April/2008 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday April 29th, 2008

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : Building Healthcare Solutions with BizTalk

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "Healthcare challenges and building Healthcare interfaces using BizTalk "
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "Monitoring KPI's in Healthcare using BAM and HL7 Accelerator"

Abstract:

Integrating applications and data both within and across organizations can be challenging and presents significant obstacles to organizations. There are common approaches and solutions to these obstacles which apply to all industry sectors, however, some industry sectors face challenges which are unique to that sector. BizTalk addresses both the general challenges and the industry-specific problems by providing Accelerators specific to a vertical. This BTUG session will focus on solving the integration obstacles in the healthcare vertical by demonstrating the BizTalk's integration solution. It presents approaches and solutions which can be applied to all industries and specifically challenges within the healthcare industry.

Integrating applications and data within the healthcare space require standardization of business workflows to allow interoperability. HL7 is the most widely used data standard specification within the healthcare industry to enable interoperability across these boundaries. This session will demonstrate how to implement HL7 using BizTalk and the BizTalk Accelerator for HL7. In addition to a demonstration of BizTalk and the BizTalk Accelerator for HL7 and the value it adds to the BizTalk integration environment, key performance indicators (KPIs) will be addressed by demonstrating how KPIs in healthcare can be monitored by Integrating BAM with BizTalk Accelerator for HL7.

Speaker: DapaSoft

Dapasoft is a software development and IT consulting firm that prides itself on business innovation. We deliver custom software solutions and system integration services to our clients in a variety of verticals; including healthcare, steel manufacturing and public services.

Dapasoft is proud to be a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner company, with demonstrated competency in Business Process and Integration. Dapasoft works closely with Microsoft Canada as a core partner in the area of BizTalk architecture, design and development services.

March/2008 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday March 25th, 2008

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : Streaming Pipeline Component Development in BizTalk

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "Streaming Pipeline Component Development in BizTalk - Part 1"
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "Streaming Pipeline Component Devleopment in BizTalk - Part 2"

Abstract:

Efficient pipeline components are key to getting the most throughput from BizTalk.  Writing efficient pipeline components requires a streaming approach, and this concept can be hard to grasp for developers unfamiliar to it.  This session will cover some of the underlying BizTalk streams used by the out of the box pipeline components – streams which are available to use but not documented, and how some of these streams are implemented under the covers.  We will also look at some real world custom pipeline components that have been developed on top of the built in streams.

Speaker: Nic Barden

Nic is a Senior Consultant for ObjectSharp Consulting based in Toronto and is also a BizTalk Server MCP.  He has been working with BizTalk since 2002 and developed a replacement to the Base EDI Adapter for BizTalk 2004 and 2006 while working at Bryn Systems.

February/2008 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday February 26th, 2008

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : Robust Error Handling for BizTalk Solutions

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "Error Handling for Adapters and Ports"
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "Error Handling for Orchestrations"

Abstract:

When planning and designing a BizTalk Infrastructure, careful consideration must be given to handling exceptions that occur in adapters, receive/send ports and orchestrations. Additionally, routing failures and suspended message handling must be planned for. This session will discuss and demonstrate various techniques to handle exceptions and process suspended messages. Some of the topics that will be discussed and demoed include:

Central Error Handling (Such as the Exception Management Framework in the ESB Toolkit), Using Compensation in Orchestrations, Pipeline and Orchestration Retry Patterns that leverage the built in MessageBox persistence of BizTalk Server. Using Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) to monitor BizTalk Server and report errors.

Speaker: Matt Meleski

Matt is the EAI practice lead for Objectsharp Consulting based in Toronto and is also a BizTalk Server MVP. Matt helps customers to implement BizTalk solutions and is also the author and instructor for a 5 day BizTalk 2006 Developer course. 

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January/2008 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday January 29th, 2008

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : BizTalk Server 2006 R2 and WCF Integration

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "BizTalk Server 2006 R2 and WCF Integration Part 1"
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "BizTalk Server 2006 R2 and WCF Integration Part 2"

Abstract:

Microsoft's "R2" version of BizTalk Server 2006 released last fall includes powerful new WCF-enabled adapters that significantly extends BizTalk integration reach wtih respect to WS* compliant web services.  Join Rod da Silva as he surveys and demonstrates the capabilities of these new BizTalk adapters.

Speaker: Rod da Silva

Rod da Silva is an independent Microsoft BizTalk MVP consultant with extensive real-world experience architecting, developing and deploying BizTalk solutions and has been involved with some of the largest BizTalk deployments attempted to date. Rod is the founder of the BizTalk User Group (www.BTUG.biz) and heads the Toronto chapter. Rod is also a BizTalk and Windows Workflow Foundation instructor for the leading MS training company - DevelopMentor. Rod is the cheif architect and developer for the commercially available CULE.Net language which privides an xBase style dialect language for the .Net Framework (see www.CULEPlace.com). You can reach Rod at RodDaSilva@SoftwarePerspectives.com.

