BizTalk Server 2004 developers can now build solutions in a Visual Studio .NET (VS.NET) environment. A VS.NET-based project system adds VS.NET features, such as broad programming language support, improved organization of projects, and source control, to BizTalk development, which could improve developer productivity. However, some important tools are not part of the BizTalk VS.NET system-for example, business rules are developed separately and the new system does not use VS.NET for BizTalk solution debugging. BizTalk also supplies tools to help business and IT users collaborate in BizTalk solution development without requiring them to use Visual Studio.

BizTalk Server Solution and Tools Overview

BizTalk solutions automate business processes that exchange information among applications; for example, between the enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems of business partners or between a company’s customer relationship management (CRM) system and its customer-facing Web site. BizTalk Server provides a spectrum of tools to help developers and business analysts (business users familiar with an organization’s processes) specify and create BizTalk solutions.

BizTalk Server 2004 developers can now build solutions in a VS.NET environment. A VS.NET-based project system adds VS.NET features, such as broad programming language support, improved organization of projects, and source control, to BizTalk development, which could improve developer productivity. However, some important tools are not part of the BizTalk VS.NET system-for example, business rules are developed separately and the new system does not use VS.NET for BizTalk solution debugging. BizTalk 2004 also supplies tools to help business and IT users collaborate in BizTalk solution development without requiring them to use Visual Studio.

BizTalk Server Solution and Tools Overview

To develop a BizTalk solution, business analysts and developers must define and implement the following:

• The logical business operations and the message exchanges between applications involved in a business process, which are programmed by developers in BizTalk “orchestrations”
• The structure and format of