Code BizTalk Business Rules in C# vs BRE When You Can
So, I already know that there will likely be vehement opposition to this post but that’s cool – that’s what being in America is all about… the opportunity to offer unsolicited opinions freely! 
We worked on a BizTalk Server (BTS) project last year that afforded us the opportunity to learn lots of lessons. One of the biggest I learned is that the Business Rule Engine (BRE) is good; however, it is not the panacea for all things BizTalk. I think it should be used strategically; which means analysis and planning (this is a struggle for many IT shops), and good design as to how the BRE will interact in the overall solution and the enterprise. The project we did had over 800 business rules, all of which made calls to helper classes for processing – interesting… if our rules are so complex that we are going to call helper classes written in C# for additional processing (and they are), then why not simply code the rules in C# business rule classes to begin with and eliminate the BRE layer altogether? Stop cringing – it’s not taboo!
Now, for simple projects that have rules that are also simple enough to process without helper classes; I say, OK go for it. But for complex rules, I prefer to code Rules Classes/Librairies in C# thus creating an enterprise business rule layer. This is what we did on our current project and we were able to complete the rules phase of the project in a fraction of the time we spent on the first project.
So, my point is not to rule out the BRE, but simply to use it strategically. Software solutions can be robust, functional and appealing with very simple vs complex coding and development approaches.
One more point to make with my preference is that if something ever changes or goes awry with the business rules, a .NET coder can take a look at the problem without having to come up-to-speed on the BRE.
Just my thoughts!
Blackberry or iPhone?
A friend of mine asked me if I thought the iPhone was a real business phone like the blackberry. Now, I have the iPod Touch but will be getting an iPhone as soon as my current contract expires but, the devices are the same with the exception of the built-in voice capabilities of a phone. I responded to her and thought I would share that response with you…
It really depends on what you really want. Now, the blackberry is a great communications device (i.e. Voice, emal, scheduling, etc.); however, that’s where it stops even though RIM touts it can do more. It can – just not very efficiently. You can put music files on it and use Twitter and so forth but it was not designed for that functionality even though it supports it and has an app store to get applications from. The blackberry is a business communications device and if that is all you are interested in then I say that is the way to go.
When it comes to the iPhone, you are really talking a mini computer. In fact, many people, amongst whom I am counted, consider the iPhone Apple’s netbook computer. The iPhone is not just a great business communications device for Voice, email, calendar but it is designed to provide all the other things that round out our lives (i.e., Music, Video, Photos, Personal and Business applications, Games, Utilities, and more!). If it were not for the fact that I am a coder and need a desktop/laptop sized system to do that work, the only device I would have period would be the iPhone!
My Applications:
- I connect to my personal Gmail, calendars, contacts, notes and my business MS Exchange/Outlook email, calendars, contacts and notes. Calendars and contacts, etc. are synchronized too.
- I use Documents To Go® which is essentially Word, Excel and PowerPoint on my iPhone. My documents are wirelessly transferred to my iMac and my Windows Laptop to be printed or, I can print them directly to any wireless printer from the iPhone. Very cool.
- I use an app called 1Password to store encrypted information such as personal numbers, account information, passwords, etc. It’s like having a mobile locked file cabinet.
- I use an app call ToDo® to manage my tasks and projects. This app allows you to track projects with groups of tasks just like MS Project but without timeline GUIs and such. Powerful application!
- I use another app (Free) called EverNote®. This application allows me to take notes on my iPhone (text, voice, photo) and synch them to my EverNote web account then to any other computer (PC, Mac, etc) that has the free client installed. Or, I can just use the web interface. In short, NO MORE PAPER NOTES!! Yay!! J
- I use the FedEx Tracking application (free) – self explanatory.
- I use the Amazon.com application (free).
- I use the YellowPages application (free).
- I use an app called PocketMoney to manage my personal and business finances with budgeting.
- I use Mantis Bible Study which is not just a KJV bible, but also ASV, NIV, Commentaries, Dictionaries, Devotionals and books. In short, I keep my entire bible study library with me at all times.
- I use the WordPress Blog application to manage my BBQ blog, my Personal/Political blog and my Ministry blog. I can create/edit posts with pictures and update my blog from a florida beach if I want.
- I use an app called Lose It® to keep track of my daily nutritional counts, meals, etc.
- I use an app call iBP to track and monitor my High Blood Pressure stats.
