BizTalk Adapter Pack 2.0

As part of our continuing commitment to simplify interoperability, Microsoft will release the BizTalk Adapter Pack 2.0 which includes the Oracle E-Business Suite adapter and the Microsoft SQL Server adapter in addition to the BizTalk Adapter Pack 1.0 adapters. The BizTalk Adapter Pack 1.0 includes adapters for SAP, Siebel and the Oracle Database.

Included in all BizTalk Editions except for the BizTalk Server 2009 Branch Edition, the BizTalk Adapter Pack is also offered separately from BizTalk Server as a special SKU to provide direct point-to-point connectivity to LOB systems.

Key Messages

• Built on the proven, interoperable of the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), the BizTalk Adapter Pack 2.0 allows customers to connect mission-critical data across applications—regardless of whether they are built on.NET, SAP, Siebel, Oracle or other.
• With the BizTalk Adapter Pack 2.0, partners can provide value-added solutions for LOB application interoperability and also rapidly develop and market customized adapters to complement Microsoft offerings.
• Together, innovations in the .NET Framework and the BizTalk Server product line are enabling customers to build ‘real-world’ appropriate SOA solutions at their own pace, to meet their unique needs.

The BizTalk Adapter Pack is based on the WCF LOB Adapter SDK. This SDK provides a simple programming model for developing adapters that are based on Windows Communication Foundation. This is a separate download available to everyone using the .NET Framework 3.0.

Background

The BizTalk Adapter Pack 2.0 continues to invest in simplified ways that customers can connect .NET applications to line-of-business systems (LOBs), more specifically to Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS). These adapters require no code for point to point connection from BizTalk Server, SQL Server and custom .NET applications to key LOB systems, such as SAP R/3, Siebel, and Oracle. This is another demonstration of Microsoft’s long term commitment to interoperability.

Customers can achieve easy interoperability with multiple LOB applications (like SAP, Siebel or Oracle Applications) simultaneously with the BizTalk Adapter Pack. The adapters do not rely on the programming model/framework of individual Microsoft products like BizTalk Server, SQL Server or SharePoint Server but are built on the WCF components in the .NET Framework. This allows customer to do simple point-to-point connectivity solutions and simply move information to BizTalk Server, SQL Server or SharePoint Server. Customers can use the Adapter Pack with a broad set of choices for cross-platform integration.

Partners can not only provide value-added solutions for LOB interoperability by leveraging the Adapter Pack, they can rapidly develop and market full-fledged adapters to complement the Microsoft offering. A key value for partners is the WCF LOB Adapter SDK (available as a free download from MSDN) on which Microsoft has built Adapter Pack. The SDK enables a platform that makes Adapter development much easier by providing support for key capabilities (like Metadata browse & search and connection pooling) out of the box.