Sandro Pereira BizTalk Blog

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Install and Configure the Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit (Part 14)

Sandro Pereira — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

BizTalk Server includes a powerful publish/subscribe mechanism for messaging applications that works by creating and filling subscriptions, which provides a highly efficient and scalable platform for service-oriented architecture (SOA) applications. The BizTalk ESB Toolkit extends the functionality of BizTalk Server to provide a range of new capabilities focused on building robust, connected, service-oriented applications that incorporate itinerary-based service invocation for lightweight service composition, dynamic resolution of endpoints and maps, Web service and WS-* integration, fault management and reporting, and integration with third-party SOA governance solutions.

The good news is that with BizTalk Server 2013, Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit is integrated with the BizTalk Server setup.

To install the Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit

Close any programs you have open. Run the BizTalk Server 2013 installer as Administrator.
On the BizTalk Server installation Start screen, click “Install Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit”.

On the License Agreement screen, select “Yes, I accept the terms of the license agreement” to accept the license agreement and click “Next”

On the Component Installation screen, select the components you want to install and then click “Next”

On the Summary screen, review installation details and then click Install.

On the Installation Completed screen, click “Finish” to close the installation wizard.

To configure the Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI and type “ESB Configuration tool” or “ESB”, right-click “ESB Configuration tool” option on Apps menu, and then click “Run as Administrator”.

Note: You must run the ESB Configuration Tool as an administrator.

In the ESB Configuration Tool screen, from the left pane, select “ESB Configuration” and on the right pane:

For “Database Server (Defaults)”: specify the database server name where the databases required for BizTalk ESB Toolkit will be created.
In the “IIS Web Services (Defaults)” box:

Specify the user credentials under which the applications required for BizTalk ESB Toolkit will be created.
Also specify the name of the website in IIS under which the applications will be created.

The “BizTalk User Groups (Defaults)” box lists the default user groups available for ESB configuration.

Leave the default values
Important: At this stage, you can click “Apply Configuration” towards the top of the ESB Configuration Tool to configure the Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit with the default settings. However, we will continue to configure the remains steps for a custom configuration.

From the left pane, expand “Exception Management” and do the following:

Click in the “Database” option and on the right pane:

Select “Enable Exception Management Database” check box to configure an exception management database.
In “Database server name”: specify the database server name where you want to create this database (specify the same database server name that you specify in the ESB Configuration panel under Database Server (Default) option)
In “Database name”: leave the default name “EsbExceptionDb”.
Leave the default groups

Click on the “Exception Web Services” option from the left pane and on the right pane:

Select “Enable Exception Services” check box to configure these services.
In “User Account” and “user Account Password”: specify the user account and password under which this services will run.
In “BizTalk Isolated Group” – Leave the default value “BizTalk isolated Host Users”
In “Website Name”: specify the website where you want to run these services.

From the left pane, expand “ESB Core Components”, and do the following:

Click the “Itinerary Database” option and on the right pane:

Select the “Itinerary Database” check box to configure an itinerary database.
In “Database server name”: specify the database server name where you want to create this database (specify the same database server name that you specify in the ESB Configuration panel under Database Server (Default) option)
In “Database name”: leave the default name “EsbItineraryDb”.
Leave the default groups

Click on the “Core Web Services” option from the left pane and on the right pane:

Select the “Enable Core Services” check box to configure these services.
In “User Account” and “user Account Password”: specify the user account and password under which this services will run.
In “BizTalk Isolated Host Group” – Leave the default value “BizTalk isolated Host Users”
In “Website Name”: specify the website where you want to run these services.

From the left pane, click “Configuration” to specify the SSO configuration.

If you are installing and configuring the Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit in a single server environment, you should select “File Configuration Source”, which is the default selection. However, if you are setting up a multiple-machine deployment, you must select the “SSO Configuration Source”, and then provide the following values.

SSO Server: Name of the SSO server.
Configuration file: Click the ellipsis button (…), and then browse to the Esb.config file, which is included in the Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit
Application Name: Type a name for the SSO application. For example, ESB Toolkit.
Contact Information: Type the appropriate contact information in the following format: someone@example.com.
Administrator Group Name: Click the ellipsis button (…), and then browse to the appropriate name
User Group Name: Click the ellipsis button (…), and then browse to the appropriate name

Select “File Configuration Source”

Click “Apply Configuration” on the top of the ESB Configuration Tool to configure the Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit. Open IIS and notice that the applications required for Microsoft BizTalk ESB Toolkit are now created under the website you specified.

