Cons of SeeBeyond to BizTalk Migration
· Cannot be decoupled from the proprietary data storage layer – Microsoft SQL Server. This means a deployment must also acquire SQL Server licenses even though it may be using a different DB solution.
· Debugging the main business process logic - orchestrations – is non-standard, circuitous, and discouragingly complex (stepping through code debugging involves understanding the XLang library) – although nearly every error message has profuse help available from the online community.
· BizTalk development involves little coding but a lot of configuration. Configuration errors are cryptic, difficult to trap, trace or debug – resulting in once again defaulting to help from the community rather than the software itself
· UML compliance for modeling the business processes (Orchestrations) is missing
· Recovery of failed messages is manual and not automated
· Monitoring is dependent on additional software like Microsoft Operations Manager and is not available out of the box
· Runs only on Windows and not on other server operating systems like UNIX flavors. Although the Microsoft server platform is the fastest growing server system, this is still limiting to its adoption base for non-Windows deployments. The product is also reliant on core OS services like security, scale out and authentication.
Posted in: Software Software Programming| Tags: Microsoft WCF B2B BizTalk BizTalk Server BizTalk Server 2006 EAI flagship integration solutions Windows Communication FrameworkPros of SeeBeyond to BizTalk Migration
Business Value
· Fastest growing integration software, with 5500+ customers in the past 4 years
· Supported by the largest and most stable software company on the planet –course change which is common among smaller players is unlikely
· Lower TCO – on average about half but sometimes as much as one-sixth. This is in part due to the large user community of developers and support communities (average SeeBeyond consultant (independent) is $150 / hour whereas the average BizTalk consultant costs $65-70 / hour)
· Powerful, customizable end to end process management, application integration and trading partner management
· A broad array of technology and application adapters are freely available – connecting everything from SAP, Oracle and Siebel to BizTalk
· Business vertical accelerators are available for faster implementation – HL7, HIPAA, RosettaNet, SWIFT, GDS, etc
· Highly SOA capable – native support for web services in web ports. Now its tightly integrated with the Windows Communication framework supporting all WS* standards
· Hybrid of Hub and Spoke and Message Bus architecture – the “Hub Bus” architecture avoiding the weaknesses of both
· 64-bit support
· Built on the Windows platform – the largest and most broad-based platform integrating a host of other widespread applications - from office to collaboration portals
Development value
· Tightly integrated with Visual Studio – the most widely used and well-known integrated development environment in the World
· Bigger Adapter Community – help and a breadth of knowledge is easily available
· Reduced Custom Coding
· Common Type System Languages like C# (no MONK)
· All internal processing and communication based on open XML standards
· Simplified setup and deployment
Posted in: Software Software Programming| Tags: Microsoft WCF B2B BizTalk BizTalk Server BizTalk Server 2006 EAI flagship integration solutions Windows Communication FrameworkA Perspective on SeeBeyond to BizTalk Migration
BitTalk is the flagship product of Microsoft for EAI and B2B integration solutions. BizTalk Server allows diverse software islands to exchange information. It comprises of a messaging component that provides the ability to communicate over a range of transport and application protocols and data formats by using pluggable adapters. BizTalk supports graphically modelling the business process logic to schedule that information exchange. The product also lets information workers monitor running processes, interact with trading partners, and perform other business-oriented tasks.
Several other technologies can also be used in concert with the engine, including:
· A Business Rules Engine that allows evaluating sets of rules and policies.
· A Health and Activity Tracking tool that lets developers and administrators monitor and manage the engine and the orchestrations it runs.
· An Enterprise Single Sign-on facility, providing the ability to map authentication information between Windows and non-Windows systems.
On top of this foundation, BizTalk Server 2006 provides a group of technologies that address the more business-oriented needs of information workers. Those technologies are:
· Business Activity Monitoring, allowing information workers to monitor a running business process. The information is displayed in business rather than technical terms, and what gets displayed can be controlled directly by business people.
· Business Activity Services, allowing information workers to set up and manage interactions with trading partners.
From its initial roots, BizTalk Server has grown into the foundation for supporting a range of business processes since 2004 when it was the first Microsoft server product to be re-developed in .NET. As the change to a service-oriented world rolls on, BizTalk Server 2006 will continue to play an important part in the ongoing SOA wave through an array of WS* compliant technologies like Windows Communication Framework.
Posted in: Software Software Programming| Tags: Microsoft WCF B2B BizTalk BizTalk Server BizTalk Server 2006 EAI flagship integration solutions Windows Communication Framework