- I use the free Kindle application to purchase, read and manage my eBooks of all categories.
- I use the Tweetie Twitter application.
- I use the Facebook application.
- I use the Skype application.
- I manage LinkedIN with their application.
I use all these applications on a regular basis; not to mention, my 1300 songs, 10 Movies, 6 TV show episodes and 3000 photos! The web browser is Mobile Safari and is a better browser than most on the desktop! Lastly, there are enough games to keep you occupied til the Lord comes back!
So, after all that, and I haven’t mentioned everything I do with iPhone, that is how I use the device. Anyone who says the iPhone is not a business device is likely someone who is simply not keen on Apple as a company. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just because the device can do just about everything you need and do so in a seamless manner, does not mean it’s not a business unit.
Again, it just depends on what you need your device to do. I hope this helps!
The GOP Does Not Get It!
Today, the RNC Chairman, Michael Steele addressed the republican party in the traditional party style of feeding lots of character demeaning “red meat”; however, it was presented with a good deal of eloquence. No doubt though, Mr. Steele is a very intelligent and articulate person. I must disagree with his position that Pres. Obama and the new administration are catalysts of a mysterious impending doom that in republican party ideology, is inherent with all democrats. What I heard today was more name calling, character assassination and party demonizing – nothing has change with the RNC. This is why the GOP does not get it!
America voted for Pres. Obama because he offered change to this great country in a time when we were all suffering from a very real since of political, economic, educational, medical and moral stagnation. I’m sorry Mr. Steele, but for the first time in decades, America has a chance to move forward as a country, resume her place as the worlds greatest super-power and live up the promises of the constitution, made to all Americans regardless of political party. This is what Pres. Obama has promised and this is what America voted for in this historic election.
In a little over 100 days of service, draped in constant criticism and complaint, the President has already begun to make good on his promises to America. The GOP laughs at Pres. Obama’s actions and shuns them as inadequate and reckless. That’s OK, you are Americans and you can say what you want. But irrational speech will always be upended by positive results. We will see very shortly how effective this administration is, and how important it is for the RNC and the DNC to step outside their respective political boxes and see that America is changing!
America does not need strong republicans, neither do we need strong democrats. What we need is strong leadership across the board who are interested only in what’s best for America. America is in the middle of a massive political paradigm shift. America is on a much needed path to change. America is on its way to an unparalleled world status, and the only way that is possible is through change.
America wants and needs change, the word of Mr. Steele shows that the RNC wants to rely on the policies and ideologies of the past… the GOP just does not get it!
Making Twitter Enjoyable For You!
A good thing abused or misused becomes very bad very fast. I have been a Twitter user for less than 3 months and I have already learned some valuable lessons that I hope will be helpful to you.
Don’t Follow Everyone Who Follows You
Twitter is a social media phenom that highly encourages personal interaction via the internet; but personal interaction none-the-less. This means relationship building. Take from me; a guy who has been married almost 23 years – relationships take time! You have to get to know a person before you commit to anything long term. I feel that Twitter is no different. If someone (who is not some automated Twit-Bot) follows you; let them follow and interact a bit before you follow them in return. Force people to get to know you a bit before you follow them in return. At least attempt to strike up some sort of interaction to see if you and the follower are compatible Twitter-Friends.
Know What Your Interests Are and Publish Them
I know Twitter is founded on the concept of random thoughts and musings; but if you want a quality Twitter experience, you need attract people who are like-minded. Make sure your Twitter Profile clearly indicates what intrests you. This way, prospective follower will not be surprised when you post certain types of tweets. This also establishes boundaries and rules for what you are willing to discuss or participate in. For example, if you profile clearly states that you are 100% supportive of the consumption of Baby Back Ribs, then a person who despises carnivorous BBQ eaters will know right away that you are not the person to follow!
Don’t Be Afraid to Clean Up Your Twitter House
Ok, so it was late and you did not have any coffee all day – and you followed a bunch of people who followed you and – you have absolutely nothing in common. What do you do? Clean up your followers list – I emphasize “Your Followers”. These are people who chose to follow you but you are under no obligation to follow back. You are obligated to be true to yourself and your interests. Remember, noone had held any of us at gunpoint and forced us to be Tweeps! It was our own decision and by golly we can do it our way! Don’t worry about hurting anyones feelings if you unfollow them – really – it’s ok to move on!
