MBVQueryBuilder and BizTalk Message Body Tracking Count queries

(link to new extension file at the bottom of the post)

Jean-Pierre Auconie (JP) , the creator of the Message Box Viewer tool for BizTalk, has released a supporting tool called the Message Box Viewer Query Builder. JP has also posted a quick help about the tool. On a previous post I went over how to extend the message box viewer tool version 10 with your own custom queries and provided a file for the five queries I created with message body tracking counts.

This new tool allows you to generate several kinds of custom queries to be run against a BizTalk environment when the MsgBoxViewer tool is run. You can:

• Create SQL, general and BizTalk specific WMI queries
• Run CMD, BAT, and VBS code
• Run a custom method provided by a DLL you create

Since the release of the query builder the with the latest version of MsgBoxViewer the structure of the extension XML file generated has changed, so I’ve recreated my message tracking queries xml using the Query Builder tool (link at the bottom of the post).

Here are the steps I followed to create the new extension file:

First extract the zip file and then run MBVQueryBuilder.exe

Click the blue ‘Add’ button and the tool will ask you for the name of the XML file that will hold your queries. I called it ThiagoTrackingQueriesRepository.XML

Edit the Caption, Source, Comment, Category, Target Type, and Body properties to reflect my message body tracking queries (clicking the Add button for each new SQL Query):

Clicking the ‘Test Checked Queries’ will run MessageBoxViewer with only your queries for you to validate that the queries are running correctly and show you the HTML with the results for them at the end. Lastly, click the ‘Export to Query Extension File’ to generate my file.

Now, as per my previous post,  copy the created file to the same folder as the MessageBoxViewer executable. This will give you new tabs with the categories you entered in the query builder (mine is called ‘Message Body Tracking Counts’).

Upon running the collection you will get the queries in their own category results in the resulting XML:

 

You can run the Message Box Viewer tool periodically, or even have it automatically send emails with the results, to ensure your BizTalk system is following all the best practices checked by the tool and your custom queries built with the Query Builder.

You can download the new extension file with the message body tracking queries below:

MVBEXT.XML

BizTalk Server 2009 Officially Released and Installation Guides Updated

 

Microsoft have now officially released BizTalk Server 2009 for general availability – the April 27, 2009 press release is available here.

To match the release there have been a few updates on the product page as mentioned by Richard Seroter. A couple of  other important changes I’ve noticed are:

BizTalk Server 2009 RTM Installation and Upgrade Guides – includes the installation guides to Windows Vista, XP, server 2003, server 2008, upgrade from BizTalk 2006 to 2009, RFID installations, and a troubleshooting guide.

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=9c697e02-d1bc-4684-8748-28b3a292d5bf

BizTalk Server 2009 RTM Online Help – The full BizTalk Server 2009 help is now online

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb430723.aspx

 

–Thiago

New and Updated BizTalk Support Articles and Hotfix

 

There is a new Microsoft support article “TCP settings that can impact BizTalk Server” released a couple of days ago that combines previously released information from several sources on what TCP registry settings could impact a BizTalk system:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/970406/en-us

 

Three existing support articles have also been reviewed and updated to include BizTalk 2009:

You experience blocking, deadlock conditions, or other SQL Server issues when you try to connect to the BizTalkMsgBoxDb database in BizTalk Server

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917845/en-us

Description of the SQL Server Agent jobs in BizTalk Server – Includes the new Rules_Database_Cleanup_BizTalkRuleEngineDb job introduced in BizTalk 2009

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/919776/en-us

You receive a "TDDS failed to read from source database." error message in the application log of a computer that is running BizTalk Server

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/841334/en-us

 

There’s also a new hotfix for BizTalk 2004 and 2006 R2 regarding rules engine purging:

FIX: The rules engine tables are not being purged when you use BizTalk Server

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/958211/en-us

 

–Thiago

New issue of BizTalk HotRod released

 

I’ve just received an email (along with some other people’s email addresses in the To field) from the BizTalk HotRod magazine editor mentioning the new issue of the BizTalk HotRod magazine.

The issue has some amazing articles that every BizTalk professional should look at:

Writing Great BizTalk Applications by Rajinder Singh

BizTalk Rule Engine, a practical application by Alexander Krotov

Development Challenges with XML over AS2 by Suresh Kumar R & Sijo Jose T

Batching Outbound Messages: Management of Multiple Batch Criteria per Party by Bhola Meena

Hierarchical naming convention for BizTalk Messaging artifacts by David Hurtado Toran

To Be, Or Logical Not To Be: If-Then-Else in BizTalk Maps by Chris Romp

Enhancing the BizTalk Mapper: How to Wrap XSLT in Custom Functoids by Richard T. Broida

Muenchian Grouping and Sorting in XSLT by Chris Romp

Eliminate BizTalk Admin Problems with Terminator by Larry Meadows

Static Code Analysis for BizTalk Using BizTalkCop – Avoiding Common Pitfalls by Benny Mathew

 

You can download the issue here: http://biztalkhotrod.com/Documents/BizTalk_HotRod_Issue6_Q2_2009.pdf

 

