BizTalk Server 2000 Orchestrates Business Interaction

Microsoft’s recently released BizTalk Server 2000 allows a company to integrate disparate internal computer systems as well as facilitate business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce between systems on the Internet. BizTalk Server defines and manages the end-to-end interactions associated with receiving, validating, transforming, processing, and transmitting business data between different applications.

Why is integrating applications so challenging? Typically, developers working on the integration aspect focus on how to exchange data between the applications and pay less attention to the business rules and processes that must govern the interaction. BizTalk Server helps business analysts and developers address both of these issues.

First, BizTalk Orchestration can simplify the encoding and maintenance of the business rules that govern the interaction of the applications by allowing business analysts to define and manage those rules in graphical form, and to keep them in a centralized location separate from either application. Second, BizTalk Messaging can simplify the physical interconnection of the applications by supporting Internet-based protocols and by providing tools to manage the formatting, translation, security, and transmission of the messages that contain the business data.