All posts by : Stephen W. Thomas

51 of 88 | Enterprise Integration Patterns Wizard for BizTalk Server - Jon Flanders has posted an excellent template wizard for implementing enterprise integration patters in BizTalk Server. Once installed, it will put a folder called Pattern Templates under your BizTalk Projects folder in Visual Studios.   This wizard will walk you through the creation of the patterns step-by-step.  It creates correlations sets, messages, and orchestrations for you.   It covers Asynchronous Aggregation, First-In First-Out (three different types), Interrupter, and Retry.   Get more information and download the wizard from Jon’s blog.  ...

52 of 88 | Basics of Promoted Properties Inside BizTalk Server 2004 - What are Promoted Properties and why does BizTalk have them   Long and short of it: Property promotion is about getting easy and fast access to data. Easy: Because you typically do not have to know anything about your data to get access to it.  Example: Message(some property). Rather then some long and error prone xpath query. Fast: Because you do not have to load the whole message into memory to get access to the data. It is placed inside the message context (a collection of key-value pairs that are associated with a message). BizTalk provides two different types of promoted properties based on what you want to do with the data.  The two types are Promoted Properties and Distinguished Fiel......

53 of 88 | Basics of Promoted Properties Inside BizTalk Server 2004 - What are Promoted Properties and why does BizTalk have them   Long and short of it: Property promotion is about getting easy and fast access to data. Easy: Because you typically do not have to know anything about your data to get access to it.  Example: Message(some property). Rather then some long and error prone xpath query. Fast: Because you do not have to load the whole message into memory to get access to the data. It is placed inside the message context (a collection of key-value pairs that are associated with a message). BizTalk provides two different types of promoted properties based on what you want to do with the data.  The two types are Promoted Properties and Distinguished Fiel......

54 of 88 | BizTalk 2004 Install Problems with Windows 2003 SP1 Pre-Installed - Have you seen this error when installing BizTalk 2004 Failed to deploy BizTalk system assembly "C:\Program Files\Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004\Microsoft.BizTalk.GlobalPropertySchemas.dll". Unspecified exception: An error occurred while enlisting in a distributed transaction. I ran into this a few weeks ago when trying to install BizTalk 2004 on a Windows 2003 Server with SP1 preloaded and using a remote SQL Server.   It appears that like Windows XP SP2, Windows SP1 changes some DTC settings.  This does not affect BizTalk when SQL is running locally of course.   After working with Microsoft Support for about 2 days.  It turned out that the fix is rather quit easy.  In our case, we had some o......

55 of 88 | BizTalk 2004 Install Problems with Windows 2003 SP1 Pre-Installed - Have you seen this error when installing BizTalk 2004 Failed to deploy BizTalk system assembly "C:\Program Files\Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004\Microsoft.BizTalk.GlobalPropertySchemas.dll". Unspecified exception: An error occurred while enlisting in a distributed transaction. I ran into this a few weeks ago when trying to install BizTalk 2004 on a Windows 2003 Server with SP1 preloaded and using a remote SQL Server.   It appears that like Windows XP SP2, Windows SP1 changes some DTC settings.  This does not affect BizTalk when SQL is running locally of course.   After working with Microsoft Support for about 2 days.  It turned out that the fix is rather quit easy.  In our case, we had some o......

56 of 88 | Calling A Receive Pipeline Inside an Orchestration in BizTalk 2006 - With the release of BizTalk 2006 Beta just around the corner, why not get a head start by seeing how to call a Receive Pipeline from within an Orchestration.   For starter, why would you want to call a Receive Pipeline from within an Orchestration  I had to struggle for a bit to come up with a good reason… I can find it useful in debatching Scenarios that require mapping prior to debatching or for debatching into smaller batches using a map.  I could also find it useful when working with flat file.   Limitations: Calling a Receive Pipeline inside the Orchestration does not support recoverable interchanges (more on this later) and it must be run inside an Atomic Scope.   Super Cool: Supports......

