter and generate XML schema. The wizard is easy to use.
But how about binary file? Is there a wizard to parse and generate XML schema? No, you have to write your own pipeline component to parse binary format.
2. Integrating with SharePoint and InfoPath
Biztalk has Human Workflow solution. Its name sounds good, but remember: Do not use it! The reason is we have SharePoint 2007 with built-in workflow feature. SharePoint and InfoPath are good tools for people to approve/decline messages, and Biztalk can communicate with SharePoint database.
3. The Business Rules Engine: Separating the Business Logic from the Application
Biztalk is not only used for we developers, of course. Business people has a tool to modify business rules (e.g. change pricing rate, change approve/decline rules).
4. Business Activity Monitoring: Tracking the Business Process (Demo)
BAM is valuable to business people to track activities in their own vocabulary. I am not so sure if it is built on SQL Server Reporting Service or not, but it looks similar.
Overall, the two-day training is very good to know architecture of Biztalk and have some hand-on experience. With time limit, it is hard to know the internal of Biztalk in only two days. I am waiting for level 200 or 300 training in the future.
