Introduction

WCF is a runtime and a set of APIs (application programming interface) in the .NET Framework for building connected, service-oriented applications (Wikipedia). WCF has introduced with .NET Framework 3.0. BizTalk Server 2006 R2 embraced WCF with its adapters:

• WCF-BasicHttp,
• WCF-Custom,
• WCF-CustomIsolated,
• WCF-NetMsmq,
• WCF-NetNamedPipe,
• WCF-NetTcp,
• and WCF-WsHttp

In subsequent versions more WCF adapters were added either out-of-the box or via adapter pack:

• WCF-SQL,
• WCF-OracleDb,
• WCF-OracleEBS,
• WCF-SAP,
• WCF-WebHttp,
• WCF-BasicHttpRelay,
• and WCF-NetTcpRelay

WCF Fundamentals and BizTalk

WCF follows the "ABC" mantra. A stands for address. With configuring a WCF-based adapter you will always define and address for either your endpoint (exposed through receive location) receiving messages or a send port to consume messages. B stands for Binding and with each WCF adapter in BizTalk you will configure the adapter that is the binding properties for communication. C stands for Contract and with BizTalk this is schema the message has to adhere too. Usually you will configure the port with either XMLRecieve or XMLSend pipeline.

Using Adapters WCF Adapters

Through Using Adapters page on MSDN you can find information on how to use the adapters in Microsoft BizTalk Server, how to configure the adapter handlers, send ports, and receive locations for each adapter.

See Also

• WCF Adapters in BizTalk Whitepaper: Using the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) Adapters in BizTalk Server
• WCF Adapters in MSDN
• BizTalk Server and WCF Support in Visual Studio 2008
• TechNet Wiki: BizTalk Server 2013: New Adapters
• TechNet Wiki: BizTalk Server 2013: Connect to the Windows Azure Service Bus

Another important place to find a huge amount of BizTalk related articles is the TechNet Wiki itself. The best entry point is BizTalk Server Resources on the TechNet Wiki.