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BizTalk Server 2006 Beta Available

The Beta 1 version of BizTalk Server 2006 is now available from Microsoft Beta Place, the company said this week.

Because of its tight integration with SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005, BizTalk Server 2006 will launch at the same Nov. 7 event as those products. However, Microsoft said on Tuesday that the release to manufacturing of BizTalk Server 2006 won't occur until the first quarter of 2006.

Microsoft defines BizTalk Server as software for automating and managing complex business processes that span applications, trading partners, employees and legacy systems within and across organizational boundaries.

The 2006 version will be the fourth release of the product. Enhancements focus on setup/configuration, management operations, business-user functionality, ease of development and tighter integration with other Microsoft products in the Windows Server System.

Meanwhile, a Microsoft spokesperson confirmed that SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005 are on a different development track than BizTalk Server 2006. The new versions of SQL and Visual Studio are scheduled to RTM this year.

About the Author

Scott Bekker is editor in chief of Redmond Channel Partner magazine.