Windows Azure BizTalk Service–Updating WABS

Windows Azure BizTalk Services (WABS) is general available now as a service within Windows Azure. Nice, so now I can update my local installation in my VM. The upgrade is pretty straight forward. Thanks to pointers I got from Nick Hauenstein in BizTalk Integration Summit 2013 Recap.

You download the new SDK(Tools and WindowsAzureBizTalkServicesSetup-x64.exe or WindowsAzureBizTalkServicesSetup-x86.exe) that is available through the Windows Azure Portal.

The tools consist of the BTMMigrationTool and TPMMigrationTool. The first can aid in migration of an on-premise BizTalk map to a BizTalk Service map. The second tools can help in the migration of BizTalk Server parties.

The WindowsAzureBizTalkServicesSetup-xxx.exe is a zip file. When unzipped you can run the WindowsAzureBizTalkServicesSetup application. This single msi will indicate, which version is installed. I already ran it once and I am on the latest version now.

So the update is straightforward. The WindowsAzureBizTalkServicesSetup application is streamlined into one single setup and you do not need to run different msi like in the past.

Another nice addition to WABS is the BizTalk Service Explorer. This is a Visual Studio add in similar to the Service Bus Explorer, which can be found under Azure.

To add this explorer you need to go to Tool within Visual Studio. Subsequently you go to Extensions and updates… You then search in the Visual Studio Gallery online.

You can download and install it.

You can now add a BizTalk Services you have provisioned in Windows Azure before. By simple right clicking the Windows Azure BizTalk Services you can select Add BizTalk Service … A dialog will appear where you have to fill in service name of your BizTalk Service, the namespace and issuer secret (obtained through Access Control Services).

Once you specified the details and click Ok you will see the BizTalk Service appear under Windows Azure BizTalk Services.

Update and addition of the BizTalk Service Explorer were easy and straightforward as described in this post.

Cheers,

Steef-Jan

Author: Steef-Jan Wiggers

Steef-Jan Wiggers is all in on Microsoft Azure, Integration, and Data Science. He has over 15 years’ experience in a wide variety of scenarios such as custom .NET solution development, overseeing large enterprise integrations, building web services, managing projects, designing web services, experimenting with data, SQL Server database administration, and consulting. Steef-Jan loves challenges in the Microsoft playing field combining it with his domain knowledge in energy, utility, banking, insurance, healthcare, agriculture, (local) government, bio-sciences, retail, travel, and logistics. He is very active in the community as a blogger, TechNet Wiki author, book author, and global public speaker. For these efforts, Microsoft has recognized him a Microsoft MVP for the past 8 years. View all posts by Steef-Jan Wiggers