Pipelines Are Deployed When You Deploy an X12 Agreement in Windows Azure Biztalk Services
Pipelines Are Deployed When You Deploy an X12 Agreement in Windows Azure BizTalk Services
Windows Azure BizTalk Services is a cloud-based platform for enterprise application integration (EAI) and business-to-business (B2B) messaging. One of the key features of BizTalk Services is support for X12 messaging standards, which are commonly used in the healthcare, retail, and transportation industries.
X12 messages are structured using a hierarchical format, with segments, elements, and sub-elements. In order to process X12 messages in BizTalk Services, you need to define an X12 agreement that specifies the structure and encoding of the messages.
When you deploy an X12 agreement in BizTalk Services, the system automatically creates a set of pipelines for receiving, processing, and sending X12 messages. Pipelines are a series of stages in the message processing pipeline, each with its own set of components for performing specific tasks.
The receive pipeline is responsible for parsing incoming X12 messages and converting them into XML format for processing by BizTalk Services. The process pipeline applies validation and mapping rules to the XML message, and can also perform additional tasks such as splitting or aggregating messages.
Finally, the send pipeline converts the processed XML message back into X12 format for transmission to the partner system. Each pipeline stage can be customized by adding or removing components, or by changing the order of the components.
In addition to the standard pipelines provided by BizTalk Services, you can also create custom pipelines to meet specific business requirements. Custom pipelines can be created using the BizTalk Pipeline Designer, which provides a graphical interface for building and testing pipelines.
When designing custom pipelines, it`s important to consider factors such as performance, scalability, and maintainability. By following best practices for pipeline design, you can ensure that your BizTalk Services environment is optimized for efficient message processing and reliable B2B communication.
In conclusion, pipelines are a critical component of message processing in BizTalk Services. When you deploy an X12 agreement, the system automatically creates a set of pipelines for receiving, processing, and sending X12 messages. By understanding the role of pipelines in BizTalk Services, you can design and maintain a reliable and efficient B2B messaging infrastructure for your organization.