57 of 88 | Calling A Receive Pipeline Inside an Orchestration in BizTalk 2006 - With the release of BizTalk 2006 Beta just around the corner, why not get a head start by seeing how to call a Receive Pipeline from within an Orchestration.   For starter, why would you want to call a Receive Pipeline from within an Orchestration  I had to struggle for a bit to come up with a good reason… I can find it useful in debatching Scenarios that require mapping prior to debatching or for debatching into smaller batches using a map.  I could also find it useful when working with flat file.   Limitations: Calling a Receive Pipeline inside the Orchestration does not support recoverable interchanges (more on this later) and it must be run inside an Atomic Scope.   Super Cool: Supports......

58 of 88 | BizTalk 2004 Integration with Sharepoint and InfoPath Lab - Curious on how you can use Sharepoint, InfoPath, and BizTalk 2004 together  This hands on lab will take you through a simple integration scenario step-by-step using Sharepoint and InfoPath to display delivery exceptions using Delivery Notification inside an Orchestration using BizTalk 2004.    This lab will take around 60 minutes to complete and is based on Microsoft’s hands-on-labs.  Sharepoint (or Windows Sharepoint Services) and the Sharepoint Adapter for BizTalk 2004 (available on GotDotNet) are required.   Download: Sharepoint-InfoPath Hands On Lab   Setup is simple.  Unzip the download to your c:\ drive.  Make sure the root folder named “Microsoft Hands-On-Labs” is located at c:\.  T......

59 of 88 | BizTalk 2004 Integration with Sharepoint and InfoPath Lab - Curious on how you can use Sharepoint, InfoPath, and BizTalk 2004 together  This hands on lab will take you through a simple integration scenario step-by-step using Sharepoint and InfoPath to display delivery exceptions using Delivery Notification inside an Orchestration using BizTalk 2004.    This lab will take around 60 minutes to complete and is based on Microsoft’s hands-on-labs.  Sharepoint (or Windows Sharepoint Services) and the Sharepoint Adapter for BizTalk 2004 (available on GotDotNet) are required.   Download: Sharepoint-InfoPath Hands On Lab   Setup is simple.  Unzip the download to your c:\ drive.  Make sure the root folder named “Microsoft Hands-On-Labs” is located at c:\.  T......

60 of 88 | Quick Tip: Calling a BizTalk Orchestration Exposed as a Web Service - Just a quick note about calling a BizTalk Orchestration exposed as a web service with the input and output schema that have the same type.    In this case, the web service wizard creates the input as byref rather then byval.  ...

61 of 88 | Quick Tip: Calling a BizTalk Orchestration Exposed as a Web Service - Just a quick note about calling a BizTalk Orchestration exposed as a web service with the input and output schema that have the same type.    In this case, the web service wizard creates the input as byref rather then byval.  ...

62 of 88 | New BizTalk White Papers Released on MSDN - Many of these were released a few months ago in a beta form but now they are available on the Microsoft website.       They include the following: BizTalk Server 2004: A Messaging Engine Overview   BizTalk Server 2004 and Web Services   Connecting to the Elemica Network with BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet 3.0   Developing Integration Solutions with BizTalk Server 2004   Implementing UAN on BizTalk Server 2004 to Integrate Siebel and SAP   Risk Scoring with BizTalk Server 2004 and the Business Rules Framework   Transactions Across BizTalk Server 2004   Working With BizTalk Adapter for SQL Server   BizTalk Server 2004 Convoy Deep Dive   They all look like great reading!   In addition, I h......

63 of 88 | New BizTalk White Papers Released on MSDN - Many of these were released a few months ago in a beta form but now they are available on the Microsoft website.       They include the following: BizTalk Server 2004: A Messaging Engine Overview   BizTalk Server 2004 and Web Services   Connecting to the Elemica Network with BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet 3.0   Developing Integration Solutions with BizTalk Server 2004   Implementing UAN on BizTalk Server 2004 to Integrate Siebel and SAP   Risk Scoring with BizTalk Server 2004 and the Business Rules Framework   Transactions Across BizTalk Server 2004   Working With BizTalk Adapter for SQL Server   BizTalk Server 2004 Convoy Deep Dive   They all look like great reading!   In addition, I h......