In conclusion, remember that Twitter is supposed to be fun as well as free! If your Twitter experience seems to be more of a chore, then maybe you have one of the issues I listed above.
Forget What’s “Mainstream”… Users Want What’s Best!
We Need our Legacy Roots
Let’s talk about something in IT that really “scratches my chalkboard” – modern-day IT strategy… or the lack thereof. I am a little “old school” but not much! I came up in the IT industry having to write programs that needed to run in Kilobytes of memory vs. the Megabytes that are required now. Our programs needed to be reliable, functional and for the most part reusable when at all possible. That’s right… re-usability in the 80’s! I hate to bust some of those “young blood” bubbles, but us guys and gals from the “legacy” camp were and are pretty darned smart! In fact, all of our current technologies and approaches are built on what we did in the 80’s and 90’s, just like what we did was based on the foundations laid in the 60′ and 70’s. Legacy ideas, principles and approaches are not outdated – they are necessary. Without them we would not be where we are!
Anyhoo! There is a lot to be said about about applications that are built under the Waterfall SDLC (Software Development Life-Cycle). There was a great deal of time and thought put into the analysis and design phases. Then we did the unheard of… we created proto-types, sudo-code and… gulp… programming specifications! What the heck were were thinking? Well… we were thinking; and the applications we designed and implemented were solid, robust, hugely functional and reliable. No, we didn’t have combo boxes and radio buttons and mouse pointers but… our applications ran strong and long and our user-based community of users were “happy” as a rule rather than an exception.
Now, I am not knocking the advent of GUI (Graphical User Interface) tools and RAD (Rapid Application Development) processes – they have their place and I have made a good deal of money with them. However, I think we in the IT field have done our user community a great disservice by all-too-quickly abandoning the methods, process and tools that once made for a generally happy user base.
Choosing What’s Best Over What’s Cool!
So, there are lots of trendy, cool and what many people deem “mainstream” technologies and tools around. Suffice it to say that I have used my share of these. But one must remember that in business applications and environments, functionality, availability and usability are what is most important. For example, I work in the casualty insurance industry. We process quotes, create policies, produce insured documentation, process claims, etc. Insurance is what I consider to be a “legacy industry” because there is nothing really “snazzy” that needs to be done. Yes, we have taken advantage of the internet, Web Services and Data Warehousing but these technologies only compliment what we do – not revolutionize it!
In my opinion, we need computer systems that work well, are reliable, available and very usable. What’s cool does not matter; how efficiently we process data and turn around documentation and payments does matter. The heart of our IT hardware implementation is a Mainframe system as it should be. We have a solid document management system, a decent data warehouse area and we take advantage of XML Web Services and other web technologies. To me, that is enough for our industry. I think we should be current in our technologies and those technologies should be implemented well utilizing solid standards. Our goal should be the creation and support of systems that are pretty much “work-horses” that get the job done – period! Users who review quotes, underwrite policies and process claims don’t care about what’s nifty and new unless it brings significant increases in performance and productivity for their jobs. In short, they basically need systems that keep it simple!
There are industries that should be on the innovative “bleeding edge” because their existence depends on it. The gaming industry is a good example of this. This industry needs the “new”, the “hot” and yes… the “cool” in order to compete in a very tough arena. It makes sense for IT folks in this industry to innovate forward in new and ground-breaking ways.
Some Things to Think About
When deciding on what platforms and technologies to implement, we should take time to consider a few things:
- What industry are you working in?
- Whom does your IT strategy target?
- What are the top 3 goals of your target users as it pertains to system usage?
- Is your industry a legacy industry?
- How will the technologies/tools you plan to implement add value and improve the overall user experience?
- What will be the ROI (Return On Investment) for the technologies and tools you want to implement?
These are just a few things to think about before you spend a ton of money and waste a lot of time on a technology direction that your users will hate you for!
Dell’s Power-Saving Settings Affects Wireless
Ok, I almost lost it today! Do you know how long it took for me to get my sweet wife interested in technology? She now has a new job. Computers, the internet and MS Office are a must for her. So, we set out to get a new computer for her to get busy with. A Dell Inspiron, brand spankin’ new and a beautiful cherry red color!