Back to the “ESB Configuration Tool”, from the left pane, click “ESB BizTalk Applications” option, from the right pane, do the following:

Select the “Enable ESB Core Components in BizTalk Server” check box to create the application in the BizTalk Server Administration console.

Select the “Use Default Binding” to bind this application to the default host.
Optional you can select the “Do not use Default Binding” if you do not want to bind the application to the default host. In such a case, you must explicitly bind the application to a host, once the application is created.

Select the “Enable ESB JMS/WMQ Components in BizTalk Server” check box to create the application in the BizTalk Server Administration console.

Select the “Use Default Binding” to bind this application to the default host.
Optional you select the “Do not use Default Binding” if you do not want to bind the application to the default host. In such a case, you must explicitly bind the application to a host, once the application is created.

Click “Apply Configuration” on the top of the ESB Configuration Tool to create the applications you selected. Verify that the applications are created in the BizTalk Server Administration console.

Install Critical Windows Updates and BizTalk Server Cumulative Update Package

Once again, after all of this installations, I like to do a Windows update and if necessary restart the server, this step is not necessary.

However I will like to mention that until this date there’s already one Cumulative Update for BizTalk Server 2013 (Cumulative update package 1 for BizTalk Server 2013) that you should install to solve or fix minor problems that were detected.

Another great news in BizTalk Server 2013 is that cumulative packages for BizTalk Server will be available and delivery using Microsoft Update:

Check for windows update
Notice available fixes for BizTalk Server under optional updates
Select the update and install

The CU will also be available through the hotfix download as well.

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BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Install and Configure Microsoft UDDI Services (Part 13)

Sandro Pereira — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:35:11 +0000

UDDI Services provides Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) capabilities for sharing information about Web services within an organization’s intranet, between business partners on an extranet, or on the Internet. UDDI Services can help improve the productivity of developers and information technology (IT) professionals with more reliable and manageable applications. With UDDI Services you can prevent duplication of effort by promoting reuse of existing development work.

In a stand-alone installation, all default and optional components are installed on a single server. An instance of SQL Server must be installed before installing UDDI Services. When installing UDDI Services, the local instance of SQL Server is used to host the UDDI Services Database. UDDI Services Web Application and Notification Service are then configured to use the local UDDI Services Database.

To install Microsoft UDDI Services:

Close all applications before running setup. Run the BizTalk Server 2013 installer as Administrator.
On the Start screen, click “Install Microsoft UDDI Services”

On the License Agreement screen, select “Yes, I accept the terms in the license agreement” to accept the license agreement and click “Next”

On the Component Installation screen:
- In “Available Components”: select and click from the available components you want to install
- In “Install To”: specify a location to install UDDI Services components
- And then click “Next” to continue

On the Summary screen, review installation details and then click Install.

On the Installation Completed screen, select “Launch Microsoft UDDI Services Configuration” option and then click “Finish” to start the UDDI Services configuration.

On the Microsoft UDDI Services Configuration screen, apply the following configurations and then click “Configure” to continue:
- Select “Basic configuration” option
- In the “Database server name” field under “Database” properties, enter the name of the local computer that will hosts the UDDI database.
- In the “Service credential” properties, type the User name and Password for the account that the UDDI services will run under

Note: You may receive a warning if you enter a user name with administrative credentials on this computer. Click “Yes” to continue.

On the Summary screen, review configuration information, and then click “Next”
- You may receive an warning on the UDDI Services Notification Service, don’t worry, we’ll deal with that later

On the Completed screen, review configuration information:
- If UDDI Services Notification Service is failed, which is the case
  - Select “Launch Custom Configuration” option
- And then click “Finish”

On the Microsoft BizTalk Server Configuration (UDDI) screen, from the left pane, select “UDDI Services Notification Service” option and configure the following settings:
- Select “Enable UDDI Services Notification Service” option
- Under “Windows Service”, set the service account under which the UDDI Notification Service runs.
- Under “SMTP”, type the SMTP server for sending e-mail notifications.
- Under “E-mail address”, type the address of the e-mail account used for sending e-mail notifications.
- Under “SMTP Authentication”, specify the type of authentication used when authenticating with the SMTP server.
- When finish, click “Apply Configuration”

Click “Apply Configuration” to apply the configuration that you made.
On the Summary screen, review configuration information, and then click “Next”

On the Completed screen, review configuration information and then click “Finish”

Verify Your Installation

To verify that Microsoft UDDI Services is installed correctly:

Open Internet Explorer and type http://localhost/uddi, and then hit Enter
- If UDDI Services is installed correctly, you will see the Welcome to Microsoft UDDI Services page.

