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Home > Archive > BizTalk Server General > January 2006 > biztalk newbie
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| bdtmike 2006-01-04, 6:03 pm |
| This is a real basic question from someone who doesn't quite have his
hands around what Biztalk really does. I'm trying to determine if
Biztalk will do what I want and, if so, what is needed to accomplish
this. I have a custom application (SQL based) that has a few BP's to
deal with. I don't want to write the workflow code if there's
something already made. Biztalk sounds like using a nuclear bomb to
kill a cockroach in my case but here goes...
As an example, my app has to track a work request, the field
inspection, the e-forms that are filled out as a result, the changes to
the SQL database that are ultimately made, and all the supervisor
review steps in between. As tasks are queued up for people, they need
to see their task lists and work them accordingly. Sounds like Biztalk
can do this and then some.
My questions:
1. I want this integrated into my app seamlessly. Can I have access to
the queues, flows, etc so that I can present this within my app or do I
have to send the user to the Bizflow UI to do these things?
2. To route an item through the flow, Biztalk will need to
evaluate my business rules based on data fields in my app's tables.
Does Biztalk do this real-time? Or does Biztalk work off of some kind
of snapshot in its own repository?
3. As an object works through the Biztalk engine, Biztalk will
ultimately need to update records in my app at various steps. Because
this is my own application, do I have to write some kind of adapter or
does Biztalk have a way of doing this for me?
Sorry for the open-ended question, but inquiring minds gots to know...
-Mike
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| Tomas Restrepo \(MVP\) 2006-01-04, 6:03 pm |
| Mike,
> This is a real basic question from someone who doesn't quite have his
> hands around what Biztalk really does. I'm trying to determine if
> Biztalk will do what I want and, if so, what is needed to accomplish
> this. I have a custom application (SQL based) that has a few BP's to
> deal with. I don't want to write the workflow code if there's
> something already made. Biztalk sounds like using a nuclear bomb to
> kill a cockroach in my case but here goes...
>
> As an example, my app has to track a work request, the field
> inspection, the e-forms that are filled out as a result, the changes to
> the SQL database that are ultimately made, and all the supervisor
> review steps in between. As tasks are queued up for people, they need
> to see their task lists and work them accordingly. Sounds like Biztalk
> can do this and then some.
>
> My questions:
> 1. I want this integrated into my app seamlessly. Can I have access to
> the queues, flows, etc so that I can present this within my app or do I
> have to send the user to the Bizflow UI to do these things?
It would be possible. However, from your descriptions, it really sounds liek
you're looking more for a general Workflow solution more than an integration
tool; which is more what BizTalk currently is. Eventually, BizTalk will
probably get fairly powerful tools for this space, once Windows Workflow
foundation is released and is integrated in the next BIzTalk version
(2008?), but for now, I would say what you're looking sounds more like
workflow than integration. There are several workflow tools in the market
for the MS platform, with various costs and licensing scenarios, including
Ultimus, K2.NET, Skelta, logistix and others.
>
> 2. To route an item through the flow, Biztalk will need to
> evaluate my business rules based on data fields in my app's tables.
> Does Biztalk do this real-time? Or does Biztalk work off of some kind
> of snapshot in its own repository?
BizTalk can certainly do any of them. you can actually just call into your
own custom components that have the logic if you don't want to use the
Business Rule engine in biztalk, so that's no problem either.
> 3. As an object works through the Biztalk engine, Biztalk will
> ultimately need to update records in my app at various steps. Because
> this is my own application, do I have to write some kind of adapter or
> does Biztalk have a way of doing this for me?
BizTalk doesn't really flow objects, but XML messages in truth. As for
integration, you can have biztalk update your database with the SQL Adapter
(if your db is SQL Server based) or you can write custom .NET components
that write directly or through SPs to your database using ADO.NET. You could
also expose functional web services from your application and have biztalk
call those, as well, if you need more isolation or control or have some
logic be applied to the updated data.
--
Tomas Restrepo
tomasr@mvps.org
http://www.winterdom.com/
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| bdtmike 2006-01-05, 2:49 am |
| I see. So it's not the workflow engine so much as the
messaging/communication engine. Well thanks for the input. Know
anything about BizFlow?
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| Tomas Restrepo \(MVP\) 2006-01-05, 7:56 am |
| Mike,
>I see. So it's not the workflow engine so much as the
> messaging/communication engine.
Well, BizTalk does have a workflow engine of sorts, which is the
orchestration engine, but it's currently geared towards the kind of
processes that appear in automatic integration scenarios, rather than the
kind of things that appear in human workflow, which involve, as you pointed
out, things like keeping track of tasks, doing routing and task assignment
for people based on criteria such as availability and things like that,
which biztalk currently doesn't have.
> Well thanks for the input. Know
> anything about BizFlow?
Not personally, no.
--
Tomas Restrepo
tomasr@mvps.org
http://www.winterdom.com/
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| frayday@gmail.com 2006-01-31, 6:59 pm |
| Hello there,
What about HWS in BizTalk Server 2004? I am trying to come up with a
similar solution and from what i read HWS will be fit right in. I
haven't been that successful though because the documentation is to say
the least scarce.
Thank you!
David
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