BizTalk Server 2010 Support: Tips and Tricks

Some time ago, we were transferred to the support of the BizTalk 2010 server. Our client is a wholesale supplier of products, and he uses the BizTalk Server to exchange information between his accounting system and the accounting systems of his clients. In particular, for example, it is receiving orders, unloading, sending price lists and invoices, electronic document circulation. What useful tips we have learned from practice, we tell below.

A bit about Microsoft BizTalk Server

Microsoft BizTalk Server is an application integration server and building their information infrastructure. It works in a Windows environment and requires Microsoft SQL Server as storage. This server is a kind of intermediary that allows applications independent of each other to exchange information in the form of messages among themselves, transforming their formats and using the business logic embedded in it.

The scenarios for using Microsoft BizTalk Server are:

Deploy Development Environment

To start developing applications for BizTalk Server, you need a development environment. It's all very simple: since BizTalk Server uses MS SQL Server as storage, it may at first seem logical to copy the Biztalk Server service bases to quickly reproduce it, but this option is not suitable. His problem is that in the process of setting up a new BizTalk server with the bases of another server, you will have to manually search and erase the traces of the old server, recording information about the new one there. All this will take a lot of time, but success is not guaranteed. The most appropriate solution would be to set up a development environment from scratch. The main thing is that the versions of important components coincide with a productive server.

Especially for developers there is a version of Biztalk Server 2010 Developer Edition. It is free and you can download it from the site Microsoft .

You may not find it logical to copy the BizTalk Server service bases, but the Internet is full of forums where people are trying hard to do it. Not for backup purposes, but for server duplication.

Deploying the development environment from scratch is faster and more securely working than, for example, copying BizTalk databases and a production environment.

Quick application setup

One of the acute problems may be setting up new developed applications on the customer’s productive server. As a rule, customer-side BizTalk server administrators are familiar with how to configure and manage BizTalk server applications. Here it is important to add that the BizTalk application is a regular dll in the development environment: in order to test the application, you must install and configure it manually. Accordingly, during the transfer of the application, you can write the configuration instructions, which in detail, with screenshots, should show how to configure the application. That's just tedious to write instructions, but the main thing is that it takes a long time to create a good detailed instruction, and this is an inadmissible luxury. Especially in the settings, as a rule, a lot of nuances that are very important. Missing something when setting up is not a big deal, and finding a solution to a trouble often takes a lot of time.

But BizTalk provides the ability to save application settings to a separate file. In BizTalk Server, this is called Bindings Files or, simply, “bandages.” This is a regular XML file, a fragment is shown in the figure below:

It is very simple to create a file with application settings; it is enough to select Export-> Bindings in the context menu of the desired application, select the path and file name.

And to import, use the same context menu of the application, select Import-> Bindings, specify the settings file exported earlier, and the application will be configured.

The advantages of this method are obvious:

• no need to spend time writing detailed instructions;

• the risk of making a mistake in the settings is practically excluded;

• accelerates the process of launching the application on the production server;

• multiple use of the file with the settings when you transfer or run the application on other BizTalk-servers.

Automatic installation and configuration of applications

Sooner or later you will come to this. You will search for tools / methods / scripts (underline the necessary) to automate your design processes. BizTalk Server Support Projects are no exception. But the first thing that automation should concern is getting a ready-to-use application on a productive server using a minimum set of actions. Fortunately, there is no need to invent anything. BTSTask console application is present in any edition of BizTalk Server. It is a tool that runs from the command line and has extensive management capabilities for BizTalk Server applications. On MSDN there is a detailed article: BTSTask Command-Line Reference .

The main features of BTSTask, which automate the configuration and installation of applications:

• creating an application in the administration console;

• Add to Build application for BizTalk Server;

• import bindings file.

All commands can be used in one .bat file. The script in general can look like this:

1) Declare variables;

2) Create an application - a container in the BizTalk administration console;

3) Add an assembly to the created container application;

4) Import the file with the application settings.

Build with the BTS.AppName.dll, AppNameBindings.xml and Install.bat application for convenience is better to put in one folder and run Install.bat from the command line.

This method is also remarkable because if we slightly modernize the script, leaving AppName = BTS.AppName and SET LibName = BTS.AppName.dll in the section for defining variables and deleting sections 3 and 4 and saving the copy as Update.bat, such file:

This script can update the assembly in the application, without affecting the settings, if the assembly has already been modified. As a result of using such scripts, we get an application that is configured and ready for launch.

If your company uses BizTalk Server and you happen to support it, then these tips will greatly simplify your life. We , at least, simplified!

Author - DenisVetlugin