Oct. 2004                             Purchase a copy of this 36 page report

Below is an excerpt of a research report published by Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm focused exclusively on Microsoft strategy & technology. More samples of our content, as well as a list of upcoming articles and reports are also available.

C O N T E N T S:

• Executive Summary [Free sample chapter]
• Introduction [Free sample chapter]
• BizTalk Server Engine Reworked
• Overview: BizTalk Server 2004’s new architecture improves Web services support, performance, and scalability, and allows nondevelopers to manipulate business logic. However, BizTalk 2002 applications will not run on the new platform
• Workflow in BizTalk Server 2004
• Overview: BizTalk Server 2004 can automate components of human-based business processes, called “workflow”; however, creating workflow applications requires considerable developer skill
• New Tools for BizTalk Development
• Overview: A new integrated project system carries forward the graphical BizTalk development concepts of past versions, but some important BizTalk tools are not part of the system
• BizTalk Server 2004 Challenges
• Overview: BizTalk Server 2004 is a more powerful development and runtime platform compared to its predecessors,; however, there are several catches prospective buyers should consider when evaluating the product
• Future Developments
• Overview: Microsoft plans to update BizTalk 2004 by early 2006 and will continue to develop BizTalk adapters and accelerators; longer term, it will reconcile BizTalk with other emerging technologies at Microsoft
• Resources
• Overview: Sections lists further reading and information resources for BizTalk Server and related topics
• Appendix: BizTalk Server 2004 Pricing and Packaging
• Overview: BizTalk Server 2004 offers increased connectivity in its Partner and Standard Editions; other than the product’s Developer Edition, pricing has not changed from earlier versions