Automated Deployment of EDI Properties; also useful for bulk import of Party Properties
Typical use of Deployment functions is to move settings across machines, development to staging and finally to production.
However another huge use of this feature is the ability to import Party/EDI settings from LOB and other such applications using the 'import' binding file. To enable this - user will need to create ‘a’ compliant XML and import it.
Just imagine how complicated initial setup would be without this functionality – 100s or 1000s of Party/EDI settings would be required to be manually created! Wonderful!!
Deployment of EDI Properties
BizTalk server 2006 R2 EDI subsystem can be configured through EDI Global properties and Party EDI properties. Deployment of these EDI properties is integrated with BizTalk Application Deployment and is available through Administration console and BTSTask command line tool.
Exporting EDI Properties:
While exporting bindings of BizTalk artifacts in an application, group or assembly (using Administration console or BTSTask); EDI Properties of all the bounded parties are exported automatically along with other party information.
While exporting bindings from an application or assembly, deployment tools provide an option of “Global Parties”. If this “Global Parties” option is selected:
· EDI Properties of all the parties in the group is exported along with other Party properties.
· Global EDI Properties are exported.
Activation of this feature is enabled in a few ways: while using Export Binding dialog - “Global Parties” the option is enabled as CheckBox control ‘Export Global Party Information; while using Export MSI dialog the option is enabled as Global Parties checkbox; and while using BTSTask command line tool the option is available as GlobalParties switch (BTSTask ExportBindings -Destination:value ((([-ApplicationName:value] | [-AssemblyName:value]) [-GlobalParties]) | [-GroupLevel]))
Importing EDI Properties:
EDI Properties are imported to the system while importing Binding XML file or MSI package using Administration console or BTSTask command line tool. While importing EDI Properties, bear in mind the following important points:
- Existing EDI Properties will be overwritten. EDI Properties (or any bindings) for parties of the same name that already exist in the application are overwritten. If Binding File contains EDI Global Properties, existing EDI Global Properties will be overwritten.
- You must reconfigure passwords. For security reasons, when you export a binding file, BizTalk Server removes the passwords for the bindings from the file (e.g. UNB6.1 and UNB6.2 fields are removed for EDIFACT Properties, and ISA1, ISA2, ISA3 and ISA4 fields are removed from X12 Properties). After importing the bindings, you must reconfigure these sensitive fields before processing EDI messages.
Porting EDI properties from LOB systems
If you have a Partner Management system having EDI properties for many partners, you may prefer to create the binding XML file and use the Import wizards or BTSTask command line tool.
Attached is a sample binding XML file, BindingInfo.Xml, containing Party EDI Properties and Global EDI Properties. We may publish a schema of binding file in a future Beta release; however a schema may be generated using the attached XML file.
(Content provided by Manoj - thanks Manoj!)
Namaste!
Suren