BizTalk Update to Deliver RFID

BizTalk Server 2006 R2, an interim release scheduled for the first half of 2007, will better support business-to-business commerce using electronic data interchange (EDI) and provide tools to integrate radio frequency identification (RFID) devices with business applications, such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Improved EDI support will be welcomed by companies, such as manufacturers, looking to use EDI to automate business-to-business trading networks and suggests that such customers are an important market for the product. However, at least one partner (Covast) that has supplemented the current version’s rudimentary EDI support could find its opportunities squeezed by R2.

Better EDI, New RFID

BizTalk is a server product that supports three key functions:

• Management of business processes—such as purchasing approval—that involve both people and applications
• Enterprise application integration (EAI), such as connecting a company’s warehouse and ERP systems
• Business-to-business