64 of 88 | NAck Message Catching Orchestration for BizTalk 2004 - NAcks or Negative Acknowledgments are small SOAP messages that exist in BizTalk when a messaging error occurs.  This happens when adapters fail, pipelines fail, messages do not match subscriptions, ect.   These messages can be subscribed to and a business process can be written to react to all of these messages or specific error codes.    This sample Orchestration shows how simple it is to catch these messages.  To subscribe to a NAck, just create a subscription to: BTS.AckType = NACK.  It’s that easy!   Download: NAck Catching Sample   Setup: Download and extract the solution.  Create a receive port that causes a routing failure.  Drop a message and watch for the output in the Out folder.......

65 of 88 | NAck Message Catching Orchestration for BizTalk 2004 - NAcks or Negative Acknowledgments are small SOAP messages that exist in BizTalk when a messaging error occurs.  This happens when adapters fail, pipelines fail, messages do not match subscriptions, ect.   These messages can be subscribed to and a business process can be written to react to all of these messages or specific error codes.    This sample Orchestration shows how simple it is to catch these messages.  To subscribe to a NAck, just create a subscription to: BTS.AckType = NACK.  It’s that easy!   Download: NAck Catching Sample   Setup: Download and extract the solution.  Create a receive port that causes a routing failure.  Drop a message and watch for the output in the Out folder.......

66 of 88 | TechEd 2005 Instructor Led Labs - Congratulations to everyone who is going to attend TechEd 2005 in Orlando, FL – since it is now sold out.   I just wanted to point out a few exciting instructor led labs that I will be leading.  If you like my blog content, chances are you will like these labs.    These labs will give you a chance to walk through step-by-step the topics listed below.  I will also be available to answer questions.   Using InfoPath SP1 and SharePoint 2003 to Design an Effective Tracking System for BizTalk Server 2004   Abstract: Learn how to utilize InfoPath SP1 through SharePoint to display business process exception returned from within a business process. Learn how to build a simple InfoPath form to displ......

67 of 88 | TechEd 2005 Instructor Led Labs - Congratulations to everyone who is going to attend TechEd 2005 in Orlando, FL – since it is now sold out.   I just wanted to point out a few exciting instructor led labs that I will be leading.  If you like my blog content, chances are you will like these labs.    These labs will give you a chance to walk through step-by-step the topics listed below.  I will also be available to answer questions.   Using InfoPath SP1 and SharePoint 2003 to Design an Effective Tracking System for BizTalk Server 2004   Abstract: Learn how to utilize InfoPath SP1 through SharePoint to display business process exception returned from within a business process. Learn how to build a simple InfoPath form to displ......

68 of 88 | Orchestration Mapping and Message Context in BizTalk 2004 - Message context is a critical part of message routing and processing inside BizTalk Server 2004.  How this context is handled during mapping is different depending on the location of the mapping.  The context is copied differently using Receive Port mapping verses Orchestration mapping.   Why should you care  If you are using Direct Message Box Binding to route message out of an Orchestration you might not have the correct context propertied to route your message.  This only impacts messages that needed to be routed out of an Orchestration based on a value in the original pre-mapped message.   Let’s look at the two types of mappings and what happens to the context.   Receive Port Mapping T......

69 of 88 | 5 New BizTalk White Papers Including Convoy Deep Dive - Microsoft has released 5 new White Papers today in a “Beta” mode.  Full details on all 5 are available here.    They include the following: - BizTalk  Server 2004 Web Services (Brian Loesgen) - BizTalk Server Internal Workings (Internal) - SQL Adapter Deep Dive (Todd Uhl) - Convoy Deep Dive (Stephen W. Thomas) - Extending BizTalk Server with Host Integration Server (Jon Fancy)   They all look like great reading.  I’m rather fond of the Convoy Deep Dive paper myself.    As always, feedback is welcome....