Related links

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Installing BizTalk Adapter Pack (Part 12)

Sandro Pereira — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:09:06 +0000

BizTalk Adapter Pack along with BizTalk AppFabric Connect, RFID features, UDDI services and ESB Toolkit are not automatically installed with the default installation process, instead you have to additional install this features

The Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack contains adapters that enable enterprise applications and databases to interface with each other by implementing a common adapter framework. Similar to programming to Web services, adapters enable clients to program to different enterprise applications. Technically, adapters are a binding to Windows Communication Framework (WCF). The BizTalk Adapter Pack consists of the following adapters:

Microsoft BizTalk Adapter for Oracle Database (Oracle Database adapter).
Microsoft BizTalk Adapter for Oracle E-Business Suite (Oracle E-Business adapter).
Microsoft BizTalk Adapter for mySAP Business Suite (SAP adapter). This also includes the .NET Framework Data Provider for mySAP Business Suite (Data Provider for SAP).
Microsoft BizTalk Adapter for Siebel eBusiness Applications (Siebel adapter). This also includes the .NET Framework Data Provider for Siebel eBusiness Applications (Data Provider for Siebel).
Microsoft BizTalk Adapter for SQL Server (SQL adapter).

To install BizTalk Adapter Pack:

Close any programs you have open. Run the BizTalk Server 2013 installer as Administrator.
On the Start screen, click “Install Microsoft BizTalk Adapters”

In the next Start screen, the first step is to install WCF LOB Adapter SDK, select the “Step 1. Install Microsoft WCF LOB Adapter SDK”. An installer of SDK is launched.

The WCF LOB Adapter SDK is a collection of a run-time engine and tools that help adapter developers create service-oriented interfaces to existing LOB systems by using WCF. The goal of the SDK is to facilitate uniform development of reusable, metadata-oriented, WCF-based adapters that enable enterprise applications, databases, and messaging platforms to integrate with each other.
On the Welcome to the Windows Communication Foundation LOB adapter SDK Setup Wizard screen, click “Next”

On the End-User License Agreement screen, select “I accept the terms in the License Agreement” to accept the license agreement and click “Next”

In the Choose Setup Type screen, select the installation type “Complete”:
- Typical: will install the common run time and tools,
- Custom: will allow you to select the features that you want to install and the installation location.
- Complete: will install all the features.

On the Ready to install WCF LOB adapter SDK screen, click “Install”

On the Completed the Windows Communication Foundation LOB Adapter SDK Setup Wizard screen, click “Finish”

Back to the Start screen, the second step is installation of the Adapter Pack (x86), select the “Step 2. Install Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack”. An installer of SDK is launched.

On the Welcome to the Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack Setup Wizard screen, click “Next”

On the End-User License Agreement screen, select “I accept the terms in the License Agreement” to accept the license agreement and click “Next”

In the Choose Setup Type screen, select the installation type “Complete”:
- Typical: will install the common run time and tools,
- Custom: will allow you to select the features that you want to install and the installation location.
- Complete: will install all the features.

On the Ready to install Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack screen, click “Install”

On the Customer Experience Improvement Program screen, select if you want to join the customer experience improvement program or not and click “OK”

On the Completed the Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack Setup Wizard screen, click “Finish”

Back to the Start screen, the next step is installing the Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack (x64) – note that before you install this pack you have to install x86 first – select the “Step 3. Install Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack(x64)”. An installer of SDK is launched.

On the Welcome to the Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack(x64) Setup Wizard screen, click “Next”

On the End-User License Agreement screen, select “I accept the terms in the License Agreement” to accept the license agreement and click “Next”

In the Choose Setup Type screen, select the installation type “Complete”:
- Typical: will install the common run time and tools,
- Custom: will allow you to select the features that you want to install and the installation location.
- Complete: will install all the features.

On the Ready to install Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack(x64), click “Install”

On the Customer Experience Improvement Program screen, select if you want to join the customer experience improvement program or not and click “OK”

On the Completed the Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack(x64) Setup Wizard screen, click “Finish”

Back to the Start screen, the final step is installing the Microsoft BizTalk Adapters for Enterprise Applications, select the “Step 4. Install Microsoft BizTalk Adapters for Enterprise Applications”. An installer of SDK is launched.

On the Welcome to the Microsoft BizTalk Adapters for Enterprise Applications Setup Wizard screen, click “Next”

On the End-User License Agreement screen, select “I accept the terms in the License Agreement” to accept the license agreement and click “Next”

In the Customer Information screen, type your User Name and Organization and click “Next” to continue.

