Prior to an understanding on what actually BizTalk Server is
and how it fits in an enterprise, we should have a proper understanding of
business processes. The Workflow Management Coalition (WFMC) defines a business
process as "a set of one or more linked procedures or activities which
collectively realize a business objective or policy goal, normally within the
context of an organizational structure defining functional roles and
relationships." It is a sequence of one or more related, structured
activities that has a clearly stated objective and a deliverable or outcome. Business
Processes, Workflow and Business Process Management are related. Workflow and
Business Process Management address the need of automation of business
processes. The Workflow Management Coalition defines workflow as "the automation
of a business process, in whole or part, during which documents, information,
or tasks are passed from one participant to another for action, according to a
set of procedural rules." With BPM, you can bridge the gap between
business and technology. It is a new concept that merges, or rather, integrates
business and Information Technology. Read more on this topic at my article on
Business Process Management here.
BizTalk Server, product from Microsoft is targeted at the
medium to large enterprises and facilitates a seamless integration of business
processes within an enterprise. It allows you to exchange documents within the
enterprise and facilitates unification of business systems within an
organizational unit.
The following are the major features in BizTalk Server.
·
Support for application integration through the use of messaging
·
Support for automation of business processes through the usage of
workflows
·
Business Rules Modeling Engine
·
Business Activity Monitoring
·
Support for Web Services
·
Administration Dashboard
·
Seamless integration with business applications