70 of 88 | Additional Flat File Schema Properties Now Accessible in SP1 - In addition to all the other cool stuff available in BizTalk Server 2004 Service Pack 1 is the addition of the Additional Flat File Schema Properties to the schema properties window when working with Flat Files.    Now, properties like Allow Early Termination, Generate Empty Nodes, Lookahead Depth, Parse Optimization, and Suppress Empty Nodes can be set inside Visual Studios.  This will eliminate the tedious and error prone manual editing of the schema using notepad.  Error prone  Yep, I messed this one up once......

71 of 88 | Large Messages Causing Large Problems in BizTalk Server 2004 - Recently I have seen a lot of talk about large message support in BizTalk 2004.  The most interesting and depressing was on the BizTalk Core Engine WebLog.  It seems that large messages do not work as well in BizTalk 2004 as I would have hoped.   I have had success with some types of large messages using the file adapter and mapping.  I have gotten it to work with messages up to 500 MB but in a production environment this would not be a viable or supported solution.    During some recent testing, I discovered the follow condition that rather surprised me.   Scenario I was returning an unpredictable amount of data out of an Oracle database using .net code.  This data can be 1 MB or up to ......

72 of 88 | Debatching Into Smaller Batches Inside An Orchestration in BizTalk 2004 - It is a common request.  How can I debatch a message into smaller batches rather than single messages inside BizTalk 2004    I have tried many times to get this accomplished natively inside the pipeline.  One would think it would be as easy as setting the group property to 10 if you wanted a batch size of 10, but that does not seem to work.  The only way I have been able to break up a message into smaller batches has been inside custom code.   I wrote a .net component that can be called using an atomic scope shape from inside an Orchestration.  This component will return smaller batches of any size you specify inside the Orchestration and wrap the smaller batches inside a specified root no......

73 of 88 | WMI Suspended Instance Application for BizTalk 2004 - The help guide gives many excellent examples of using WMI to perform a large variety of useful tasks in BizTalk 2004.    One of the little known features is the ability to have suspended messages saved to a file at the time of suspense.  I would assume this is govern by the same rules of viewing tracked messages in HAT, that is the stream must be seekable for the message to be tracked and in this case saved (see Christof’s Blog Post).   What makes this feature so nice, is it saves both the message and the context to a file.  This can be great at tracking down routing failures, convoy problems, and general correlation issues.    I have put together a simple tool that can be run anytime you......

74 of 88 | MSMQ Adapter for BizTalk Server 2004 Released - Yesterday Microsoft released a BizTalk 2004 Adapter for MSMQ v2.0.  This works with MSMQ 2.0 and 3.0.    Here are the key features from the download site:   The BizTalk 2004 Adapter for MSMQ provides support for sending and receiving messages using MSMQ 2.0 and 3.0, and takes advantage of the new features in MSMQ 3.0. Major features of the adapter include support for: • MSMQ 2.0 and 3.0• Multi-threading option for faster performance• Guaranteed delivery when using transactional queues• Reading from remote non-transactional queues• Dynamic send ports• Support for messages up to 2 Gigabytes in size   Download this adapter here.  ...

75 of 88 | Convoy Virtual Subscription Viewer for BizTalk 2004 - I have talked a lot in the past about Convoys.  But, under the covers what really makes Convoy message processing different  What makes a Convoy a Convoy    To sum it all up into one sentence: Convoys require database level message-to-Orchestration correlation independent of any running Orchestration instances.    Is this confusing  Yes.  But trust me, more detailed information is coming soon on this topic.  For now, I want to briefly go over the basic internals of how Convoys work in BizTalk Server 2004.   When you deploy an Orchestration: The presence of a Convoy is detected at the time a BizTalk 2004 Orchestration is enlisted.  At this point, an entry is inserted into the ConvoySets ta......

