Just heard the news that Checkpoint Systems has announced acquisition of OAT Systems - it aims at becoming a one-stop-shop for all shrink management & merchandise visibility solutions. Click here for details.
If you are getting the following error "ProviderManager did not receive a reply within the configured timeout" when configuring the Device Manager in the RFID Manager - one of the quick checks you want to do is look at the ASP.NET version that is configured in the IIS for that device. If the default is configured to 1.1.x - you want to change it to 2.0.x. and give it a try.
Hi folks,
When I was playing around with the BizTalk RFID devices last night, I discovered that events could be viewed in the RFID Manager (by right clicking the device e.g. Intermec/Intel/Motorola/etc. and clicking on 'View Tags') but the events were not appearing in the SQL Sink (rfidsink DB and the TagEvents table). Thanks to my mates, Mick & Scotty, I found out that I missed enabling a property called 'Enable Event Mode' (right click the device and go into the 'Notification' screen and check the small box of 'Enable Event Mode' which will allow event to come to the RFID sink). Watch out for this screen if you do not see events in your sink!
I often get asked by the customers how the vNext of BizTalk is going to look like...there is some exciting news on this frontier..
The launch of Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, .NET Framework 3.5 and SQL Server 2008 (with which customers can achieve a very solid, dynamic, scalable and reliable enterprise platform) provides the basic foundation stone for the next generation of SOA and Web-based applications spanning "on premise" software and ‘in the cloud' services, an approach we call "Software + Services". Two key areas of investments have been made:
To deliver a world class SOA platform across client, server, and cloud. We have been a thought leader in Web services and SOA technologies since the very beginning and have delivered industry leading technologies such as the WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) and BizTalk Server.
To deliver a world class and mainstream modeling platform that helps the roles of IT collaborate and enables better integration between IT and the business. The modeling platform enables higher level descriptions, so called declarative descriptions, of the application.
This set of technical investments will unify our services and modeling platforms, by moving from a world where models describe the application to a world where models are the application. This will bridge the traditional gap bewteen the IT Pros & Business Analysts. This effort is also called "OSLO". Click here to view what some of our Senior Leaders have to say. Click here for the BizTalk roadmap.
The BizTalk Server Best Practices Analyzer performs configuration-level verification by reading and reporting only. The Best Practices Analyzer gathers data from different information sources, such as Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes, SQL Server databases, and registry entries. The Best Practices Analyzer uses the data to evaluate the deployment configuration. The Best Practices Analyzer does not modify any system settings, and is not a self-tuning tool.
If you'd like to download this tool click
here
BizTalk Server 2006 R3 has been announced following the latest versions of the wave launch of the products (Windows Server 2008, .Net framework 3.5, Visual Studio 2008 and SQL Server 2008). This will enable us to continue to take advantage of the improvements in our latest platform releases. Additional investments in this release to deliver customer-requested capabilities are:
· New web service registry capabilities with support for UDDI version 3.0
· Service enablement of applications (through new and enhanced adapters for LOB applications, databases, and legacy/host systems)
· Service enablement of "edge" devices through BizTalk RFID Mobile
· Enhanced interoperability and connectivity support for industry protocols (such as SWIFT and EDI)
· SOA patterns and practices guidance
BizTalk Server 2006 R3 TAP program has also been launched - any customers interested in this program, please visit our Connect site to sign-up
Folks,
We have just released the BizTalk RFID Mobile, a light weight platform for a variety of mobile devices, which simplifies the development of mobile applications that expose relevant, real-time business information. General availability is expected in late 2008. Customers and partners can participate in the BizTalk RFID Mobile Technology Adoption Program (TAP) by registering at https://connect.microsoft.com/site/sitehome.aspx?SiteID=65
For more details click here
The Microsoft BizTalk Server Operations guide is based on real-world experience from BizTalk Rangers, PFE and other customer engagements. This guide is intended to provide guidance around maintaining and operating BizTalk Solutions in demanding production environments. Check it out: BizTalk Server Operations Guide
Target Audience: Microsoft field, partner organizations, and customers who plan, deploy, and maintain BizTalk Server installations. The guide was created from collections of checklists, best practices, and presentations to guide future BizTalk Server operations IT professionals
Click here to hear all about how Mick & Venkatesh delivered the RFID training at Redmond:
http://blogs.breezetraining.com.au/mickb/2008/03/04/BizTalkRFIDSolutionDaysWrapUpAndASomePlayTime.aspx
Venkatesh is the CEO of S3 Edge: http://www.s3edge.com
Well done Mick & Venkat!