In the Choose Setup Type screen, select the installation type “Complete”:
- Custom: will allow you to select the features that you want to install and the installation location.
- Complete: will install all the features.

On the Choose Destination Location screen, choose the folder location that to want to install this features and click “Next”

On the Ready to install screen, click “Install”

On the Completed the Microsoft BizTalk Adapters for Enterprise Applications Setup Wizard screen, click “Finish”

Close the Start screen, click “Exit”.

Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack and Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack (x64)

If I’m preparing an x64 environment machine why do I need to install both x86 and x64 Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack and not only x64 pack?

On any computer where you want to perform design-time tasks using either Visual Studio or BizTalk MMC, you must install the 32-bit adapter because:

BizTalk Server Administration console runs as a 32-bit Microsoft Management Console (MMC) application.
Visual Studio is also a 32-bit application (and there isn’t any 64-bit version of Visual Studio)

However for BizTalk run time perspective:

If you want to run the adapters under a 32-bit BizTalk process (Host Instance): you need to install Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack.
If you want to run the adapters under a 64-bit BizTalk process (Host Instance): you need to install Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack (x64).

So you always have to install Microsoft BizTalk Adapter Pack, or in other cases, you always need to install the 32-bit adapter if you want to perform any operation at design-time, especially, configuring the adapters in the administrative console.

Add adapters to BizTalk Administration Console

As it happens with all adapters that we installed on our BizTalk Servers before we can begin to use it we need to register or add the adapter. So the next step is adding the appropriate adapters in BizTalk Administration Console. To accomplish that we need to:

· Open BizTalk Administration Console by pressing the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI and type “BizTalk Server Administration” or “BizTalk”, right-click “BizTalk Server Administration” option on Apps menu

In the console left tree, expand “BizTalk Server Administration –> BizTalk Group –> Platform Settings” and then “Adapters”
Right-click on “Adapters” and add a new adapter by selecting the option “New –> Adapter”

In the “Adapter Properties” window
- In the Name box, type a descriptive name for this adapter.
- In the Adapter combo box, select the adapter from the drop-down that you want to add.
- In the Description box, type a description for the adapter (this is optional).

Click “OK” to complete the process of adding the adapter.
Repeat steps to add the other adapters.

Note: This configurations requires that you restart the host instance associated with the adapter.

Related links

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Validate Mail account used by BizTalk to send BAM Alerts (Part 11)

Sandro Pereira — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

After you configure with success BizTalk Server 2013 BAM Alerts, the configurator will create a new Database Mail Account called “BAM_Alerts_Account” that will be used by BizTalk to send BAM Alerts.

To Validate Mail account used by BizTalk to send BAM Alerts:

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI and type “SQL Management” or “SQL” and click in “SQL Server Management Studio” option on Apps menu.
In Object Explorer panel, connect to the SQL Server instance you want to configure Database Mail on, and expand the server tree.
Expand the “Management” node and double click “Database Mail” to open the Database Mail Configuration Wizard.
On the Welcome to Database Mail Configuration Wizard page, click “Next” to continue
On the Select Configuration Task page, select “Manage Database Mail accounts and profiles” option and click “Next”
On the Manage Profiles and Accounts page, select “View, change or delete an existent account” option, and click “Next”

On the Manage Existent Account page, select “BAM_Alerts_Account” option under “Account name” and validate the configuration. After that click “Next” to make any change or “Cancel” to exit.

Finally you should test sending an email with this Database Mail Account, to do that:

Right-click on Database Mail and select “Send Test E-Mail…”

On the Send Test E-mail from windows, specify a “To:” email and click “Send Test E-Mail”

If all goes well you should receive the email in a few seconds. If you have received the email, you have been able to configure Database Mail successfully.

Related links

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Configure SQL Server Network Configuration protocols (Part 10)

Sandro Pereira — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Under certain stress conditions (such as clients accessing SQL Server from the same computer), the SQL Server Shared Memory protocol may lower BizTalk Server performance. You can resolve this problem by disabling the use of the Shared Memory network protocol in SQL Server Network Configuration. Also, to facilitate transactions between SQL Server and BizTalk Server, you must enable TCP/IP and Named Pipes in SQL Server.

To configure the protocols for SQL Server:

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI and type “SQL Server Configuration Manager” and click in “SQL Server Configuration Manager” option on Apps menu.