76 of 88 | Mapping Many Messages to One Inside the Mapper in BizTalk 2004 - This is a cool feature of BizTalk 2004!  It allows you to map many documents into one or map one document into many.  In either case, your inputs will not equal your outputs.  This type of mapping does require some up front planning and careful consideration.   First off, this type of mapping is only allowed inside the Orchestration.  Basically, what the mapper does is creates a kind of multi-part message for either the input, output, or both.  The parts of the multi-part message are the different input/output messages.  This allows the mapper to take in or produce multiple messages.   I have only been able to create these types of maps by creating new maps using the Transform Shape inside......

77 of 88 | Suppressing Nodes Inside the Mapper in BizTalk 2004 - Recently on a project I was required to filter out single records from a large batch that were not required to be processed inside the business process.  In this case, the vast majority of the thousands of input records would not be required in the Orchestration.   Rather the load the whole document into the Orchestration or break the document up into single messages, I decided to just suppress the non-required nodes in the mapper.  This would greatly reduce the number of input records into the system.   The mapper in BizTalk 2004 makes it easy to suppress nodes inside the mapper.  The key is to send the looping node a “false” from a Logical Functoid.  I have tried sending a Boolean False v......

78 of 88 | BizTalk 2004 SP1 Now Available - The long awaited Service Pack 1 for BizTalk 2004 is now available.   Get some more details on Scott’s Blog.   Go directly to the Microsoft Download Site....

79 of 88 | BizTalk 2004 Exam 074-135 Now Available - The BizTalk 2004 Exam is now available!    The exam number is 074-135: Developing E-Business Solutions Using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004 (English).    Get some more details on Scott’s Blog.   Best of luck!   PS: Sorry for the long delay in posting.  More content and samples are coming soon!...

80 of 88 | Flat File Disassembler Output Options in BizTalk 2004 - I have seen a lot of posts on various news groups over the past few months about the Flat File Dissembler and how it produces output.  I think it is rather confusing so I put together a sample that I hope will shed some light on the subject.   Download: Flat File Disassembler Output Sample   The Flat File Disassembler is used to convert flat file documents (either positional, delimited, or a supported combination) into XML based on a defined schema.  The schema must import the Flat File Schema Extensions and have all the required delimiters and positions set, of course.  Flashback: This type of conversion was accomplished using envelops in BizTalk 2002.   The Flat File Disassembler can take......

81 of 88 | Debatching Options and Performance Considerations in BizTalk 2004 - Download This Article and Sample Code Here: Debatching Options and Performance Considerations in BizTalk 2004 White Paper and Sample Code   Related Sample: Xml Envelope Debatching     In some business scenarios you may be required to receive a batch file that must be broken up and processed as single messages by BizTalk Server 2004.  This could allow for individual record level processing, selective content based routing, or single message mapping.      General Debatching Design Considerations Here are some general design considerations you might want to think about when planning a debatching approach with BizTalk Server 2004.    General Debatching Design Considerations Header and Trail......

82 of 88 | XLANGs.BTEngine.BTXTimerMessages Delivered, Not Consumed in BizTalk 2004 - What  How  When  Why  Useless  You have no clue what I am talking about   What are BTXTimerMessages They are messages BizTalk uses internally to control timers.  This includes the delay shape and scope shapes with timeouts.    How will you see BTXTimerMessage You will see these messages in HAT.  They will be associated with running Orchestations.  If they show up, they will be in the Delivered, Not Consumed (zombie) message status.   When will you see BTXTimerMessages I see these messages when I am working with parallel actions, atomic scope, and convoys.  My sample, Limit Running Orchestrations, produces these types of message.  I have not been able to pin point the exact shapes or action......