Folks,
I'm back after a fantastic vacation! Was recently investigating options to get the Excel file integrated with an existing BizTalk application and found out that FarPoint have a great product called FarPoint Spread for BizTalk Server which helps you do just that by automating the parsing of Excel message stream to XML message streams (also compatible with R2). It provides you a codeless solution to parse Excel spreadsheet into XML. At the design time, there is a wizard to help you develop a custom schema based on the Excel sheet and at the runtime, the Excle is parsed and dis-assembled into XML. Look at the following video:
http://www.farpointspread.com/biztalk/videos/SfBTV2-2.aspx
Very Cool!
Hi Folks,
This week, Bill Chesnut, MVP for BizTalk and one of the top guns in the Integration Landscape has started his new role as the Integration Manager for Stargate Group, Solution Provider for Financial Services:
http://www.stargategroup.com.au/
New contact details:
Bill Chesnut
Systems Integration Manager
Stargate Group
Level 4, 600 Victoria Street
Richmond Victoria 3121
|
Telephone: |
03 8420 3050 |
|
Facsimile: |
03 9428 1533 |
This fantastic 2-day course is being run by Microsoft Partner Readiness Team in Australia and the course has been developed by Breeze Training. This workshop is now open for Partners for Registration - please contact the Partner Readiness Team for details: sharmig@microsoft.com
BizTalk RFID Workshop – End-to-End
This aim of this 2 day hands-on course is to take the student from the “nuts and bolts” of BizTalk RFID to enriching and utilizing BizTalk RFID information streams as part of Business Intelligence. The course also teaches the students how to integrate with external systems, create and call Business Rules, as well as put in place proactive monitoring around the end-to-end solution.
As part of the ‘student pack’ for this course, each student is provided with a real (non virtual) BizTalk RFID compatible RFID Reader that will be used throughout the course, which the student can take home at course completion.
The course will teach students how:
· Develop and implement low level BizTalk RFID Interfaces in implementing their own BizTalk RFID Providers and Process Components.
· Develop and incorporate Business Rules to help drive the BizTalk RFID process.
· Active solution Monitoring using Operations Manager 2007 and the BizTalk R2 Management Pack.
· Create and call an exposed WCF Service synchronously.
· Integrate with a BizTalk 2006 R2 environment.
· Enable End-To-End Business Activity Monitoring.
The course is aimed for developers and solution architects. Following is the course outline:
Module 1 – Introduction to BizTalk RFID
This module introduces Microsoft BizTalk RFID and typical solutions it provides to common business problems. The module also looks at the BizTalk RFID architecture and discovers how BizTalk RFID operates under the hood.
Module 2 - Installing BizTalk RFID
This module describes the types of installations supported, and guides us through installing BizTalk RFID for the first time. There is also a walk-through of the RFID Services Manager, which highlights the difference between physical and logical devices.
Module 3 - Examining Physical Devices
This module will explore the various types of RFID devices available. We will install your very own RFID device and get it up and running on your machine.
Module 4 – BizTalk RFID Device Providers Explained
This module will look at the device provider’s role in the BizTalk RFID stack. We will look briefly at the DSPI and examine how it provides a unified way for our business applications to manage, configure, and communicate with various physical RFID devices. The module will show sample code using BizTalk RFID object model.
Module 5 - Building RFID Processes
In BizTalk RFID we manage logical groups of components in RFID processes. In this module we will examine the types of components that make up an RFID process, understand the difference between logical and physical devices, and see how we use bindings to connect them. We will learn what an event pipeline is and take a look at the various out-of-the-box components that ship with BizTalk RFID.
Module 6 – Creating Custom RFID Event Handlers
This module will focus on the event processing pipeline, as we learn when and how to create our own event handler components to filter, enrich, and process tag event data.
