Note to Self: Add to The Global Assembly Cache on MSI Imports

Lately, I've been busy with deployment and re-deployment of BizTalk solutions for testing purposes. In the deployment step, I just want to import the MSI and done. But, to do that, I also need to make sure that when I import the MSI, all the assemblies is also added to the GAC. So, I have to modify each of the resources and check the "Add to the global assembly cache on MSI imports (gacutil)" option. Well, it's quite annoying things to do if you need to do this for all the resources.

Thanks to Dmitriy, I just need to run this query in the adpl_sat table of BizTalkMgmtDb database:

update dbo.adpl_sat set properties = replace(cast(properties as nvarchar(4000)),
'UpdateGacOnImport</key><value>False', 'UpdateGacOnImport</key><value>True') where applicationId = <app_id>

SSO Configuration Application MMC Snap-In

I just knew that Microsoft has released MMC Snap-In to use SSO to store configuration data.

Saravana has posted an example about this in his blog.

Check it out!

Which credential used by send port to communicate with Dynamics ?

I configured my BizTalk application to run on three different host instances: receive, process, and send. I thought the credential used when BizTalk communicates with Dynamics is the Send Handler Host Instance credential. But I got the following error:

The send handler host instance credential was the valid Dynamics user but the process host instance was not. When I switched the credential or changed the credential of process host instance into the valid Dynamics credential, it works fine.

So, is this the way it should work?

BizTalk Expression Editor MAXIMIZER

Randal has just posted a nice tool to maximize Expression Editor.

Check it out !

Document Map won't show numbering on a heading that immediately follows a hard page break

Lately, I've been working with MS Word 07 to make some documentation of my project. I like to use Document Map feature to move around my document quickly. There is one annoyance when using the Document Map: Why won't Document Map show numbering on a heading that immediately follows a hard page break?

Shauna Kelly gives the solution to this annoyance:

Stop using Insert > Break > Page Break. Instead, use Format > Paragraph. On the Line and Page Breaks tab, tick "Page Break Before". Or, better, use the "Keep with Next" setting to keep the paragraph on the same page as the next paragraph. Or, better still, format your document using styles that have been modified with an appropriate "Keep with next" setting.

Visual Studio (2008) crash when trying to add pipeline components to toolbox

I have been working on a pipeline components library. I encountered a strange issue when I tried to add a new pipeline component which I have added to the library. Every time I tried to "Choose Items..." in the pipeline components toolbox and choosed BizTalk Pipeline Components tab, my visual studio 2008 crashed. I don't remember whether I have encountered the same problem when I used visual studio 2005.

Thanks to Thiago Almeida, I found the solution: add the pipeline components into the Toolbox when the entire solution closed.

The Changes to the referenced assembly are not automatically picked up in BizTalk Project

One of my colleagues encountered this issue when he used Visual Studio 2008.

If your BizTalk project references another assembly, and that assembly is updated, the updates or changes are not automatically picked up in your BizTalk project.

There are some alternatives to update the referenced assembly:

1. You should remove the outdated reference in Solution Explorer, and then add the reference back (re-reference the assembly).
2. Or, you can close your solution and reopen it. In either case, the latest updates to the referenced assembly are available to your project.
3. Alternatively (as Samad Khan suggested): Select the updated assembly under references, Press F4 to bring up the properties windows, Set the “Copy Local” design time property from “True” to “False”, and Change back the design time property “Copy Local” from “False” to “True”.