New and Notable Microsoft BizTalk Features

Microsoft BizTalk 2009 brings with it several new and notable features, some of which may require additional Microsoft training to fully appreciate. For example, a new mobile RFID platform and device management tools have been introduced. As more organizations make the switch to the updated version of BizTalk, they will need personnel who are well-equipped to take advantage of these features. So, what's new with BizTalk and what skills do you need? Let's take a look.

As with earlier versions dating back to the 2004 edition, this edition of BizTalk continues its tradition of keeping up with and providing support for other Microsoft technologies and platforms such as Visual Studio 2008 SP1, SQL Server 2008, Windows Server 2008, and the .NET Framework version 3.5 SP1. Support for Hyper-V virtualization has also been added. If you have your MCTS certification on an older version of BizTalk, consider upgrading to the 2009 certification and learning how to take full advantage of these changes.

SOA and Web services continue to be an integral part of BizTalk with a new UDDI v3 Web Services registry, ESB toolkit, new Line of Business adapters, and enhanced BAM support and host systems integration. Developers and team members alike will appreciate the new Application Lifecycle management features and enhanced developer's tools. For example, integrated source control, unit testing, bug tracking tools, and support for TFS are also included.

Business to business integration has been improved with the 2009 edition of BizTalk with the introduction of a new RFID management platform for mobile RFID devices and additional RFID industry standards adoption. SWIFTReady Financial EAI Gold and Drummond certification support have also been updated.

In addition to these improvements, Microsoft has expanded its support for third party platforms such as Oracle eBusiness. Dozens of adapters are included in the BizTalk Adapter package. A second adapter pack, BizTalk Adapters for Host Systems 2.0, is also available with new transport channels and protocol support.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and AS2 capabilities have been improved with BizTalk Server 2009, offering greater control over these essential data exchange systems. HIPAA standards and syntax have been incorporated with schemas that support equivalent segments.

Not only does the new edition of BizTalk have new features, some of the older features have been eliminated or replaced. For example, Business Activity Services (BAS) and Human Workflow Services (HWS) are no longer included. Instead, the EDI and AS2 features are used for BAS while Office SharePoint Server is recommended for HWS.

Microsoft has made major improvements to BizTalk Server 2009 with future changes already in development for the next edition. If you are an IT pro tasked with interoperability and connectivity projects, continuous training in these technologies is essential to keep up. CBT Planet is your one stop source for your Microsoft BizTalk Server and Microsoft BizTalk certification training needs.