Microsoft officially released BizTalk Server 2009 today. Press release is here, and you can see a complete list of new features here.
I was wondering what to write, and a retrospective seemed appropriate.
But first, where are we today? I hear lots of questions out in the field: where will BizTalk fit in a Dublin world?, what about WF?, how does BizTalk mesh with the future technologies? One of the talks I just submitted for the San Diego CodeCamp I think sums up where we are now pretty nicely:
BizTalk Server 2009: Integration Server, SOA Foundation, Gateway to Azure
Microsoft recently released BizTalk Server 2009. In this session we will look at the power that BizTalk provides to connect applications, services and partners. Now in its 6th release, BizTalk has evolved to play a vital role as the foundational messaging bus in a services-oriented architecture. We will look at the value BizTalk Server 2009 adds in bridging between on-premises and cloud-based application, as well as how it enables SharePoint to provide human interaction in workflows, processes and service orchestrations.
BizTalkers, we have a VERY interesting story to tell. We are the glue that holds things together. BizTalk Server 2009, plus all the adapters, WCF capabilities, ESB capabilities in the ESB Guidance, BAM, the rules engine, SharePoint adapter. the list of value-adds and the power BizTalk provides goes on and on. BizTalk has evolved with the times, and the industry, adopted standards as they emerged, and added capabilities as they were needed. We started out by being (as Don Box said circa 2002-ish) “ahead of our time”, and, we still are. We were doing loosely-coupled async services long before anyone said that’s what we should be doing. We were contract-first message-oriented – about a decade ago!
Now for the retrospective part:
- Here’s my post about the BizTalk 2004 launch: http://blog.brianloesgen.com/archive/2004/03/08/2671.aspx
- Here’s a retrospective I did about 4 years ago: http://blog.brianloesgen.com/archive/2005/11/30/61669.aspx (I figure I can quote my own retrospective in my retrospective once it’s over 3 years old :))
And, my favorite, is the CD I have:
Yes, it says “1999”, and no, as it turns out there never was a “BizTalk Server 1.0”, that would be BizTalk Server 2000. I actually remember seeing the first press announcement about this new thing called BizTalk, and telling a co-worker “I’m going to keep an eye on this, it sounds cool”. I started working with bits and interacting with the product team back in the BizTalk Jumpstart Kit days, which pre-dated even this Alpha. I think I’ll wait a few more years, then take that CD and try installing it on Windows 12 or whatever we are running then (assuming whatever I have can still read CDs!).
We’ve come a very long way since then, and the future continues to be bright for BizTalkers.
Note, if you’re in the US Southwest, watch this space for details of a “first look” tour we’re putting together.