–Thiago

Order of map and pipeline execution in BizTalk ports

 

For future reference to all those that want to remember in what order maps and pipelines get executed on receive and send ports:

One-way Receive Port:

End system –> Receive Adapter –> Receive Pipeline –> Inbound Map –> Message Box

Request Response Receive Port:

End system –> Adapter –> Receive Pipeline –> Inbound Map -> Message Box -> Outbound Map –> Send Pipeline –> Adapter –> End System

One-way Send Port (static and dynamic):

Message Box –> Outbound Map –> Send Pipeline –> Send Adapter –> End System

Request Response Send Port (static and dynamic):

Message Box-> Outbound Map –> Send Pipeline –> Adapter -> End system –> Adapter –> Receive Pipeline –> Inbound Map -> Message Box

 

See the pattern? Pipelines always get executed right before or right after the end system adapter. And maps are always executed right before or right after the message box.

–Thiago

BizTalk Server 2009 books to look out for

 

I am building a BizTalk 2009 book library for my team at work and thought I’d share the list of books with some comments. They can all be pre-ordered from Amazon (with the exception of Pro Mapping in BizTalk 2009 and Pro RFID in BizTalk Server 2009 that are already shipping).

Must have books:

• SOA Patterns with BizTalk Server 2009 by Richard Seroter
• Very much anticipated by me and other BizTalk professionals out there. It will cover a lot of hot topics. You can read more about it on Richard’s blog
• Pro BizTalk 2009 by by George Dunphy, Harold Campos, Stephen Kaufman, Peter Kelcey, Sergei Moukhnitski, David Peterson
• Must have book that follows the very popular Pro BizTalk 2006 book. Due out on the second half of the year this book should cover in detail a lot of the new features introduced since BizTalk 2006.

Good to have books:

• Pro Mapping in BizTalk Server 2009 by Jim Dawson and John Wainwright
• This one has just arrived today on my desk – it is is a great book to have for mapping reference and to help crack some hard mapping nuts, especially if you are mapping difficult schemas like EDI. Unfortunately it does not cover the new unit testing features in BizTalk 2009 and some of the screenshots are from BizTalk 2006. But don’t be fooled – the book has great guidance, best practices, and examples of BizTalk mapping and there is no other book out there with so much info on the topic.
• Pro BAM in BizTalk Server 2009 by Geoff Snowman, Jeff Sanders
• Very promising book on BAM. Not only it will cover the basics but will give advanced insight into how to expose the data captured by BAM on different technologies, how to capture the data, and hands on examples.
• Pro RFID in BizTalk Server 2009 by Mark Beckner, Mark Simms, Ram Venkatesh
• Another good book that will cover BizTalk RFID in detail – a great starting point for anyone looking at implementing RFID solutions with BizTalk. One very interesting topic are the real world case studies.

–Thiago

BizTalk 2009 RTM Prerequisites

 

UPDATE!!: Microsoft have now (27/04/2008) released the final redistributable CAB files. The below are the final English language CAB files you need for a BizTalk Server 2009 installation on Windows Server 2008:

32bit: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=137254

64bit: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=137261

The installation guides have links to the redistributable pre-requisites for other languages and operating systems.

————————————————————————————

The pre-requisites CAB files available at the moment for BizTalk 2009 on Windows Server 2008 are:

32bit:  http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81432

64bit: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=81423

 

These CAB files have version 8.0 of ADOMD.NET in them.  If you run into a problem with the RTM version of BizTalk 09 asking for version 10 of ADOMD.NET, you can download it from here:

32bit: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=130651&clcid=0×409

64bit: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=130652&clcid=0×409

 

Regards,

Thiago

BizTalk Server 2009 RTM Released to MSDN Downloads

 

It’s been an insider’s knowledge that BizTalk 2009 RTM has been released a few days ago (March 28 2009). It is now official and available for download on MSDN downloads! Not only the core BizTalk has been deployed, but RFID, accelerators, LOB adapters, host system adapters, and host integration server 2009 are now available. An amazing effort by the product teams!

Here is what you get:

BizTalk Server 2009 Enterprise Edition (x86) – DVD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Standard Edition (x86) – DVD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Developer Edition (x86) – DVD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Branch Edition (x86) – DVD (English)

BizTalk Server RFID 2009 (x86) – CD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Line of Business Adapters (x86) – CD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Accelerators Enterprise Edition (x86) – CD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Accelerators Standard Edition (x86) – CD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Line of Business Adapters (x86) – CD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Adapters for Host Systems 2.0 Enterprise Edition (x86) – CD (English)

BizTalk Server 2009 Adapters for Host Systems 2.0 Developer Edition (x86) – CD (English)

Host Integration Server 2009 (x86) – CD (English)

– Thiago

Updated “How to maintain and troubleshoot BizTalk Server databases” article

 

The article on Microsoft support about maintaining and troubleshooting BizTalk Server databases has been reviewed and  updated. It even now applies to BizTalk 2009 databases (although I’m not sure they’ve added too much about 2009 there).  It’s definitely worth checking out if you are involved in maintaining and supporting BizTalk Server databases.

The support page link is:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/952555