8 Tips & Tricks for Better BizTalk Programming

8 Tips & Tricks for

Better BizTalk Programming

Based on an MSDN article byMarty Wasznicky & Scott Zimmerman

Daniel Toomeypresenter

Credits

Marty Wasznicky (MCSE, MCSD, MCDBA, MCTS) is the Regional Program Manager for BizTalk Server in the Microsoft Connected System Division. He helps customers and Microsoft Partners adopt and implement Microsoft solutions in this space. Currently, he is working on Software Oriented Architecture and Enterprise Service Bus technologies. He lives with his wife in Los Angeles.

Scott Zimmerman (MCSD, MCTS) is a senior application development consultant with Microsoft specializing in BizTalk and .NET. He has won two awards for Web service design and the Overall World Frisbee Championship eight times. He lives with his wife Vera in Washington, D.C.

The Article

“8 Tips and Tricks for Better BizTalk Programming”

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/magazine/cc163423.aspx

Discusses: Multi-Part Messages Direct-Bound Ports Creating Web Services Debugging XSLT

The Tips

1. Always use multi-part messages2. Always try to design orchestrations with direct-

bound ports3. Always use separate internal and external schemas4. Never expose your internal schemas directly in

WSDL5. Always optimise the BizTalk registry for Web

Services6. Always set the assembly key file with a relative path7. Never overlook free sample code8. Debug XSLT in Visual Studio

#1 – Always Use Multi-Part Messages

Most messages in BizTalk are schema-based What if the schema changes? Not too bad, unless send/receive shapes use it: Property value is not valid: One or more Send or Receive actions are connected to Ports

and are using this Message. Please disconnect the actions before changing the Message Type.

Process to change schema bound to ports:1. Find all send/receive shapes using message

2. Delete the relevant port connections

3. Change MessageType property on message variable

4. Reset the operation’s MessageType property on all relevant port types

#1 – Always Use Multi-Part Messages

Solved by a level of indirection Multi-Part message type can wrap the underlying

schema Create a new Multi-Part Message type Set the message part to the original schema Name it appropriately (don’t use “body”!) Set the Message Body Part property = true Create messages based on this type

Ports and send/receive shapes can now use multi-part message type

Allows underlying schema changes (change the part definition) without breaking the port links

#1 –Use Multi-Part Messages

#2 – Use Direct-Bound Ports

Port Options in the Orchestration Designer Port Configuration Wizard

#2 – Use Direct-Bound Ports

Binding: Physical & Logical Port Types

Create This Physical Port Type For This Logical Port Type

Static One-Way One-Way / Receive or Send / Specify Later

Static Solicit-Response Request-Response / Send Port / Specify Later

Dynamic One-Way One-Way / Send Port / Dynamic

Dynamic Solicit-Response Request-Response / Send Port / Dynamic

#2 – Use Direct-Bound Ports

For BizTalk to BizTalk communication (not Web) No physical ports required 3 Types to choose from:

Message Box Routing By subscription (message type) Complete independence

Watch out for infinite loops! Self-Correlating

Share a port type between orchestrations (parameter) Not necessarily dependant on message type

(can use message type of XmlDocument) Orchestration-to-Orchestration

Wiring up two known solutions Not as loosely coupled as Message Box Routing

#2 – Use Direct-Bound Ports

Avoiding Infinite Loops: Don’t send the same message type that your sending

service is subscribing to! Copy message to a new type, or… Change value of a promoted property and use a filter:

BTS.MessageType == “http://MyInternalSchemas.MyProject#MyRootNode” AND inbound_message(status) != 1

…or, set operation-based subscription filter on receive shape (i.e. BTS.Operation != <one in orchestration>)

Caveat: Operation property not set until message passes through at least one orchestration(?)

#3 – Always Use Separate Internal & External Schemas

Canonical schemas provide flexibility Insulates against changes from a 3rd party

Altering fields or properties used in routing Modifying promoted properties

Separate assemblies for schemas & maps makes re-deployment easier

Can reduce number of maps required Combine multiple inbound schemas to one

canonical schema Map canonical schema to outbound schemas

#4 – Never Expose Your Internal Schemas in WSDL BizTalk Web Services Publishing Wizard:

#4 – Never Expose Your Internal Schemas in WSDL Loose coupling

Freedom to change orchestration without breaking the caller

Preserves external interface Need to define and build the schemas assembly prior

to running the wizard Remember to use the externally facing schemas!

