What is Biztalk Orchestration?

In this article, I will explain my views on Biztalk Orchestrations. The Biztalk Orchestration is an important element of the Microsoft Biztalk Server.

Orchestration is an adaptable, powerful component for showing the executable business process using XLAN/s language. XLANG/s is a messaging language that has some features of C#.

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We can create a flow, explain and get data, call custom commands and arrange complete process in a visual drawing and the Biztalk Orchestration Engine, executes XLANG/s files at run time.

These files are executable business processes, produced by Biztalk Orchestration designer. Messages are operated by the send and receive actions. Ports, that transport the messages are the main elements of the orchestration.

E-business and Communication between the outside systems and orchestrations, happen with the help of messages. Receive and send shapes express the purpose, for which you want to receive and send messages.

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So, it’s important to know about different shapes, that orchestration designer uses for representing, the logical flow of your orchestration.

Correlation is the way by which messages are related, to specific running cases of an orchestration, by which your business process gets the exact data when more than one case is running, and many messages are transferred front and back.

Orchestration designer gives different methods to handle exceptions, that makes us manage the errors, in a manageable and predicted manner.

About Orchestration Design Surface:

Orchestration Design surface, ( i.e, visual Designer) is used for creating, Biztalk Orchestrations and it is an important element of Orchestration designer. It is like a canvas, where you can drag shapes from the toolbox, and then arrange the shapes.

The orchestration name is shown, on the top tab of the orchestration design surface screen and also in the visual studio screen title bar. The design surface has three sections, the two-port surfaces, and the process area.

The shapes that represent the process flow of the orchestration, are in the central process area. The two-port surface is present on each side of the process area.

Port surfaces have only ‘role’ and ‘port link’ shapes, that are connected with the receive and send shapes in the process area. Two of the port surfaces can be expanded, by clicking twice on them or by selecting the double arrow button.

The process area is always, in the center of the Orchestration design surface and is an important part, of the orchestration design surface of the orchestration designer. At the top of the design surface, there a Begin shape, and as you add shapes, the orchestration moves downside.

About Biztalk Orchestrations Tab, Toolbox:

The tools on the Biztalk Orchestrations tab, are called as shapes. These are visible and are open for use when you expand, the Biztalk orchestrations tab.

Steps in Orchestration Development:

Follow the below steps for creating an orchestration.

1. First, for representing your business process, add shapes.
2. Define layouts for explaining the setup of your messages.
3. Define ports by specifying how and where the messages are to be sent and received.
4. Connect the receive and send shapes to the ports, and mention the operations of the port they use.
5. Transform data among messages by using the ‘construct message’
6. Find any element that you want to add, or write as a reference in your orchestration.
7. use variables folder for declaring orchestration variables, and use the Biztalk Expression editor for changing expressions that refer.
8. After compiling the orchestration project, your orchestration is created.

Security Conditions for Developing Orchestrations:

Make sure that your orchestration, does not create any message offers depending on the content or conditions of a message, that is not trustworthy.

About Biztalk Orchestration Engine:

XLANG/s files produced by the Biztalk Orchestration designer, and are executed by the Biztalk Orchestration engine, at run time. An orchestration designer is a graphics tool, that is used for creating business processes visually.

Orchestration design creates an XLANG/s files, with a .odx extension and has extra visual information in their headers, and element information in their bodies.

The main functions of the Orchestration engine are hosting the .NET components, transactions, runtime validation, large message support, load throttling, and persistence.

In this article, I have shared about What is Biztalk Orchestration. Still, there is a lot to know about Biztalk Orchestration, I will share more information in my next article.