By launching BizTalk Server on the market, in the year 2000 Microsoft started a revolution in the area of IT systems’ integration, the new platform being a proof that technologies for the integration and automation of business processes can be both easy to implement and cheap. Nowadays, dozen thousands organizations around the world use BizTalk Server to integrate systems, manage business process in an automated way, communicate with partners and exchange information in global logistic chains.
Example of a practical application of Biztalk Server
BizTalk Server has been applied by Bonair SA in the Electronic Document Exchange System at KGHM to automate handling of the purchasing process. The system handles circulation of about a million logistic and accounting documents a year between the branches of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. (SAP system) and PHP Mercus (system Microsoft Dynamics AX). For the purpose of actual exchange of documents in the XML format between SAP systems at KGHM and Microsoft Dynamics AX at Mercus, the system BizTalk Server 2004 together with components of SAP Adapter for BizTalk, as well as Axapta Adapter for BizTalk, has been employed. Documents in the XML form get sent between companies via a http protocol.
The designed architecture allows to exchange documents in a manner that minimalizes the loading of network between KGHM and Mercus and in a manner which enables creating any interface extensions at all.