83 of 88 | Naming Output Files in an Orchestration in BizTalk 2004 - In many cases it can be useful to know the exact name of your output file that will be sent from your Orchestration using the File Adapter.  This can be difficult if you are using the %MessageId%.xml macro to write the file since this it set after the message is sent from the Orchestration.    Delivery Notification can help you determine if your message was sent successfully but it can not give you the file name.   BizTalk 2004 has two ways to dynamically name your files from inside the Orchestration.  The two ways to accomplish this are either to use a Dynamic Send Port or to use the %SourceFileName% macro on the Send Port.   Dynamic Send Port Dynamitic Send Ports are powerful and useful ......

84 of 88 | Concurrent Receive Convoys (Parallel Convoys) in BizTalk 2004 - In the past, I have tended to focus on sequential convoys.  Now, I decided to take a look at Concurrent Convoys.  First off, I was sure in older versions of the documentation they were called Parallel Convoys  Maybe I’m mistaken or maybe the name changed over the past few months….  In any case, I will get with the times and call them Concurrent Convoys.  No matter what you call them, the power and usefulness of this type of convoy is the same.   Why use Concurrent Convoys  Concurrent convoys allow you to receive multiple items in any order that all need to be processed by the same Orchestration before the next step in the process can happen.  Setting up and using a Concurrent Convoy is rat......

85 of 88 | Creating Nodes from Flat Data in BizTalk 2004 Maps - It can sometimes be challenging when mapping schemas in BizTalk 2004.  One common problem is when the inbound document has one record and the source creates multiple records based on the data inside your single record.   The root problem arises because you have nothing to loop around in the inbound document and need to create multiple nodes on the output.   How can this be handled in the mapper   Two ways: Functoids or XSLT Template   BizTalk 2004 introduces a new Functoid just for this situation.  It is called the Table Looping Functoid.  It is accompanied by the Table Looping Functoid Data Extractor.  The table looping functoid will take a flat row of data and produce multiple nodes of d......

86 of 88 | XPath Inside Orchestrations in BizTalk 2004 - Working with XPath inside Orchestrations is a powerful and simple feature of BizTalk 2004.  The help guide does a good job describing the process (under Using XPath in Message Assignment).   I have found that the XPath queries can only be done against a Message and the results can be set to a Message, XML Document or other orchestration variables.  XPath queries can also be executed against untyped messages.  That is, a Message that is of type System.Xml.XmlDocument.   CRITICAL: BizTalk xpath can be used to both read values and set values inside your Message.  To set values in your message, you need to be inside a Message Construct shape.   Here are some of the things you can do with xpath ......

87 of 88 | Assigning an InfoPath Form to a Message in BizTalk 2004 - InfoPath is something I heard a lot about several months ago, but not much since then.    Recently, I had to set an InfoPath template to a message in BizTalk 2004.  This is something that is rather simple, as long as you know what properties you need to set.    To set an InfoPath template for use on an outgoing message just use this code inside the Message Assignment shape.  This is set up to use an InfoPath template that has been deployment to a Sharepoint site.  Other options are a Web Server or File Location.   // This sets new Processing Instructions on the Message OutMessage(XMLNORM.ProcessingInstructionOption) = 1; // This assigns an InfoPath template from a Sharepoint site to the d......

88 of 88 | Quick Tip: How to Allow Unrecognized Messages on Send Ports - Have you seen an error that looks like the one below on your Send Pipelines There was a failure executing the send pipeline: "Microsoft.BizTalk.DefaultPipelines.XMLTransmit" Source: "XML assembler" Send Port: "some location" Reason: This Assembler cannot retrieve document specification by using this type: "namespace#rootnode".   This is caused by not having a unique combination of namespace and root node (MessageType).  BizTalk by default does not like unrecognized messages.  The XML Disassembler has a setting to allow unrecognized messages.  But what about sending unrecognized messages   To allow unrecognized messages inside the Send Pipeline, just set the XMLNORM.AllowUnrecognizedMessage ......