Module 7 - The Role of Business Rules
The Business Rules Engine allows for externalising key decision process points. This allows RFID processes to be more flexible and highly repeatable. In this module we will examine the OOTB rule engine policy executor component as well as looking at how we can call business rules from our custom event handlers.
Module 8 - Publishing and Consuming WCF Services in RFID
Enabling BizTalk RFID processes to consume WCF Services provides enormous value to upstream process consumers, such as Microsoft BizTalk Server. Integration and instrumentation of BizTalk RFID throughout the Enterprise provides rich, meaningful information ideally delivered to the user’s desktop, thus abstracting the actual process to another information stream within the Enterprise. This module will discuss consuming and publishing BizTalk RFID processes with WCF Services, essentially allowing for the ease of integration. Both Synchronous and Asynchronous message patterns will be examined.
Module 9 - Consuming and BAM enabling End-To-End RFID processes in Microsoft BizTalk Server
This module will walk through the ease of integrating BizTalk RFID with Microsoft BizTalk Server and will integrate the BizTalk RFID processes with BizTalk Server allowing for the Orchestrating of BizTalk RFID processes within the larger Business Process and the Enterprise.
Module 10 - Effective Monitoring + Performance Consideration for Microsoft BizTalk RFID Deployments
This module will discuss effective BizTalk RFID System and Process monitoring within different scenarios to actively monitor for better health from a Microsoft Operations Manager 2007 environment. The module also focuses on steps to take for proactive monitoring, rather than reactive. The student will also learn how to configure and setup this environment to ensure effect health monitoring of their BizTalk RFID Environment
Module 11 - BizTalk RFID Tips and Tricks
This module will cover key tips and tricks when implementing BizTalk RFID, with respect to maximising performance, optimising the BizTalk Rules Engine for performance, deployment and tweaking the IIS hosted BizTalk RFID Processes.
Folks, I got an email last Friday from Faith Rees of Readify about this fantastic 4-day WF course to be delivered by
Jon Flanders (Jon is the trainer/consultant for Pluralsight US, author and MVP in BizTalk and one of the leading lights in this space). Course runs from 18-21 Feb, 2008 and the click
here for the course outline.
Course Highlights:
- Architecture
- What is workflow
- Runtime hosting
- State-machine workflows
- Integrating Business Rules into workflow scenarios
- Creating custom workflow activities
- Transactional programming and activity compensation
- Using the "out of the box" workflow activities to build workflows
- Integrating WF with Windows Communication Foundation (WCF, formerly "Indigo")
- Dynamic updates of running workflows
- Workflow designer hosting for rich workflow visualisations
- Workflow tracking and persistence
- Role-based security in workflows
- Consuming web services from workflows
- Publishing workflows as web services
- Communication patterns between workflows and hosts
- Understanding when to use workflow in your application
Please contact Faith Rees for details:
Faith Rees
Readify | Training & Events Manager
Suite 206 Nolan Tower | 29 Rakaia Way | Docklands | VIC 3008 | Australia
M: +61 418 799 406 | E: faith.rees@readify.net | C: faith.rees@readify.net | W: www.readify.net
One of the requests I recently got (from an existing customer in the recruitment space) was to demo how to expose an orchestration as a WCF service.
Let me wrap this up in a wider context of the SOA (as it will make much more sense) and I'll then reconstruct the series of steps that I actually did to build a simple project from scratch.
A classic case of service orientation is when a business division in an enterprise owns a service (which in reality could well be an entire business process designed & developed as an orchestration that integrates with multiple backend disparate systems) and then we simply expose this as a WCF service so that other areas within the enterprise (or outside depending upon the nature of the service) can consume it for their benefit. For simplicity, lets take a simple business process e.g. 'Credit Check' and go through the process of constructing it and then exposing it as a WCF service. All it takes is an input document (with details of the company, the amount for which its credit-worthiness is being checked and the current date) and after processing this service sends a reply for that company which is a simple boolean - success or failure. As evident, once this business service is built, thoroughly tested & deployed into production, it could easily be consumed by other areas of the enterprise and there should not be any need to rebuild this. So let me go through the walkthrough assuming you just have an elementary knowledge of BizTalk.
