What is BizTalk?

BizTalk Server is Microsoft’s Integration and connectivity server solution. A mature product on its sixth release, BizTalk Server 2009 provides a solution that allows organizations to more easily connect disparate systems. Including over 25 multi-platform adapters and a robust messaging infrastructure, BizTalk Server provides connectivity between core systems both inside and outside your organization. In addition to integration functionality, BizTalk also provides strong durable messaging, a rules engine, EDI connectivity, Business Activity Monitoring (BAM), RFID capabilities and IBM Host/Mainframe connectivity.

Microsoft : Dublin

Why Dublin

Windows Server delivers a high-performance, highly capable platform for deploying and running custom business applications built with the .NET Framework. As Microsoft's application server, Windows Server includes key application server functionality directly in the operating system including distributed transactions, message queuing, a Web server and Web services, communications, workflow, and management. Complemented by the .NET Framework and Visual Studio, Windows Server is one of the leading application servers in the market today.

However, as companies increasingly adopt service-oriented architecture principles, and embrace composite applications, they are using the full spectrum of web services as part of their applications - ranging from simple RESTful services through advanced web services utilizing WS-* standards. However, as they reuse services and compose new applications quickly and easily, new requirements arise for the application server since composite apps are typically more complex for IT to develop, deploy, manage, and change.

What it deals with.

To address these new requirements, Microsoft is enhancing both the .NET Framework and Windows Server. The company is adding significant functionality to the new version of Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) and Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) as part of the .NET Framework 4.0 release, including new messaging and REST capabilities in WCF, new workflow models, seamless integration between WF and WCF to support stateful and conversational services, and a new visual designer. The company is also introducing a set of enhanced Windows Server capabilities codenamed "Dublin" that will offer greater scalability and easier manageability, while extending Internet Information Services (IIS) to provide a standard host for applications that use workflow or communications.

Taken together, these enhancements to the Windows Application Server will simplify the deployment, configuration, management, and scalability of composite applications, while allowing developers to use their existing skills with Visual Studio, the .NET Framework and IIS. This new Application Server capability will be delivered as a separate release of technologies that can be downloaded and used by Windows Server customers;

Sharepoint Installation : Creating configuration database failed

When I m installing sharepoint 2007 in my system, Installation was smooth.But when I try to launch central administration console I see a warning message 'Sharepoint farm should be configured to launch console'.

I started configuring it through sharepoint product and technologies wizard , I tried this for several times to complete the configuration but i could not able to complete due to the error ' Creating configuration database failed'

I have tried couple of solutions from online,but nothing was worked.Finally I came to know that this problem comes because of SQLInstance name. I did not specified server name along with instance name which I given while installing .

I found the solution from microsoft : http://support.microsoft.com/kb/938217

WCF : MES Endpoint

The Metadata Exchange Endpoint is a special endpoint in WCF that exposes metadata used to describe a service.

ServiceMetadataBehavior ServiceBehavior = new ServiceMetadataBehavior();
behavior.HttpGetEnabled = true;
host.Description.Behaviors.Add(ServiceBehavior);

host.AddServiceEndpoint(
typeof(IMetadataExchange),
MetadataExchangeBindings.CreateMexHttpBinding(),
"http://localhost/MyService/mex/");

where ServiceMetadataBehavior, IMetadataExchang and MetadataExchangeBindings available in the System.ServiceModel.Description namespace

Sharepoint Concepts

Below are the some concepts I see that we need to know to become SharePoint expert. Apart from below things there might be lot of other concepts does exists which I am not putting them here for now.

Administration

* Planning
* Installing
* Configuring the server
* Preparing
* Roll-out
* Providing support
* Managing the server
* Configuring external access

Development

* Introduction to SharePoint Development
* Site Columns and Content Types
* Extending Lists with Office 2007
* Authentication and Authorization
* Forms Based Authentication and Anonymous Access
* SharePoint Architecture
* Features
* Solution Development
* Categorized Document Library
* Site Definitions
* Programming Fundamentals
* Creating User Controls and Web Parts
* Advanced List Concepts

Branding & Web Content Management

* Introduction to MOSS Publishing
* Branding
* Creating a Publishing Site Definition
* Content Types and Page Layouts
* SharePoint Site Design
* Content Management
* Navigation and Search
* Aggregation Information

SharePoint Business Processes

* Out-of-the-Box Business Process Automation
* SharePoint Designer Workflows
* Working with SharePoint Designer and Custom ASP.NET Forms
* Using InfoPath Forms with SharePoint
* Custom Workflows and the SharePoint Object Model
* Visual Studio 2008 Workflow Development Basics
* Workflow Tasks
* Workflow Forms

SharePoint Portal Management

* Collaboration Portals
* Personalization and My Sites
* Business Data Catalog
* Office Forms Services
* Excel Services
* Customizing Search Center
* Programming with the Search API
* Document Management

what is sharepoint

SharePoint is a collection of products and software elements that includes, among a growing selection of components, web browser based collaboration functions, process management modules, search modules and a document-management platform.

SharePoint can be used to host web sites that access shared workspaces, information stores and documents, as well as host defined applications such as wikis and blogs. All users can manipulate proprietary controls called "web parts" or interact with pieces of content such as lists and document libraries.

* Collaboration : Allow teams to work together effectively, collaborate on and publish documents, maintain task lists, implement workflows, and share information through the use of wikis and blogs.

* Portals : Create a personal MySite portal to share information with others and personalize the user experience and content of an enterprise Web site based on the user’s profile.

* Enterprise Search : Quickly and easily find people, expertise, and content in business applications.

* Enterprise Content Management : Create and manage documents, records, and Web content.

* Business Process and Forms : Create workflows and electronic forms to automate and streamline your business processes.

* Business Intelligence : Allow information workers to easily access critical business information, analyze and view data, and publish reports to make better-informed decisions.