BizTalk

BizTalk is a B2B tool offered by Microsoft that integrates enterprise applications and automates business processes. This done via "adapters" that plugs BizTalk into 3rd party applications. As well, Microsoft offers "accelerators" that improvement integration of applications in certain vertical industries.

To integrate applications, BizTalk uses the following processes:

• Document transporting and routing
• Data tranformation
• Process automation
• Scalability and manageability services

These process are achieved using the following functions:

• Receive function - documents submitted to BizTalk
• Channels function - handles document translation, encryption, digital signatures, and logging
• Messaging ports function - sends documents to internal (schedules) or external entities (other organization and trading partners)
• Schedules function - manages the business processes
• Tools function - enables the above functions to run and provides graphics tools for manipulating documents.

BizTalk, XML, and B2B

XML is arguably the simplest and most economical way to electronically exchange large amounts of data between business. BizTalk has integrated support for XML. Thus BizTalk can communicate with any other business that also handles XML. Even the most proprietary systems able to read and output plain text can communicate with BizTalk through XML.

XML is rapidly becoming the common language for B2B and BizTalk on the scene with a large commmunity of business users from almost every industry.

Take a look at biztalk.com for a big list of which industries are involved.