Sergio Del Piccolo

   On Monday Microsoft announced the release of the next version of the ESB Toolkit (renamed from the ESB Guidance). The toolkit and it’s documentation is available for download, there is a ESB Toolkit MSDN site as well as a forum.

The ESB Toolkit 2.0 provides key building blocks required for implementing a service-oriented infrastructure (SOI) including:

• Endpoint run-time discovery and virtualization. The service consumer does not need to be aware of the service provider location and endpoint details; a new or modified service provider can be added to the ESB, without interruptions to the service consumer.
• Loosely coupled service composition. The service provider and service consumer do not need to be aware of service interaction style.
• Dynamic message transformation and translation. The mapping definition between distinct message structure and semantics is resolved at run time.
• Dynamic routing. Run-time content-based, itinerary-based, or context-based message routing.
• Centralized exception management. Exception management framework, services, and infrastructure elements that make it possible to create, repair, resubmit, and compensate fault messages that service consumers or BizTalk components submit.
• Quality of service. An asynchronous publish/subscribe engine resolves different levels of service availability and provides high availability, scalability, and message traceability for ESB implementations.
• Protocol transformation. Providing the ability for service provider and service consumer to interact via different protocols including WS-* standards for Web Services. For example, a service provider can send an HTTP Web Service request, which will result in sending a message via Message Queuing.
• Extensibility. Provides multiple extensibility points to extend functionality for endpoint discovery, message routing, and additional BizTalk Server adapters for run time and design time.

For more information, see SOA and Web Services section in the New Features in BizTalk 2009 Web page.

Links:
ESB Toolkit 2.0
Documentation
MSDN ESD Toolkit site
ESB Toolkit Forum

Microsoft, BizTalk, BizTalk Server, BizTalk Server 2009, SOA, Service Oriented Architecture, SOI, Service Oriented Infrastructure, ESB, Enterprise Service Bus

Microsoft released BizTalk Server 2009. New features in BizTalk include the following:

• Support for the latest platform technologies - including Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008 SP1, and the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1.
• Support for Microsoft Visual Studio Team System 2008 and Team Foundation Server. This enables the following capabilities:
  • Support for team development (including project manager, architects, developers, tester and ITPros.)
  • Seamless integration with Microsoft Project Server
  • Consistent automated application builds for ITPros with Microsoft build engine: MSBuild
  • Integrated source control
  • Bug tracking system
  • Support for unit testing
• Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) Guidance 2.0 – extends the capabilities of Microsoft BizTalk Server 2009 to support a loosely coupled messaging architecture.
• BizTalk Adapter Pack - The Windows Communication Foundation Line of Business (WCF LOB) SDK & BizTalk Adapter Pack 2.0 is now upgraded to the latest platform. In addition to enhancements to the existing adapters, the pack includes two new adapters:
  • The BizTalk Adapter for SQL Server
  • BizTalk Adapter for Oracle eBusiness Applications
• Improvements to Host Integration Server 2009 and the BizTalk Adapters for Host Systems.
• Enhanced Business Activity Monitoring (BAM).
• Extended BizTalk RFID capabilities.
• Enhance support for EDI and AS2.

Interestingly, the following BizTalk 2006 features were replaced in BizTalk 2009:

• Base EDI Adapter – BizTalk Server 2009 includes support for processing EDI and AS2 messages using XSD-based EDI schemas and pipeline components. This feature replaces the Base EDI Adapter and schemas included in previous releases of BizTalk Server.
• The MSMQt adapter - to communicate with Microsoft Message Queuing (MSMQ,) use the MSMQ adapter.
• Human Workflow Services (HWS) – as an alternative for Human workflow solutions, you should now use Office SharePoint Server.
• Business Activity Services (BAS) - You can use the EDI and AS/2 features for this functionality.
• Health and Activity Tracking (HAT) Tool – The tracked services and tracked messages reports that used to reside in the HAT module are now part of the New Query tab of the HUB group page.

Links
A 120 day trial of BizTalk Server 2009
Detailed feature list of BizTalk Server 2009

Microsoft, BizTalk Server 2009, BizTalk

Published earlier this month is the BizTalk Server 2009 Technical Overview. This word document is a technical overview providing a guided tour of BizTalk Server 2009. It includes the important features and business benefits that BizTalk Server provides and contains a detailed primer on how developers, administrators, and business users use BizTalk Server to develop and manage business process solutions.

Link: BizTalk Server 2009 Technical Overview 

Microsoft, BizTalk, BizTalk Server 2009

After what seems like a lengthy layoff (10 months without an issue), BizTalk HotRod has returned. Issue #5 is available and contains some interesting articles on BizTalk unit testing, SOA and BAM. The issue includes the following:

• Application Servers: BizTalk Vs Dublin
• Unit Testing in BizTalk Server 2009
• Better Together – The Solution for Tough Economic Times
• Monitoring a WCF Service with BAM
• Operations Management for BizTalk
• Governing the SOA Runtime with AmberPoint
• BizTalk monitoring and exception handling from any desktop
• Add Governance to BizTalk with SOA Software

Links
Read and download the current issue (and past issues): BizTalk Hotrod site
Subscribe: Editor@biztalkhotrod.com

BizTalk Server, BizTalk, BizTalk Hotrod

There’s a relatively new BAM whitepaper on MSDN that’s worth reading if you’re interested in finding out more about Business Activity Monitoring. Written by Jesus Rodriguez and Joe Klug it covers the following topics:

• a deep, low-level review of how BAM works and how it can be extended
• a review of BAM basics showing ways in which BAM data can be collected
• the BAM infrastructure
• a demonstration of methods for collecting BAM data
• how BAM can be extended to non-Microsoft technologies

Read here article here – http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd320628.aspx 
Downloaded the whitepaper with sample code here – http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=139086

BizTalk, BizTalk Server, MSDN, BAM, Business Activity Monitoring, Jesus Rodriguez, Joe Klug

The Microsoft SOA & Business Process Conference sessions for 2009 are available for download and viewing. The conference which was held at the end of January contained some interesting sessions on SOA, BizTalk, Oslo and Dublin.