In SQL Server Configuration Manager windows, from the left-hand pane expand “SQL Server Network Configuration” option and then click “Protocols for MSSQLSERVER”
- Verify that both “TCP/IP” and “Named Pipes” are enabled;
  - If not, right-click in the protocol, and then click “Enable”
  - Repeat to enable the other protocol if necessary.
- Verify that “Shared Memory” id Disable.
  - If not, right-click Shared Memory, and then click “Disable”

In the left-hand pane, click “SQL Server Services”, right-click “SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)”, and then click “Stop”. After the service has stopped, right-click “SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)” again, and then click “Start”.

Close SQL Server Configuration Manager.

Related links

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Install and Configure BizTalk Server 2013 (Part 9)

Sandro Pereira — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

In this section you’ll install BizTalk Server, confirm that the installation succeeded, and then configure BizTalk Server.

When you installed SQL Server, setup granted your account Database Administrator rights. Since these rights are also required for installing BizTalk Server, you must do one of the following:

Use the same account you used when you installed SQL Server.
Or make sure the account you’re using now also has Database Administrator rights and is also local administrator.

To install BizTalk Server 2013

Close any programs you have open. Run the BizTalk Server 2013 installer as Administrator.
On the Start screen, click “Install Microsoft BizTalk Server 2013”

On the Customer Information screen, type your user name and organization, enter your product key, and then click “Next”

On the License Agreement screen, accept the license agreement, and then click “Next”

On the Customer Experience Improvement Program screen, specify whether you want to participate in the program, and then click “Next”
- BizTalk Server 2013 participates in the Customer Experience Improvement Program. As part of this support, you can choose to provide useful feedback to Microsoft regarding feature usage reporting functionality of BizTalk Server. The data collected from you is anonymous and cannot be used to identify you. Microsoft collects feature usage statistics as part of this program. By participating in this program, you can help improve the reliability and performance of various features of BizTalk Server. For more information about this program and its privacy policy, see Microsoft BizTalk Server CEIP Privacy Policy (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=188553).

On the Component Installation screen, review the available components and select the ones you want to install.
- Choose all possible components
- Accept the default installation location or click Browse to move to the location where you want to install BizTalk Server 2013.
- And then click “Next”

If your computer is missing a prerequisite component such as ADOMD.NET, Setup can install the redistributable prerequisites. You can either:
- Select “Automatically install the redistributable prerequisites from the web”
- Or if you prefer you can select “Automatically install the redistributable prerequisites from a CAB file” if you have already downloaded the CAB file. If you select this, you can then browse to the location of the CAB file and select it.
- And then click “Next” to continue.

On the Summary screen, verify that the components that you select to install are correct.
- To enable auto-logon after a system reboot, click “Set” and provide your logon information. Auto-logon is enabled only for reboots during setup, and is disabled when setup is complete.
- Click “Install” to start the installation process.

On the Microsoft Update Setup screen, specify whether you want to use Microsoft Update for checking for regular updates from Microsoft:
- Select “Use Microsoft Update when I check for updates (recommended)”
- And then click “Next” to continue.

On the Installation Completed screen, clear the “Launch BizTalk Server Configuration” check box, and then click “Finish”

Verify Your Installation

You can check to see whether your installation was successful by using either Programs and Features or the Registry.

To verify installation using Programs and Features

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI.
Type “Programs and Features” and click in “Programs and Features” option on Settings menu.
When the list is fully populated, look for BizTalk Server 2013. If it appears in the list, setup succeeded.

To verify installation using the Registry:

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI and type “regedit” and click in “regedit” option on Apps menu.

When the Registry opens, browse to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\BizTalk Server\3.0
- If files exist in the 3.0 folder, setup succeeded.

Close the Registry, and then close the command prompt.

Configre BizTalk Server 2013

Use the following procedure to complete a basic configuration of BizTalk Server. For information on customizing your configuration, see Custom Configuration.

Note: If your BizTalk Server environment uses SQL Server 2012 and you wish to configure BAM Alerts, you must have already configured SQL Server Database Mail feature.

To configure BizTalk Server 2013 using Basic Configuration:

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI and type “BizTalk Server Configuration” or “BizTalk”, right-click “BizTalk Server Configuration” option on Apps menu, and then click Run as Administrator.

On the Microsoft BizTalk Server 2013 Configuration screen, apply the following configurations and then click “Configure” to continue:
- Select “Basic configuration” option
- In the “Database server name” field under “Database” properties, enter the name of the local computer.
- In the “Service credential” properties, type the User name and Password for the account that the BizTalk services will run under.

Note: You may receive a warning if you enter a user name with administrative credentials on this computer. Click “Yes” to continue.

On the Summary screen, review the configuration about to be performed, and then click “Next”

On the Completion screen, click “Finish”

We now have BizTalk Server 2013 Installed and Configured!!!