Create a new Biztalk project and call it 'SimpleCreditCheck' and setup the strong name in the assembly and call the Application name 'SimpleCreditCheck' as well (in the Deployment Configuration)
Create a new schema and call it Input.xsd (Right click the project -> Add -> Add New Item -> Schema Files). Click on the Root Node and rename it as CompanyDetails
Right click the CompanyDetails node -> Insert Schema Node -> Child Field Element and call it CompID with the default type (xs:string). Repeat this to create CompName with the default type (xs:string), CreditCheckDate with the default type (xs:string) and Amount with type as (xs:int)
So now your CompanyDetails root node has four elements under it: CompID, CompName, CreditCheckDate, Amount
Create a new schema and call it Output.xsd (Right click the project -> Add -> Add New Item -> Schema Files). Click on the Root Node and rename it as CreditCheckResult
Right click the CreditCheckResult node -> Insert Schema Node -> Child Field Element and call it CompID with the default type (xs:string). Repeat this to create CreditCheckDate with the default type (xs:string) and ApprovedStatus with type as (xs:boolean)
So now your CreditCheckResult root node has three elements under it: CompID, CreditCheckDate, ApprovedStatus
Create a new Orchestration and call it CreditCheck.odx (Right click the project -> Add -> Add New Item -> Orchestration Files).
Drop a Port from the toolbox and call it RP_CreditCheck click Next and type RPT_CreditCheck for the port type name (make sure you choose Communication pattern as request-response and Access Restriction as public). Click Next and choose the defaults and click Finish
Drop a Receive, Transform, Call Rules, Send shapes from the tool box.
In the Orchestration View, Right click on the Message -> New Message -> Call it MsgIn and choose the type as CreditCheck.Input
Again In the Orchestration View, Right click on the Message -> New Message -> Call it MsgOut and choose the type as CreditCheck.Output
Click on the Receive shape and select the Message as MsgIn Activate as True and Operation as RP_CreditCheck.Operation_1.Request in the Properties View
Click on the Construct Message part of the Transformer and in Properties window select Message Constructed as MsgOut.
Double click the transformer and select the MsgIn as Source and MsgOut as Destination and click OK.Join up the CompID and CreditCheckDate fields on the input & output schemas and select the Value = True (property in the transformer for ApprovedStatus)
Click on Save All and close the transformer pane.
Click on the Send shape and select Message as MsgOut and operation as RP_CreditCheck.Operation_1.Response in the properties.
Fire up the Business Rules Composer -> Right click Policy -> Add New Policy -> call it CreditCheckPolicy. Right click on version 1.0 -> New Rules -> Call it ApproveCredit. Right click on the IF (right pane) -> Conditions -> Predicates -> Less than equal
On the Fact Explorer click on the XML schema -> Schema -> Browse -> choose both Input.xsd & Output.xsd using the shift keys and click open
Drag the Amount field from the Input.xsd and drop it on the IF argument1. Place a value e.g. 1000 as argument2. Drag the ApprovedStatus from the Output schema into the THEN pane under the Actions. Select True from the drop down. The entire logic would then read if the Input amount is <= 1000, ApprovedStatus = True
Do the same steps for disapproval. Under the CreditCheckPolicy. Right click on version 1.0 -> New Rules -> Call it DenyCredit. Right click on the IF (right pane) -> Conditions -> Predicates -> Greater than. Drag the Amount field from the Input.xsd and drop it on the IF argument1. Place a value e.g. 1000 as argument2. Drag the ApprovedStatus from the Output schema into the THEN pane under the Actions. Select False from the drop down. The entire logic would then read if the Input amount is > 1000, ApprovedStatus = False
Now that you have the Policy & Rules in Place -> Right Click version 1.0 and select Save then Publish & finally Deploy. Close the Business Rules Composer.
Go back to the Orchestration and double click on the call Rules shape - select the CreditCheckPolicy and Input & Output schemas as parameters.
Right click the project and click on Deploy. Once the project has deployed successfully, you can now choose to publish it as a WCF service.
