Tim Bauer’s Running Thoughts

Watched “MSDN Webcast: Using the Business Activity Monitoring Tracking Profile Editor (TPE) Tool and APIs in BizTalk Server 2006 (Level 200) this morning. Here is the link

http://www.microsoft.com/events/EventDetails.aspx?CMTYSvcSource=MSCOMMedia&Params=%7eCMTYDataSvcParams%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ID%22+Value%3d%221032292405%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22ProviderID%22+Value%3d%22A6B43178-497C-4225-BA42-DF595171F04C%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22lang%22+Value%3d%22en%22%2f%5e%7earg+Name%3d%22cr%22+Value%3d%22US%22%2f%5e%7esParams%5e%7e%2fsParams%5e%7e%2fCMTYDataSvcParams%5e

In short, I continue to refresh my understanding of where MSFT is around this specific enabler because we have a building set of clients that are assessing automation of business processes that includes the ability for management to have visibility into the process. That is where the BAM module comes in. Nothing more than a packaged set of functions (TPE), tables and services that you could build custom … but probably cheaper and more powerful via the product.

My high level notes are as follows:

Quote:

MSDN Webcast: Using the Business Activity Monitoring Tracking Profile Editor (TPE) Tool and APIs in BizTalk Server 2006 (Level 200) Pasted from <http://www.microsoft.com/events/webcasts/calendar/MonthView.aspx?audience=Developer> • 1:50 — Again the visibility slide to drive automation in process • 3:22 — Tools / Roles …………○ BA - Observation Model …………○ Tech - Map Model to API’s • 5:17 — BAM API’s — 4 layers …………○ Direct (visibility, no latency) …………○ Buffered (high throughput, some latency) …………○ Message (high throughput, pipeline participation, logical unit of work commit / tracking .. Avail since biztalk server 2004 sp1 ) …………○ Orchestration — similar to msg but only avail in biztalk envir • 10:50 — EventStream API detail …………○ Begin, Update, End, Add, Enable Continue, Add reference, Flush • 14:18 — Sample Activity Overview (PO) …………○ 3 milestones (recv, approved, ready) …………○ 2 data items (customer name, product) • 15:36 — Sample of code you would do to send events to BAM to track (from the native process) • 17:51 — Overview of the BAM tables updated • 19:00 — Demo of BAM API …………○ Not so good • 23:45 — Shipping Demo …………○ Example of continuation (corralate events from multiple applications / orchestrations). In short parent child relationships relative to what are seens as distinct processes in the org • 32:30 — Tracking Profile Editor (TPE) …………○ TPE — In 2006 how to get away from code …………○ GUI Tool • 34:20 — Demo of TPE (create a TPE Profile) …………○ In BizTalk …………○ Select events to use in the flow …………○ View assemblies / and pipelines and select various steps to make them into milestones …………○ Tracking pipeline, schedules, and orchestrations, and orchestrations (can BAM across all) …………○ 44:00 — Discuss how data pulled from message payload for bam (to continuation created) out of schema …………○ 46:00 — relate activities in BAM (just name them similar, and map keys together)

A slow presentation (set it to 2* speed and it works well … seriously … a nice feature you should leverage in playback) but towards the end the business value of this technology became more self evident.

Specifically the value of Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) for business management is the ability to dynamically setup of alerts (that they can change w/ a couple clicks) on monitored processes in thier org. Think about all the manual processes (or semi manual) that flow through an org today. Where does management want insight? Where do they think there is risk of unethical behavior? What is the $ risk of that occuring.

Here is the link to the discussion:

https://www118.livemeeting.com/cc/_XML/partners1/view?id=3330&fmt=dll&pw=f48dc8

If that doesn’t work goto partner central and search for this in training:

Event Title: BizTalk Server 2006 Business Activity MonitoringRecorded Date: 12/13/2005Duration: 60 minutes

Here are my notes from the discussion:

Quote:

Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) - BizTalk 2006 (BAM). MSFT Webinar. **BAM 2004 vs BAM 2006, biz talk orchestration and msging covered. **claims (interesting angle) that there is process automation in the typical org (xls macros, sas, etc) **Visability **4:36 — Basics of a value proposition is value of visibility of a process can drive automation (BAM) **Example of process that crosses divisions, systems, and branches … but how does business owner see where a process is for a given transaction … manual intensive issue **BAM instruments all processes (small changes in each system state). KPI metrics from that tied to business focused questions on state of transactions. –BAM is to Business Events what OLAP is to Reporting. Viewing complex data on current business events. –Create views of BAM Activity by Role in org. – –BAM 2004 overview — business resource activities created (and views) created in xls. IT rsrc used BAM utilitiy to create BAM infrastructure to track that in Database. Then the business resource views via a live xls. –BAM 2006. –1–Data can be viewed via webparts and/or ODBC integration. –2–Alerts on significant event or data point –3–Out of box dashboard (webparts). 2004 had a basic webpart. –4–Native integration to Biztalk messages (no changes required for apps that base on BizTalk). Add instrumentation step into Biztalk pipeline (config vs code). –5–(coming) integration to SQL Reporting Services. –Business User .. Viso/Excel still used to create observation model. Called ODBA. –demo 24:50 –issue on 29min … so skip to 30 minutes. –31:40 samples of xls reporting … how to create a view by a business owners. –BAM Manager is still command line to deploy (interesting). –Deploy produces XML config script in effect … based on xls workbook def –Nice feature (self service on alers) –39:13 portal view in sps viewed … allow you to to search all transactions being tracked in BAM… filter by fields on transaction … can also create on the fly different alerts or subscribers. Nice. –43:00 another snafu … didn’t have data yet … doh! –44:00 detail discuss of alert functionality. Using SQL Analytic Services to drive this. For example alert on PO > $100. –Again here is business value … management visability to transactions that they are concerned about … slippage, high $, etc. Key is figuring out what the business mgmt would like to know about processes that are going on (could change over time) and enable BAM to watch for it on thier behalf. –POS is best example … –53:00 … alerts continued … instance query alerts ..