Pin BizTalk Server Administration to taskbar

Everybody knows that BizTalk Server Administration Console is the most important tool, it’s a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that you can use to manage and monitor BizTalk Server, and that you can use to deploy and manage your BizTalk Server applications.

With the new UI in Windows Server 2013, almost all programs are “hidden” and can be easily be accessed through context search from the metro UI. However be constantly doing this type of operation eventually becomes annoying.

So to be able to quickly and easily access BizTalk Server Administration Console you can pin the console to the taskbar, to accomplish that you need:

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI and type “BizTalk Server Administration” or “BizTalk” and right click in “BizTalk Server Administration” option on Apps menu to open the option bar at the bottom of the window.
In the option bar, select “Pin to taskbar” option to add “BizTalk Server Administration” to your desktop taskbar.

Related links

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Configure SQL Server Database Mail feature (Part 8)

Sandro Pereira — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:00:00 +0000

If your BizTalk Server environment uses SQL Server 2012 and you wish to configure BAM Alerts, you must have already configured SQL Server Database Mail feature before you try to configure BAM Alerts, otherwise the BizTalk Basic configuration will ignore this feature (BAM Alerts).

Database Mail is an enterprise solution for sending e-mail messages from the SQL Server Database Engine. Using Database Mail, your database applications can send e-mail messages to users. The messages can contain query results, and can also include files from any resource on your network. You can read more here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms189635.aspx

Note: You still can have BAM Portal with activities and aggregations without alerts, this is mandatory if you want alerts.

Before we begin, we need to determine the server name and port number for the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server that we will use to send e-mail (If the SMTP server requires authentication, determine the user name and password for the SMTP server). In our case will be the local SMTP Server that we previous install and configure.

To Configure SQL Server Database Mail Account:

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI and type “SQL Management” or “SQL” and click in “SQL Server Management Studio” option on Apps menu.

In Object Explorer panel, connect to the SQL Server instance you want to configure Database Mail on, and expand the server tree.
- Expand the “Management” node

Double click “Database Mail” to open the Database Mail Configuration Wizard.
- Or right click under “Database Mail” and select the option “Configure Database Mail”

On the Welcome to Database Mail Configuration Wizard page, click “Next” to continue

On the Select Configuration Task page, select “Set up Database Mail by performing the following tasks:” and click “Next” to continue.
- Set up Database Mail by performing the following tasks: Perform all of the tasks required to set up Database Mail for the first time. This option includes all of the other three options.
- Manage Database Mail accounts and profiles: Create new Database Mail accounts and profiles or to view, change, or delete existing Database Mail accounts and profiles.
- Manage profile security: Configure which users have access to Database Mail profiles.
- View or change system parameters: Configure Database Mail system parameters such as the maximum file size for attachments.

If Database Mail has not been enabled, you will receive the message: “The Database Mail feature is not available. Would you like to enable this feature?” Click “Yes” to continue.

On the New Profile page, specify the “Profile name” and “Description” to be included in the profile, and click “Add…” to specify an account

On the New Database Mail Account page, specify the account name, description, mail server information, and authentication type. Click “OK”
- A Database Mail account contains the information that SQL Server uses to send e-mail messages to an SMTP server. Each account contains information for one e-mail server and doesn’t correspond to a SQL Server account or a Microsoft Windows account. Database Mail can be sent using the credentials of the SQL Server Database Engine, using other credentials that you supply, or anonymously. When using basic authentication, the user name and password in a Database Mail account are only used for authentication with the e-mail server. An account need not correspond to a SQL Server user or a user on the computer running SQL Server.
  - Account name: Type the name of the new account.
  - Description: Type a description of the account. The description is optional.
  - E-mail address: Type the name of the e-mail address for the account. This is the e-mail address that e-mail is sent from. For example, an account for SQL Server Agent may send e-mail from the address SqlAgent@Adventure-Works.com.
  - Display name: Type the name to show on e-mail messages sent from this account. The display name is optional. This is the name displayed on messages sent from this account. For example, an account for SQL Server Agent may display the name “SQL Server Agent Automated Mailer” on e-mail messages.
  - Reply e-mail: Type the e-mail address that will be used for replies to e-mail messages sent from this account. The reply e-mail is optional. For example, replies to an account for SQL Server Agent may go to the database administrator, danw@Adventure-Works.com.
  - Server name: Type the name or IP address of the SMTP server the account uses to send e-mail. Typically this is in a format similar to smtp..com. For help with this, consult your mail administrator. As I say early we will use our local SMTP Server, so the server name will be “localhost”
  - Port number: Type the port number of the SMTP server for this account. Most SMTP servers use port 25.
  - This server requires a secure connection (SSL): Encrypts communication using Secure Sockets Layer.
  - Windows Authentication using Database Engine service credentials: Connection is made to the SMTP server using the credentials configured for the SQL Server Database Engine service.
  - Basic Authentication: Specify the user name and password required by the SMTP server.
  - Anonymous authentication: Mail is sent to the SMTP server without login credentials. Use this option when the SMTP server does not require authentication.