November/2007 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday November 27th, 2007

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : RFID and BizTalk Server 2006 R2

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "RFID and BIzTalk Server 2006 R2 - Part 1"
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "RFID and BizTalk Server 2006 R2 - Part 2"

Abstract:

(Winson Wo)
Winson Woo will draw upon his experience in helping Cactus Commerce clients efficiently consume, store, manage and utilize RFID data using Microsoft BizTalk Server to illustrate real-world uses of RFID technologies. He will compare barcoding technologies and infrastructures that bind of product data with RFID data to ensure scalability for more robust implementations as the technology evolves and becomes more mission critical. He will round out the discussion with an overview and value proposition of the Microsoft platform and how it relates to RFID.

(Peter Kelcey)
Bundled BizTalk 2006 R2, the new Microsoft RFID technology is an innovative device management and event processing platform at the edge of the enterprise. It is designed to provide a scalable, extensible platform for development, deployment, and management of rich RFID and sensor solutions. In this session, we’ll look at the RFID stack architecture and how developers can rapidly developer their own solutions on top of it.

Speakers:  Winson Woo and Peter Kelcey

Mr. Winson Woo is the Director of Supply Chain Management at Cactus Commerce Inc. In this role, Mr. Woo leverages BizTalk Server and the BizTalk Accelerators including Cactus GDS Accelerator for BizTalk and the BizTalk Accelerator for RosettaNet to help organizations resolve their B2B and E-Commerce challenges. Mr. Woo is both a Microsoft Certified Professional and a 1SYNC-Certified Consultant.

Peter Kelcey is a technology specialist focused on BizTalk Server at Microsoft Canada. As part of this role he focuses on planning and architecting BizTalk projects for large clients. Additionally he's responsible for engaging with (and supporting) the BizTalk technical community within the Greater Toronto Area. So he's always eager to discuss your BizTalk experiences, heartaches and triumphs.

October/2007 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday October 30th, 2007

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : Correlation in BizTalk Orchestration

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "Correlation in BizTalk Orchestration - Part 1"
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "Correlation in BizTalk Orchestration - Part 2"

Presentation Abstract:

This session covers the key notion of Correlation in BizTalk Orchestrations as it pertains to implementing sophisticated Message Exchange Patterns (MEPs) in BizTalk.  We will first look at the basic principals of correlation and how to implement it in Orchestration.  Then we consider how correlation is implemented under the hood in BizTalk's messaging architecture with subscription.  Finally, with the fundamentals well understood, we will consider higher level MEPs such as sequential and parallel convoy patterns - all made possible through the magic of correlation.

Speaker: Rod da Silva

Rod da Silva is an independent Microsoft BizTalk MVP consultant with extensive real-world experience architecting, developing and deploying BizTalk solutions and has been involved with some of the largest BizTalk deployments attempted to date. Rod is the founder of the BizTalk User Group (www.BTUG.biz) and heads the Toronto chapter. Rod is also a BizTalk and Windows Workflow Foundation instructor for the leading MS training company - DevelopMentor. Rod is the cheif architect and developer for the commercially available CULE.Net language which privides an xBase style dialect language for the .Net Framework (see www.CULEPlace.com). You can reach Rod at RodDaSilva@SoftwarePerspectives.com.

 

September/2007 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday September 25th, 2007

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : BizTalk Mapping

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "BizTalk Mapping - Part 1"
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "BizTalk Mapping - Part 2"

Presentation Abstract:

In this session we will look at the role Maps play in BizTalk. The talk will start with a review of the BizTalk Mapping tool hosted in Visual Studio 2005. We will see how to create maps, test them, use Functoids (out-of-the-box extensibility points within a map), generate XSLT from a map, how to consume existing XSLT files with a map, and review where in the BizTalk architecture you can run a map. Once the basics are covered we will dive into some of the more advanced features of BizTalk Mapping including dealing with looping and filtering within a map, and writing custom Functiods to use in your maps. Finally we will look at BizTalk Map usage best practices. Specifically we will see how maps play an essential role in one of BizTalk’s most important enterprise patterns - normalizing incoming messages to a canonical form. Whether you are new to BizTalk or an experienced BizTalk developer, you will be sure to enjoy this interactive, demo filled presentation.

Speaker: Rod da Silva

Rod da Silva is an independent Microsoft BizTalk MVP consultant with extensive real-world experience architecting, developing and deploying BizTalk solutions and has been involved with some of the largest BizTalk deployments attempted to date. Rod is the founder of the BizTalk User Group (www.BTUG.biz) and heads the Toronto chapter. Rod is also a BizTalk and Windows Workflow Foundation instructor for the leading MS training company - DevelopMentor. Rod is the cheif architect and developer for the commercially available CULE.Net language which privides an xBase style dialect language for the .Net Framework (see www.CULEPlace.com). You can reach Rod at RodDaSilva@SoftwarePerspectives.com.

