BizTalk RFID Mobile and Standards Pack Available

Two add-ons to BizTalk Server released Dec. 2008 enhance the product’s ability to track Radio Frequency ID (RFID) tags. BizTalk RFID Mobile enables RFID processing on handheld devices, allowing for offline use, while the BizTalk RFID Standard Pack enables applications to use several important product code and protocol standards. The add-ons will benefit customers using RFID to track product movement through supply chains or ascertain the whereabouts of high-value assets, particularly in environments where fixed-location RFID readers are not viable. However, the add-ons are available only to BizTalk Server customers who have Software Assurance coverage.

RFID Simplifies Tracking

The add-ons support the latest release of BizTalk Server, BizTalk Server 2006 R2, which includes RFID tag-tracking software. RFID uses inexpensive wireless data storage chips, or tags, that are built into billions of identity cards, shipping pallets, and labels for high-value consumer items, and whose data can be read from a distance, enabling a vendor to determine the contents of a carton without opening it, for example. These tags replace or augment earlier tracking technologies, such as bar codes. BizTalk’s RFID software provides standard APIs for connecting business applications to RFID devices such as tag readers, and it supports custom processing of incoming tag data.