1. 8 Tips & Tricks
for
Better BizTalk Programming
Based on an MSDN article by
Marty Wasznicky & Scott Zimmerman
Daniel Toomey
presenter

2. 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.

3. 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

4. The Tips
1. Always use multi-part messages
2. Always try to design orchestrations with direct-
bound ports
3. Always use separate internal and external schemas
4. Never expose your internal schemas directly in
WSDL
5. Always optimise the BizTalk registry for Web
Services
6. Always set the assembly key file with a relative path
7. Never overlook free sample code
8. Debug XSLT in Visual Studio

5. #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

6. #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

7. #1 –Use Multi-Part Messages

8. #2 – Use Direct-Bound Ports
Port Options in the Orchestration Designer Port Configuration Wizard

9. #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

10. #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

11. #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#MyRo
otNode” 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(?)

12. #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

13. #4 – Never Expose Your Internal
Schemas in WSDL
 BizTalk Web Services Publishing Wizard:

14. #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

15. #4 – Never Expose Your Internal
Schemas in WSDL

16. #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

17. #5 - Always Optimize the BizTalk
Registry for Web Services
Windows Registry Editor version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControl
SetServicesBTSSvc$BTSHOSTCLR
Hosting]
“MaxIOThreads”=dword:00000064
“MaxWorkerThreads”=dword:00000064
“MinIOThreads”=dword:00000019
“MinWorkerThreads”=dword:00000019

18. #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

19. #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"

20. #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 FilesMicrosoft Visual
Studio 8SDKv2.0Bingacutil.exe” /i “$
(TargetPath)” /F

21. #7 – Never Overlook Free Sample Code
 BizTalk Help file documents over 50 sample
applications & scripts installed in the SDK
directory:
Program FilesMicrosoft BizTalk Server 2006SDKSamples
 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/ProjectReleas
es.aspx?ReleaseId=5353
 Your BrizTalk portal!!
http://www.briztalk.org

22. #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

23. #8 – Debug XSLT in Visual Studio

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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 MSDN
http://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

27. Questions?