Operation names MUST match exactly (orchestration will be subscription-based on this operation name)

Use XmlReceive pipeline to create MessageType property

#4 – Never Expose Your Internal Schemas in WSDL

#5 - Always Optimize the BizTalk Registry for Web Services Tweak default ASP.NET parameters BizTalk automatically multiplies by # of CPUs Steps to create a reusable script:

Back up your registry!! Create a Notepad file with a .REG suffix Copy code from next slide Replace BTSHOST with the name of your

BizTalk host (use Regedit to find key name) Double-click the file to install

#5 - Always Optimize the BizTalk Registry for Web Services

Windows Registry Editor version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BTSSvc$BTSHOST\CLR Hosting]

“MaxIOThreads”=dword:00000064“MaxWorkerThreads”=dword:00000064“MinIOThreads”=dword:00000019“MinWorkerThreads”=dword:00000019

#5 - Always Optimize the BizTalk Registry for Web Services Details about this and other optimisations:

msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa561380.aspx

Performance tuning for low latency messaging:

msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa475435.aspx

#6 – Always Set the Assembly Key File with a Relative Path Sharing solution with source control is easier Recommendation:

Place strong name key file in same directory as the VS solution file

Create each VS project (by BizTalk artefact type) in a separate sub-folder

Orchestrations Maps Pipelines Schemas Etc

Set path for key file: "..\..\..\Key.snk"

#6 – Always Set the Assembly Key File with a Relative Path Works differently for .NET components than for

BizTalk projects May have to hack project (*.csproj) file Search for name of key file and apply relative path

(usually only 1 parent hop) Don’t forget to add .NET assemblies to the GAC

Use the following Post-Build step: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\SDK\v2.0\Bin\gacutil.exe” /i “$(TargetPath)” /F

#7 – Never Overlook Free Sample Code

BizTalk Help file documents over 50 sample applications & scripts installed in the SDK directory:

\Program Files\Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006\SDK\Samples

30 more useful applications:msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/biztalk/aa937647.aspx

Blogger’s Guide to BizTalk (Alan Smith):http://www.codeplex.com/BloggersGuideBizTalk/Release/ProjectReleases.aspx?ReleaseId=5353

Your BrizTalk portal!!http://www.briztalk.org

#8 – Debug XSLT in Visual Studio

Doesn’t require BizTalk to be installed! Debug transforms at runtime:

Set breakpoints Examine local variables Inspect the call stack Step into XLST script

Right click in XSLT display screen (not the filename in Sol. Explorer!) to set the input document

#8 – Debug XSLT in Visual Studio

More Tips

Avoid BizTalk Explorer in BizTalk Server 2006

Never click Deploy at the Project level in Visual Studio 2005 Solution Explorer

Beware copying schemas from one project to another (must edit the namespaces)

Never use “Quick Promote” Keep maps out of orchestrations wherever

possible

Summary

Think “Loose Coupling” Expose external schemas only Use multi-part messages Use Direct Bound ports

Use all available resources Samples in SDK Blogs, etc VS debugging tools

References An XML Guru’s Guide to BizTalk Server 2004 (Aaron Skonnard)

http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/magazine/cc163712.aspx (Part 1)http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-gb/magazine/cc163695.aspx (Part 2)

BizTalk Webcasts on MSDNhttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/biztalk/aa937645.aspx

How Messages Work in BizTalk 2004 Orchestrations (Charles Young)http://geekswithblogs.net/cyoung/articles/4634.aspx

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective BizTalkers (Alan Smith)http://geekswithblogs.com/asmith/articles/17333.aspx

BizTalk Naming Conventions (Scott Colestock)http://traceofthought.net/misc/BizTalk%20Naming%20Conventions.htm

A Messaging-Based State Machine Design Pattern (Brian Loesgen) http://geekswithblogs.net/bloesgen/archive/2005/10/27/58364.aspx

Demystifying Direct Bound Ports (Kevin Lam)http://blogs.msdn.com/kevin_lam/archive/2006/04/18/578572.aspx

Questions?