BizTalk Server 2004 Challenges

BizTalk Server 2004 is a significant update that offers a faster, more flexible architecture and easier development of BizTalk applications that use Web services. The release also introduces new BizTalk services and technologies, a new integrated development environment, and a host of other new developer and business user tools. Although these changes make BizTalk 2004 a more powerful platform than its predecessors, there are several catches prospective buyers should consider when evaluating the product.

BizTalk Server 2004 Not Backward Compatible

Because of changes in the product’s core engine, many BizTalk 2002 items (such as orchestrations, schema, pipelines, and maps) are not compatible with BizTalk 2004. Although Microsoft is providing tools and wizards to help users migrate to the new platform, some of these items will need to be completely rewritten. For example, BizTalk 2002 orchestrations and adapters will need to be rewritten to run on BizTalk 2004. Among BizTalk applications needing to be reworked are Microsoft’s own accelerators, which are getting major upgrades as well as being revised for the new engine. (See the chart “Accelerators and Adapters for BizTalk Server 2004“.)