The content can be viewed on Windows Live here: http://soaconference2009.spaces.live.com/default.aspx

One of the best sessions I attended was on the ESB Guidance 2.0 presented by Peter Kelcey. Peter’s session can be found here: http://soaconference2009.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!FA6FC7F5DB1C07!136.entry

Microsoft, Microsoft SOA Conference, BizTalk,   Enterprise Service Bus Guidance, ESB Guidance Toolkit, Peter Kelcey

There’s a new BizTalk poster available for download from the Microsoft Download Center. It’s called the BizTalk Server 2009 Scale-out Configurations Poster and describes typical scenarios and commonly used options for scaling out BizTalk Server 2009 physical configurations and illustrates the following:

• Scaling out to achieve high availability through load balancing and fault tolerance
• Configuring for high-throughput scenarios

Other available BizTalk Server posters include:

1. BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Legacy Modernization with Host Integration Server 2006
2. BAM Poster for Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2
3. BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Capabilities Poster 
4. BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Capabilities Poster – Interactive Web version
5. BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Database Infrastructure Poster
6. BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Runtime Architecture Poster
7. BizTalk Adapter Pack 2.0/WCF LOB Adapter SDK Poster

Microsoft, BizTalk, BizTalk Server 2009, Microsoft Download Center

Microsoft Patterns and Practices announced the CTP release of the Microsoft ESB Guidance 2.0 for Microsoft BizTalk Server 2009. There are several modifications and additions in the new release summarised below:

New Features and Components

• New samples
  • SSO Configuration provider for Enterprise Library 4.0
  • Multiple Web Service Execution Sample
  • Exception Handling Service Sample
• New ESB Web services
  • Generic Itinerary Services (no itinerary header required)
• New core features
  • Alignment with Microsoft BizTalk Server 2009 (Beta)
  • ESB Configuration tool
  • Centralized itinerary store
  • Itinerary resolver components
  • Itinerary forwarder pipeline component
  • Itinerary selector pipeline component
  • Itinerary designer
  • Centralized configuration uses Enterprise Library 4.0 Configuration Block
  • Centralized caching uses Enterprise Library 4.0 Caching Block
  • Multiple service invocation using both messaging and orchestrations
  • Itinerary BAM tracking
  • Improved ESB Core engine and itinerary execution

Changes to Existing Features and Components

• Resolver and Adapter Provider Framework. The Dispatch and Transform classes have been consolidated to support batch routing of messages within the Dispatch pipeline component using document specification type, and support for itineraries.
• Itinerary caching pipeline component. The Enterprise Library 4.0 is used for configurable cache management.
• UDDI Publisher Utility. UDDI3 support only with publishing endpoints using publisher-defined key.
• General bug fixes.

Unfortunately this this release is only available for Microsoft BizTalk Server TAP customers. If you are fortunate enough to qualify visit the Microsoft Connect site. 

Links
MSDN ESB Site
CodePlex ESB Site

Microsoft, BizTalk, BizTalk Server, BizTalk Server 2009, SOA, Service Oriented Architecture, ESB, Patterns and Practices, Enterprise Service Bus, CodePlex

For those of you attending the Connected Systems Conference in Vancouver, I’m presenting the session on ESB Guidance 2.0 and Service Virtualization with Jim Bowyer from Microsoft Canada. This will be an exciting (geek license invoked) look into the upcoming release of the ESB Guidance v 2.0 and the enhancements it promises to deliver. Also covered in the presentation will be the topic of service virtualization using the Managed Services Engine (MSE). If you haven’t heard of the MSE, it’s worth looking at as a part of a balanced and robust SOA infrastructure.

It’s not too late register. Click here to register for Vancouver and here to find links to the other Canadian conference venues.

If you do plan on coming to the conference, make sure to stop by and say hello.

Microsoft, BizTalk, BizTalk Server, SOA, Connected Systems, Vancouver, Canada, ESB, Enterprise Service Bus, MSE, Managed Services Engine, CodePlex

The annual Microsoft SOA & Business Process Conference 2009 will be held in Redmond from January 27th-30th 2009. There have been a couple of changes to the conference that is usually held every October but is being pushed back this year due to PDC 2008 running at the same time.

There are a couple of editions year, one for Partners and the other for Customers. The Partner briefing will be being held on January 26th-27th and the Customer briefing on January 28th-30th.

There are also a couple of tracks offered for the conference:

• SOA & BPM Best Practices – highlighting case studies and technical trends providing guidance and information on how to achieve a robust and sound long-term SOA strategy.
• Technology Offerings – deep dives into existing and future technologies including .Net Framework, BizTalk Server, Visual Studio, Cloud Services and Oslo.

Pricing is $599 for partners and $899 for customers (although customers who register by December 1st, 2008 will only pay $599).

Links:
Partner registration
Customer registration

Microsoft, Microsoft SOA Conference, SOA, Business Process, BizTalk