Announcing BizTalk Server 2006 R2 TAP!

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Woohoo. This is exciting. One of our Program Managers in Redmond, Mitch, has had the pleasure of announcing the TAP program for BizTalk 2006 R2! Check this out… BTS just gets better! Thanks Mitch…. This is awesome!!

Announcing BizTalk Server 2006 R2 TAP!

Today, in concert with the announcement of BizTalk Server 2006 R2, we launched the BTS 2006 R2 TAP program and nominations are now being accepted.

Program Overview

The BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Technology Adoption Program (TAP) is an “early adopter” program intended to validate the quality and obtain feedback on the new features included in BTS 2006 R2. BizTalk 2006 includes added features to BizTalk 2006 and enhancements to improve compatibility with Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007.

BizTalk 2006 R2 New Capabilities Include:

· Microsoft EDI Solution for BizTalk 2006

Microsoft’s EDI Solution for BizTalk adds full featured EDI capabilities to BizTalk 2006 with over 6000 schemas that include HIPAA, X12, and EDIFACT support.

· Microsoft RFID

The Microsoft RFID Infrastructure Services in BizTalk 2006 R2 provide device abstraction and manageability to RFID-based solutions.

· BizTalk Adapter for Windows Communication Foundation (WCF)

The BizTalk WCF Adapter allows BizTalk to expose and consume WS-* web services.

· WinFX Adapter Framework

The framework provides a common basis for building integration adapters that can be consumed by a variety of client applications (BizTalk, Office BI, .NET Applications).

· WinFX Line of Business (LOB) Adapters

The WCF LOB adapters deliver application, database and transport adapters to customers, implementing a common Adapter Framework, which in turn is built on top of the Windows Communication Framework (SAP, Siebel, Oracle DB, and TIBCO RV).

· BAM interceptors for Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) and WCF

Please go to https://connect.microsoft.com for additional information and detailed feature descriptions.

Program Participation

Registration for the BTS 2006 R2 TAP program is available by invitation of Microsoft account team members or by submitting a completed Nomination form that is available on the BizTalk Server 2006 R2 TAP Connect website welcome page (also available in Downloads section).

Customers are then selected based on acceptance criteria as follows:

· A funded project that incorporates BizTalk Server 2006 R2 features

· The ability to commit the resources required to design and implement a solution using BizTalk Server 2006 R2 features

· The ability to release the solution to production at least 6 weeks prior to BizTalk Server 2006 R2 releases

· Provide high-quality feedback on BizTalk Server 2006 R2 features

· Ability to attend regularly scheduled calls with the product team

· Potential to participate in a Lab Engagement in Redmond, WA

Customers and Partners who enjoy being on the cutting edge of technology and who can benefit from these new features will find value in taking part in this TAP program.

Program Structure

Nomination - Customers can nominate themselves on the BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Connect website by completing the TAP Nomination Form found on the welcome page (also available in Downloads section). The BTS R2 TAP Team will review all Nomination forms that we receive and will contact candidates as their Nominations are accepted/rejected.

Nominations will be open through July 2006 or until the program is full. Additional program dates will be posted to the Connect site as they finalized.

Note that a Premier Support Agreement is required for participation on projects going into production.

Engagement - After being accepted into BizTalk Server 2006 R2 TAP, the TAP Team will work with TAP Participants to review architecture, test, and project plans. During this time most of the documentation and legal paperwork is signed. In addition, the TAP Participant’s expectations of the program are clearly documented and provides a means to clearly evaluate success.

Development / Test – Selected builds will be delivered to TAP Participants for testing and development. Issues brought by TAP Participants are handled by a trained Support Specialist and members of the Product Team. In some cases, developers or testers of a specific feature will work with a TAP Participants to ensure that technical issues are resolved accurately and timely.

Production Roll-Out – TAP Participants should plan on deploying their BTS 2006 R2 project to production no later than 6 weeks prior to the scheduled RTM date and be prepared to sign-off on production worthiness 2 weeks prior to RTM.

For customers that have a premier support agreement, support resources are available “7x24.”

Post-Mortem - When the program draws to a close, your feedback regarding the program in which you took part is critical to our ability to continually improve future programs.

To Access Nomination Forms:

1. Go to https://connect.microsoft.com

2. Sign in using a valid passport account

3. Select Available Connections

4. Look for BizTalk Server 2006 R2 and select the Apply link on the right hand site

5. Select I Agree

6. Complete the Registration form

7. Once logged on to the BTS 2006 R2 Site select Downloads

8. Select the BizTalk 2006 R2 TAP Nomination Form link