Microsoft's BizTalk BPM server uses a publish/subscribe architecture designed to integrate multiple software applications, allowing for the exchange of documents such as purchase orders or invoices, within or across organizational boundaries. According to Microsoft, the server has two main components:

• A messaging component provides the ability to communicate with a range of other software via pluggable adapters. Adapters include those for line of business applications (such as Siebel, SAP, JD Edwards, and Oracle), databases (SQL Server, Oracle, DB2) and other technologies (Tibco or J2EE).
  
  
• An orchestration component provides support for creating and running graphically-defined processes. Built on top of the engine's messaging components, "orchestrations" implement the logic that drives all or part of a business process.

Microsoft's BizTalk Server
(Click to enlarge)
BizTalk Server 2006 R2, generally available in September 2007, supported fixed RFID readers, including device management, data filtering and business rules, electronic data interchange (EDI), and interoperability with line-of-business adapters for manufacturing, finance and healthcare, says Microsoft. The BizTalk RFID Mobility and Standards Pack announced today adds support for mobile RFID readers, such as those on forklifts or handheld devices.

The BizTalk RFID Mobility and Standards Pack permits reliable submission of tags to a BizTalk server, and now lets mobile devices be managed via a BizTalk RFID server. Additional features and benefits touted by Microsoft include:

• Support for EPCGlobal (Electronic Product Code global) ratified standards, including TDT (tag data translator) and LLRP (low level reader protocol)
  
  
• support for Web Services for Devices

Further information

Today's release of the BizTalk RFID Mobility and Standards Pack is an invitation-only beta. The software supports Windows CE and Windows Mobile 5.0.

For more information, and to become part of the program, see Microsoft's website, here. More information on the BizTalk server can be found here.

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