Most of the EAI scenarios are more then simply forwarding messages from one system to an other sytem.

BizTalk server architecture:

-      The warehouse system drops a request to a file folder,

-     A BizTalk server receive location is configured with the file adapter and a XML Transmit pipeline. The file adapter polls the file regulary from the file folder. Once a message is received, BizTalk server messaging engine pushes the message trough a pipeline (XML transmit pipeline). The XML Transmit pipeline makes sure the message is well formed XML. Then the message is saved in the messagebox database. 

When the orchestration engine notices a message is ready to be processed by an orchestration, it instantiates an instance of the orchestration.

 

Lesson 1: Define schemas and a map

 

Create: The EAI solution to hold the project, the project to hold the schemas and the map, the schema for the message the warehouse sends to BizTalk server to request inventory replenishment, the schema for the message that the warehouse is expecting when a request is rejected and a map for reformatting a request message to create a request decline message.

 

XML schema is a XML document that works like a dictonary and is used as a reference by other XML documents. The schema code defines the spelling of xml elements and the type of data enclosed by those elements.

 

You use BizTalk project system to create part or all of visual studio application or business solution. the core element of any such solution is a BizTalk project - a collection of items such as schema's or orchestrations, web message types, classes, pipelines, maps and references that you can build and generate into an assembly bvefore deploying it.

XML not only structures and identifies information with standardized mark up codes, but also has the ability to use schemas. a schema is a XML document that works like a dictonary and it is used as a reference by other XML documents. The schema code defines the spelling of XML elements and the type of data enclosed by those elements. Using schemas provides an easy way for a program to process XML documents and ensure that the structure and type of information is correct. BizTalk uses the schema to identify and interact with the data in the message. You use BizTalk mapper to link fields defines in an outcoming message to fields defined in an outcoming message. This is necessary because the two messages do not have the same schema structure.

 

The most important aspect of Microsoft BizTalk Server and the .NET framework is that all BizTalk Server artifacts such as maps, schema's, pipelines and orchestrations get compiled into .NET assemblies. the two most important implications of this design are that these assemblies must have strong names. a BizTalk project, once build against a particular version of an other .NET project or assembly (incl. BizTalk projects) continues to use that version until it has been rebuild against a newer version.

You create a seperate project for a orchestration. This is useful when you have several people working on the solution The workflow of the orchestration represents and automates your company's business process for approving inventory replenishment request.

 

Ports specify how your orchestration will send messages to and receives messages from other business processes. Each port has a type, a direction, and a binding, which together determine the direction of communication, the pattern of communication, the location to or from which the message is sent or received, and how the communication takes place.

 

When you deploy a project or solution in visual studio, the assemblies are automatically build and deployed into a specified application. As part of this process, the assemblies along with the orchestrations, schemas, maps that it contains(called artifacts) are imported into a local BizTalk Management database and associated in the database with the specified application.

The deployment process requires that an asssembly is strongly signed. You must sign your assemblies by associating the project with a strong name assembly key file.

Configuration of an application is mostly about bindings. a binding creates a mapping between a logical endpoint, such as an orchestration port or role link, and a physical end point such as a send and receive port or party. This enables communication between different components of a BizTalk Business solution. You can create bindings by using the BizTalk server administration console.