Goals of the BizTalk Framework -- part 4

Keep in mind that the underlying standard is XML. The BizTalk Framework itself is a tool that helps you to adopt the XML solution. The idea behind the BizTalk Framework is to facilitate data exchange between applications and businesses using the XML standard, and by mapping one specific XML format into another, as shown in Figure 1.4. Figure 1.4 Integration using XML format The BizTalk Framework doesn't pose any restrictions on the data you can exchange. Instead, it simply assumes that applications are completely independent of one another. Therefore, no common protocol, database system, operating system, programming language, or object model is necessary. The only requirement is that the applications understand standard XML. As long as two applications can send and receive XML messages, they can communicate. For this reason, the idea of XML message transmission is central to the BizTalk Framework. Message transmission is a familiar concept in business settings. Business partners often request services from each other. The requests can be submitted electronically. From there it is only one step to message transmissions. This communications model based on message transmissions is easily extensible precisely because it places so few requirements on participating applications and processes. To make this communications model possible, BizTalk addresses the following technical challenges: Integrates heterogeneous environments across multiple applications and platforms within an organization. (This is called the application-to-application model.) Integrates with business partners using the business-to-business model. Uses existing information technology (IT) investments, including existing systems and mainframes. Reduces development time to allow businesses to compete in the flexible and fast-paced Web environment. Builds open standards, using XML for data exchange. Unfortunately, not all applications today natively support XML. This state of affairs is rapidly changing, but with the existing applications that don't support XML, if you want to adopt the BizTalk Framework, you need a software layer that transforms native documents into the XML format and routes them to the appropriate application or organization. BizTalk Server 2000 automates many aspects of this extra software layer so that you can use the BizTalk Framework with your existing applications, even if they don't natively support XML. This situation is illustrated in Figure 1.5. Figure 1.5 Integrating a non-XML application A simplified example of business-to-business communication using BizTalk Server is shown in Figure 1.6. In this example, two business applications, each belonging to a different organization, communicate over the Internet using XML-based message transmission. Because neither application supports XML, each needs to use the local BizTalk server to handle the message transformations. An application in Business A sends an order to an application in Business B by way of the local BizTalk server. After the transformation is performed on the local BizTalk server, the server passes the message onto the business partner's BizTalk server. The partner's server picks up the message, performs the appropriate transformation so that it is compatible with its local application, and passes the message to that application. A more specific example is considered in detail in Lesson 2 of this chapter. Figure 1.6 Two applications communicating using the BizTalk Framework The BizTalk Framework vs. Other Frameworks The BizTalk Framework is just one of a number of proposed solutions. Two other interesting solutions in use are Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and RosettaNet. EDI uses a standardized format for the interchanges, and can be used across platforms. It supports two standards, UN/EDIFACT and X12. The UN/EDIFACT and X12 standards are discussed in more detail in Chapter 4, "Creating and Managing Document Specifications." EDI is an alternative to the BizTalk Framework, although BizTalk Server supports EDI. Some of EDI's advantages are the same as those of the BizTalk Framework: it enables business communication by using a unified framework. However, this framework was originally not XML-based, although the methodology for moving it into XML syntax exists. The disadvantages of EDI are that it is not intuitively easy to use; it is not easy to extend and adapt to different trading partners and different document types; and it is an expensive technology. NOTE If you and your trading partners already use EDI, you might want to keep this framework as a means of exchanging documents. BizTalk Server 2000 can handle EDI formats, so you can have the best of both worlds. The other interesting solution, RosettaNet, also offers a common format for document interchange, mainly centered around e-commerce. Although BizTalk Server 2000 doesn't support RosettaNet at the time of this writing, the BizTalk Server Accelerator for RosettaNet is available.