Back on the New Profile page, click “Next” to continue

On the Manage Profile Security page, you will be able to set the Public, Private and Default Profiles, select our profile as public and default and click “Next”.

On the Configure System Parameters page, leave the default values and click “Next”

On the Complete the Wizard page, review the actions to be performed and click “Finish” to complete creating the new account.

On the “Configuring…” page, ensure that all actions succeed and then click “Close”

The Database Mail should now be configured successfully and all should be correctly setup to send emails, but we must make sure by testing it. So we will send a test email and confirm the reception. To do that:

Right-click on Database Mail and select “Send Test E-Mail…”

On the Send Test E-mail from windows, specify a “To:” email and click “Send Test E-Mail”

If all goes well you should receive the email in a few seconds. If you have received the email, you have been able to configure Database Mail successfully.

Related links

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Install SQL Server 2012 (Part 7)

Sandro Pereira — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:15:00 +0000

BizTalk Server provides the capability to specify a business process and also a mechanism by which the applications used in that business process can communicate with each other. SQL Server is the main repository for this communication mechanism. For optimal performance, Microsoft recommends using the Enterprise Edition of SQL Server.

Note: Using SQL Server Express Edition is not recommended or supported. The Express edition does not include certain features needed by BizTalk Server.

To install SQL Server 2012:

Insert the SQL Server installation disk into the DVD-ROM drive. The setup program will begin automatically. If prompted for automatic installation of prerequisite software, click “OK”
On the SQL Server Installation Center, click “Installation” and then click “New SQL Server stand-alone or add features to an existing installation”

On the Setup Support Rules screen, review the information and then click “OK”

On the Product Key screen, enter your product key and click “Next”

On the License Terms screen, select “I accept the license terms”, and then click “Next”

On the Product Updates page, the latest available SQL Server product updates are displayed. Select “Include SQL Server product updates”, and then click “Next”

On the Install Setup files page, Setup provides the progress of downloading, extracting, and installing the Setup files. If an update for SQL Server Setup is found, and is specified to be included, that update will also be installed, Click “Install”
- The System Configuration Checker verifies the system state of your computer before Setup continues.
- If prompted to restart the computer, click “OK”

On the Setup Role page, select “SQL Server Feature Installation”, and then click “Next” to continue to the Feature Selection page.

On the Feature Selection screen, select the following features, and then click “Next”
- Database Engine Services
  - SQL Server Replication
  - Full-Text and Semantic Extractions for Search
- Analysis Services
- Reporting Services – Native
- Shared Features
  - SQL Server Data Tools
  - Client Tools Connectivity
  - Integration Services
  - Management Tools – Basic
    - Management Tools – Complete

On the Installation Rules page, Setup verifies the system state of your computer before Setup continues, and then click “Next”

On the Instance Configuration screen, select “Default instance”, leave the rest of the default values, and then click “Next” to continue.

Review the information on the Disk Space Requirements screen, this page calculates the required disk space for the features that you specify and compares with available disk space. Click “Next” to continue.

On the Server Configuration screen, you can specify login accounts for each SQL Server services. You can assign the same login account to all SQL Server services, or you can configure each service account individually. You can also specify whether services start automatically, are started manually, or are disabled (Microsoft recommends that you configure service accounts individually to provide least privileges for each service).
- Leave the default login account to all SQL Server services
- Configure all of them with the startup type: “Automatic”
- And then click “Next”

On the Database Engine Configuration screen, select “Windows authentication mode”, click “Add Current User”, and then click “Next”
- Authentication Mode: Select “Windows authentication mode”. If you select Mixed Mode Authentication, you must provide a strong password for the built-in SQL Server system administrator account.
- Specify SQL Server administrators: You must specify at least one system administrator for the instance of SQL Server. To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, click “Add Current User”

On the Analysis Services Configuration screen, select “Multidimensional and Data mining Mode”, click “Add Current User”, and then click “Next”
- Server Mode: Select “Multidimensional and Data mining Mode”. Server mode determines which memory and storage subsystems are used on the server. If you plan to run multidimensional cube databases on the server, choose the default option, Multidimensional and Data Mining server mode.
- Specify which users have administrative permissions for Analysis Services: you must specify at least one system administrator for Analysis Services. To add the account under which SQL Server Setup is running, click Add Current User.