Everything worked fine except when the laptop was unplugged. When connected, internet connectivity was lightening fast – no problems at all. But when unplugged, the only thing we could rely on was the “Excellent” wireless connection. Trying to access web pages were hit-and-miss; actually, more miss than hit! Robin was furious and threatened send it back to Dell and get her money back!
Well, that meant I had to enter the “Time Machine” (to coin a phrase from my iMac feature set), and become an PC technician again. I had to remember to carefully step through my troubleshooting activity with a great deal of patience! Test after test, after test, after…. Well, you get the picture. After about 2 hours of trying to figure out the problem, the battery started giving off its warnings to hurry up and plug in. I get the power cord, plug in and all of a sudden, the stuck web browsers (IE and Firefox) start to miraculously display web pages! Doh!!
I go into Vista’s power-saving settings and discover that the machines “unplugged” power setting for the Wireless adapter was set to “Medium Power” – you gotta be kiddin’ me! So, I change the setting to “Maximum Power” or something like, unplug the laptop and voila’! Fast, snappy internet connections.
So, if you or someone you know are having performance problems with your Dell laptop whenever it is unplugged, you may want to check the power-saving settings for the machine.
A Personal Paradigm Shift
What does a 45 year old technology professional who has been in the industry for 23 years do next? The thought for me is somewhat daunting; never-the-less, it is a thought I have no choice but to diligently ponder. I began my technology career going to school to learn COBOL, landing my first job writing C/C++, getting really established in IT with IBM mid-range systems and lastly paying my mortgage and putting my kids through college on Microsoft Web/Windows technologies – of all kinds. COM/COM+, Classic ASP, VB/C# .NET, Sharepoint, BizTalk, and it really does go on!
After all these years of IT work I have arrived at one word that describes a host feelings I have for where IT has taken me… Frustrated!
Ok, so I am a bit old school and have these crazy ideas that software and systems should – well, work! I am so tired of the endless cycle of new trends that leave companies in a technology lurch because the new thing implemented last week is no longer relevant for the business need today. And I am very sick and tired of poorly designed, quickly-built, over-engineered “solutions” that leave a company’s ROI in the red!
Yes, I am tired of the technology rat race. Now, I still have some time to work in this industry until I start cooking BBQ for living (see my Indy Smokehouse BBQ blog); so since that is the case, why not work on my own terms? Why not do what I love to do the way I want to do it? Well, that means I have to make some major changes in my technology lifestyle. I mean major changes! Luckily, I have already begun. Below are a few steps that I have taken to move into the technology lifestyle I want to assume.
Go Open Source with Tools
A couple of years ago I started my quest toward the new technology me. What did I do? I ditched MS Office in favor of OpenOffice.org. Ok, so going from lots of $$ to free is not far from a no-brainer, but hey – a guy has got to start somewhere. OpenOffice did and does everything I need to do including, allowing me manage Microsoft documents. I also ditched the MS development tools for open source tools. Lastly, I beefed up my open source development skills to included PHP, MySQL, Apache, etc. These are just a few things I did to begin the redefinition of my life in IT.
Move to UNIX OS
I have always had an installation of some variant of Linux running in a VM on my Windows machines. But, I have really shaken up the “Etch-A-Sketch” on this latest move – I bought a Mac! This move brings me full circle to my roots. Mac OS X is a fully implemented UNIX – not a Linux and I could not be happier! I had thought about getting a SPARC-Station and running SunOS but I have way too many kids to afford that! So, when Apple came out with Mac OS X, I knew it was only a matter of time before I jumped on the bandwagon and now, I am there with my new iMac 20″.
Reconcile the Old, New, Good and Bad
While I am not a huge fan of RAD, Agile and the like; there are some really good things about them that can be very helpful if applied correctly. It’s like owning a firearm. A gun in the wrong hands means that people get hurt; but a gun in the right hands means that people are protected and safe. The new innovative IT concepts of today have to be tempered with the wisdom of the trade. We have to stop deploying technologies because they are new and cool. We have to consider if they make sense or not; and, then we have to be very wise and methodical in our implementations.
Conclusion
So here I am at the beginning of a new IT life for myself. I am not sure yet where it will ultimately lead but I am going anyway – and I am having fun doing it. That was the whole point anyway.
Welcome
Welcome to my personal, professional blog. You will find posts specific to Technology, Business and Politics. Please feel free to chime in and share your responses. I look forward to lots of great interaction with my visitors.
Tony