May/2007 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday May 29th, 2007

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : Degrees of Freedom in BizTalk Port Binding

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "Degrees of Freedom in BizTalk Port Binding - Part 1"
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "Degrees of Freedom in BizTalk Port Binding - Part 2"

Presentation Abstract:

In order to get the most out of your BizTalk implementations you need to understand your options when it comes to binding BizTalk ports. BizTalk offerings many ways to bind ports for the purposes of receiving or sending data messages. This session takes an in depth look at the “degrees of freedom” a developer has when designing port binding strategies for BizTalk applications. Options range from:

- Design-time static
- Deployment-time static
- Runtime dynamic
- Runtime direct
- Role-based dynamic

This session will explore these different binding modes and discuss advantages and disadvantages of each.

Speaker: Rod da Silva

Rod da Silva is an independent Microsoft BizTalk MVP consultant with extensive real-world experience architecting, developing and deploying BizTalk solutions and has been involved with some of the largest BizTalk deployments attempted to date. Rod is the founder of the BizTalk User Group (www.BTUG.biz) and heads the Toronto chapter. Rod is also a BizTalk and Windows Workflow Foundation instructor for the leading MS training company - DevelopMentor. Rod is the cheif architect and developer for the commercially available CULE.Net language which privides an xBase style dialect language for the .Net Framework (see www.CULEPlace.com). You can reach Rod at RodDaSilva@SoftwarePerspectives.com.

April/2007 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

Date : Tuesday April 24th, 2007

Time : 6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place : Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost : Free

Topic : Introduction to Windows Communication Foundation

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "Introduction to Windows Communication Foundation (Part 1)"
• 8:00 p.m. Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation: "Introduction to Windows Communication Foundation (Part 2)"

Presentation Abstract:

Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) is a component of .NET Framework 3.0 (formerly known as WinFx). It combines and extends existing Windows communication technologies such as (ASMX web services, remoting, message queuing, and COM+) into a unified framework for building distributed applications and connected systems.

This session will provide a solid overview of WCF. It will describe the essential programming concepts that are core to the technology and will demonstrate how to build, configure and consume simple WCF services.

Speaker: Rob Windsor

Rob Windsor is a senior consultant with ObjectSharp Consulting in Toronto, Canada. Rob focuses on the architecture, design and development of custom business applications using leading edge Microsoft technologies. In addition Rob is also a top rated instructor for Learning Tree International where he teaches many of the courses in the .NET curriculum. Rob is President of the Toronto Visual Basic User Group (TVBUG) and, as a member of the MSDN Canada Speakers Bureau, is a regular speaker at User Group meetings in the Toronto area and across Canada. Rob has been recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for his involvement in the developer community.

 

March/2007 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

  

Date    :  Tuesday March 27th, 2007

Time   :  6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place  :  Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost    :  Free 

Topic   :  A First Look at BizTalk Server 2006 R2

 

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: "What's Coming in BizTalk 2006 R2 - An RFID Overview"
• 8:00 p.m.  Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation:  "BizTalk R2 Adapter Framework and the New Adapters"

 

Presentation Abstract:

 BizTalk 2006 R2 is the next major release of BizTalk Server and is set to release in the fall of 2007.  In this session we’ll take a look at some of the features that will be included.  In the first session, we’ll take a first look at the new RFID engine included in R2. In the second session, we’ll look at the new Adapter framework that is coming and we’ll deep dive into a few of the new adapters that will be included in R2.  As part of this adapter deep dive, we’ll take a look at a working solution that uses BizTalk’s Office’s SharePoint Server adapter to implement an end to end workflow that incorporates both system level and human level workflows

Speaker:  Peter Kelcey

Peter Kelcey is a technology specialist with the Connected Systems Team at Microsoft Canada. As part of this role he focuses on planning and architecting BizTalk projects for large clients. Additionally he's responsible for engaging with (and supporting) the BizTalk technical community within the Greater Toronto Area. So he's always eager to discuss your BizTalk experiences, heartaches and triumphs.

 

February/2007 Toronto Chapter BTUG Meeting

  

Date    :  Tuesday February 27th, 2007

Time   :  6:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Place  :  Nexient - 2 Bloor St. West, Suite 800 (8th Floor - Classroom 11 )

Cost    :  Free 

Topic   :  Building Custom Pipeline Components for BizTalk & Unlocking XLS Files in a BizTalk Process

 

Agenda:

• 6:00 p.m. Pizza and reception
• 6:30 p.m. Toronto Chapter BTUG News/Business
• 6:45 p.m. Presentation: Building Custom Pipeline Components for BizTalk 
• 8:00 p.m.  Break
• 8:15 p.m. Presentation:  Unlocking XLS Files in a BizTalk Process (Far Point TEchnologies)
  

Presentations:

Building Custom Pipeline Components for BizTalk

Speaker:  Matt Meleski -  ObjectSharp

 

Unlocking XLS Files in a BizTalk Process (Far Point Technologies)

An introduction to Spread for BizTalk, a BizTalk pipeline disassembler that takes incoming Excel XLS data streams, and parses them into XML that maps to a schema created at design time in Visual Studio 2005. This presentation includes a demonstration of how to create a schema for an Excel XLS file without doing any coding, and how to receive Excel XLS email attachments into BizTalk orchestrations using Visual Studio 2005, BizTalk Server 2006, and Spread for BizTalk.

 Speaker:  Robby Powell -  Product Manager, FarPoint Spread SOA Components.