On the Reporting Services Configuration screen, select “Install and configure”, and then click “Next” to continue.

On the Error and Usage Reporting screen, leave the default values, and then click “Next”

On the Installation Configuration Rules screen, review the information and resolve any issues, and then click “Next”

On the Ready to Install screen, review the information, and then click “Install”

On the Complete screen, click “Close”

Note: Once again, after this installation, I like to do a Windows update, this step is not necessary.

Related links

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Install Visual Studio 2012 (Part 6)

Sandro Pereira — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:15:00 +0000

The BizTalk Server development tools are based on Visual Studio. And like previous versions, at a minimum, you must have the Microsoft Visual C#® .NET component of Visual Studio installed on your computer if you wish to install the BizTalk Server Developer Tools and SDK component.

Note: Visual Studio 2012 is not required if you are installing BizTalk Server on a production computer (runtime only), on which no application development or debugging is required to be done.

The BizTalk Server runtime components require .NET Framework 4.5. In addition, the .NET Framework 3.0 is required if the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) adapter or WCF Interceptor is installed.

However, unlike previous versions of Visual Studio and the official documentation, with Visual Studio 2012 you cannot customize the features to install to the point of only install Visual C#, at least that I know of.

To install Visual Studio 2012:

Insert the Visual Studio 2012 installation disk into the DVD-ROM drive.
On the Start page, accept the license agreement by selecting “I agree to the License terms and conditions” and then click “Next”.

On the Optional features to install page, you can clear all features, however I think that is important at least to install “Microsoft Web Developer Tools“. Add the following features to your installation:
- Microsoft Web Developer Tools
- Microsoft Office Developer Tools (not required)

And then click “Install”
On the Finish page, close the window or click “Launch”.

Important Note: Your version of Visual Studio will include Microsoft SQL Server Express or compact as an optional feature. This feature it may cause BizTalk Server setup to fail and should not be installed but as we cannot customize the Visual Studio 2012 installation, we should remove this features afterwards.

Remove Microsoft SQL Server Express

As I say previous your version of Visual Studio will include Microsoft SQL Server Express or compact as an optional feature. This feature it may cause BizTalk Server setup to fail and should not be installed but as we cannot customize the Visual Studio 2012 installation, it’s very important that we remove this features.

To avoid futures complications I choose to uninstall this two features:

Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express LocalBd
Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 SP1 x4 ENU: Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 is a free, embedded database that software developers can use for building ASP.NET websites and Windows desktop applications. SQL Server Compact 4.0 has a small footprint and supports private deployment of its binaries within the application folder, easy application development in Visual Studio and WebMatrix, and seamless migration of schema and data to SQL Server

To uninstall this features:

Press the “Windows key” to switch to Metro UI.
Type “Programs and Features” and click in “Programs and Features” option on Settings menu.

Select “Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express LocalBd” and click “Uninstall”.

Repeat the process, select “Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 SP1 x4 ENU” and click “Uninstall”.

Related links

BizTalk 2013 Installation and Configuration – Install Microsoft Office Excel 2013 (Part 5)

Sandro Pereira — Sun, 12 May 2013 21:28:24 +0000

Microsoft Office Excel is required for using the Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) feature in BizTalk Server. You use the BAM Office Excel Workbook to define the business processes you want to monitor. You also use the BAM Excel Workbook to define the way in which business users see the data collected by BAM.

Note: BizTalk Server 2013 supports only 32-bit version of Microsoft Office.

The following procedure installs only Microsoft Office Excel. You can install additional Microsoft Office system applications and tools if you wish, but they are not necessary to complete the installation of BizTalk Server.

Note: To successfully load BAM.xla into Excel, install the “Visual Basic for Applications” option under “Office Shared Features”. Otherwise, you may get the error “This workbook has lost its VBA project, ActiveX controls and any other programmability-related features.”

To install Microsoft Office Excel:

Insert the Microsoft Office installation disk into the DVD-ROM drive.
On Read the Microsoft Software License Terms screen, select “I accept the terms of this agreement” and click “Continue”

On the Type of Installation screen, select Custom Install, and then click “Next”.

On the Custom Setup screen, ensure that:
- Microsoft Excel option is selected.
- And “Visual Basic for Applications” option under Office Shared Features is select.

And then click “Install Now”.
On the Setup Completed screen, click “Finish”.

After installing the office Excel and tools I like to do a Windows update, this step is not necessary.

Related links