Go to the Tools in the Visual Studio (alternatively from Start -> All Programs -> BizTalk Server 2006 as well) and select the BizTalk WCF Service Publishing Wizard -> Next -> Select the Service endpoint option, (this means that you will publish a WCF service from an orchestration in an assembly) and Select WCF-BasicHttp from the Adapter name (Transport type) drop-down list.
Select the Enable metadata endpoint check box to make the WCF receive location hosted by IIS publish its WCF service metadata. (this sets the httpGetEnabled attribute of the to true in Web.Config. This metadata can thus be retrieved when an HTTP/GET request calls it - useful for generating proxy to build a client to test this service)
Select the Create BizTalk receive locations in the following application option to create the receive ports and locations corresponding to each generated .svc file for the WCF-BasicHttp adapter. Choose SimpleCreditCheck Application. Click Next
On the Create WCF Service page, select Publish BizTalk orchestrations as WCF service, and then click Next.
In the BizTalk assembly file (*.dll) choose the default SimpleCreditCheck.dll and click Next
Choose the defaults for the BizTalk assembly descriptions and click Next
Select the default URI, "http://tempuri.org/" in the Target namespace of the WCF service (unless you want your published WCF service to use a different URI in which case you can specify it here) and click Next
Leave the default location http://localhost/SimpleCreditCheck in the Location.
and Select the Allow anonymous access to WCF service option, and then click Next.
On the WCF Service Summary page, click Create to create the service and on the Completing BizTalk WCF Service Publishing Wizard page, click Finish
Click on the Start -> Administrative tools -> IIS and right click the SimpleCreditCheck on the Deafult Web Site and make sure an appropriate Application Pool is selected or create a new Application Pool. Also, make sure that on the ASP.NET pane, ASP.NET framework version 2.0.* (and not 1.1.*) is selected. Also copy over (on a Notepad) the full WSDL address from the .svc file that the wizard generated for building the proxy classes for Client.
Go back to the BizTalk admin console and check - the wizard would have created the Receive Port & Receive Location for you - configure them so that they are bound to the Logical Receive Port and start the application
To create a client for this WCF serivce, go to the Visual Studio and create a new project (Visual C# -> Windows -> Windows Application) lets call it SimpleCreditCheckClient
Go to the Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft Windows SDK -> CMD Shell and change the directory to point towards your SimpleCreditCheckClient project directory created above. Use the svcutil.exe command saved in the steps above and paste it on the command window
Click Enter to create the proxy class & config file
Right Click SimpleCreditCheckClient project -> Add -> Add Existing Item -> click on BizTalkServiceInstance.cs and output.config files, and then click Add (rename output.config to App.config). Also make sure System.ServiceModel.dll is referenced (Right Click References -> Add Reference -> Choose System.ServiceModel from the .NET component)
On the Form, drag & drop 5 textboxes for CompID, CompName, CurrentDate, Amount & Status fields. Label them by dragging & dropping 5 labels of the same name. Disable the Status textBox. Drag & Drop a button and call it Check. Double click the button 'Check' and have the following code:
SimpleCreditCheck_CreditCheck_RP_CreditCheckClient proxy = new SimpleCreditCheck_CreditCheck_RP_CreditCheckClient();
CompanyDetails comp = new CompanyDetails(); CreditCheckResult result = new CreditCheckResult ();
comp.CompID = tbCompID.Text; comp.CompName = tbCompName.Text; comp.CreditCheckDate= tbCreditCheckDate.Text; comp.Amount= Convert.ToInt32(tbAmount.Text);
result = proxy.Operation_1(comp);
if (result.ApprovedStatus) tbStatus = "Passed"; else tbStatus = "Failed";
Run the CreditCheckClient - Enter the Amount and check - change the Rules to a new version - deploy & test. Happy to help out if you have any issues. Let me know if you've had to do similar demos/PoCs and would like to share your thoughts.
During the BizTalk R2 launch, FEN, one of Australia's premier manufacturing news websites, interviewed Steve Sloan (Snr. Product Manager from Redmond) & Mick Badran (MVP, BizTalk and founder of Breeze Training) around how BizTalk RFID is changing the way we traditionally do supply chain:
http://www.myfen.com.au/articles/Using-plant-floor-data-competitively_z76511.htm
