Creating Maps

Mapping is one of the areas that has got the biggest attention in BizTalk Server 2010 in terms of user interface. In BizTalk Server 2013, it was improved behind the scenes where the runtime was updated to use XslCompiledTransform, which increases the performance of Map execution.

Most integrations will use one or more maps as a part of processing the message. Being skilled at creating well-performing, change-friendly, and maintainable maps is therefore one of the most sought-after skills among the BizTalk developers.

Maps range from simple to very complex, where the user interface changes have really improved the usability around complex maps.

Simple maps may only include connecting a few elements together using simple direct links as shown in the following screenshot.

There are several ways a Map can be implemented:

• Links

• Functoids

• External XSLT script

• A combination of links, Functoids, and inline XSLT

  Note

  All samples and Map images used throughout the this chapter can be found in...