Midsize retailers can now relax the nightmare of trying to keep up with the

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1 Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) provides information workers with a real-time view of business processes. RETAIL SOLUTION HIGHLIGHTS Business-to Business Connectivity for People and Processes in Retail The better way to automate business processes for midsize retailers and their suppliers Midsize retailers can now relax the nightmare of trying to keep up with the technologically advanced mega chains is over. Using Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006, the comprehensive, affordable and easy-to-use business process management server, midsize retailers can at last compete on equal footing with their much larger competitors through business process automation. Where the large retail chains were first to set the standards for proficient supply chain communications and achieved success with their monolithic trading networks, most midsize firms lack the IT skills and financial resources to keep up. But with BizTalk Server 2006, they now have a powerful tool that can substantially improve value chain efficiencies and reduce the costs of working with suppliers, shippers and logistical services providers. BizTalk Server 2006 is the comprehensive, affordable and easy-to-use business process management server that empowers people and companies to automate and optimize business processes. Based on the Microsoft Windows Server SystemTM and using industry standards such as EDI, XML and Web services, BizTalk Server is an ideal solution for any retailer looking to seamlessly connect its business processes with those of its supply chain. It s also a great way to integrate internal enterprise systems following a growth spurt or company acquisition. With the latest additions of a Business Activity Monitoring portal, one-click configuration wizard and new RFID support in BizTalk Server 2006 R2, BizTalk Server includes everything

2 needed to lower the administrative cost of importing goods and give midsize retailers improved access to information and business flexibility. AUTOMATED SUPPLY CHAIN BENEFITS Increases Efficiency. Using BizTalk Server 2006, retailers can achieve compelling business results by integrating, automating and improving business processes across their entire supply chain. Directly connect suppliers and carriers. Many large manufacturers offer substantial discounts to retailers that can connect to their automated networks. BizTalk Server connects you directly to these suppliers using their preferred trading protocols (including EDI, XML and Web forms), thereby eliminating paper, fax and other errorprone manual methods. Create your own trading hub. Use BizTalk Server to establish a trading hub withyour largest and most important suppliers. This is the fast and efficient way to share product information with many suppliers and carriers around the world, regardless of connectivity method or message format used. Once the hub is established, it is easy to add new suppliers to instantly establish real-time integration with multiple B2B partners. Create a cost-effective business process foundation. Besides connecting you to trading partners, BizTalk Server includes tools for integrating multiple legacy applications within your enterprise. By leveraging a common infrastructure for both B2B and enterprise application integration, you save time and money while increasing business process effectiveness. Gain insight into your supply chain s operation. When problems develop at any point in the supply chain, you need information fast. BizTalk Server s portal capability and realtime alerts provide visibility into business processes so you and your team can take corrective action and run your organization more competitively. Reduces Complexity. Much of the complexity previously associated with supply chain integration in retailing is significantly reduced in BizTalk Server Connect faster and with more trading partners. BizTalk Server and its common set of reusable integration services make it quick and easy to connect with new suppliers or carriers. Even smaller retailers or those with low transaction volumes can be automated with far less effort and time than previously required. Centralize management of supply chain information. Because BizTalk Server provides a common framework for tracking all business processes, every member of your trading team has access to the same information pool when and where they need to see it. Graphical portal reports help business users quickly grasp trend data, understand performance metrics and visualize the business in real-time.

3 Use intuitive and familiar tools to achieve business process improvement. BizTalk Server provides a single set of tools for business analysts and IT developers to create supply chain solutions together and with minimal coding. Using Microsoft Visio, business analysts can clearly and completely diagram business processes and their relationships with one another. IT can take these flowcharts and easily integrate them into Visual Studio for rapid deployment. SAVES MONEY. A BizTalk Server 2006 business process solution is cost-effective at every stage of an application s lifecycle. Low acquisition and implementation costs. Priced affordably for midsize retailers, BizTalk Server is easy to install and easy to manage by those with general IT skills. Adapt readily to market change. It can be painful to integrate or convert disparate systems from newly-acquired companies. BizTalk Server responds quickly to any business process challenge, including system integration challenges resulting from market growth or acquisition. With BizTalk Server, adding a partner, connecting to a hub or integrating legacy applications is achieved with less effort, expenditure and time. Reduce development costs. Developers comfortable with tools like Visual Studio and SQL Server will be right at home with BizTalk Server s integrated development environment. Familiar tools, adherence to open standards, and frameworks that minimize coding help developers to quickly automate processes that span organizational boundaries. Reduce maintenance costs. Using BizTalk Server s common set of reusable integration services reduces upfront development costs and simplifies solution maintenance over time, thereby lowering long-term costs and increasing ROI. MICROSOFT BIZTALK SERVER KEY FEATURES Business Process Automation for Running a More Efficient and Responsive Organization Business Process Management. Representing the next evolutionary step beyond traditional integration practices, these services support the rapid integration of applications and data sources both within the enterprise and with outside trading partners. Data Mapping Services. Services that simplify connections by automatically transforming data between leading industry formats used by trading communities. For rapid implementation, BizTalk Server includes accelerators for specific vertical industries such as Global Data Synchronization (GDS) for general retail, electronics manufacturing (RosettaNet) and health care (HL7). Highly scalable Business Rules Engine. Empowers business analysts to create and deploy flexible business rules that adapt quickly to changing business conditions, without resorting to traditional coding. Business Activity Monitoring (BAM). Provides information workers with real-time monitoring of business processes, including support for business activity monitoring and alerts delivered through Microsoft Outlook 2003, Excel and SharePoint Portal Server. Developer Tools to Simplify Business Process Management Rich business process design tools. Services that integrate applications and data sources and transform them into streamlined business processes. A unified development environment. Using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 in combination with BizTalk Server, developers can quickly build and orchestrate business processes within and across organizations.

4 Intuitive Business Tools for Management of Business Processes and Partner Relationships Trading partner deployment and management services. Services (including wizards) that support the creation and automated testing, deployment and monitoring of trading partner relationships. Templates to support business process modeling. Wide selection of templates to support business process modeling efforts, including decision trees, flow diagrams and process and procedural charts. Easy to create electronic forms. Using Microsoft Office InfoPathTM 2003, non-technical users can quickly create or revise online forms that reflect the business processes behind trading partner relationships. Support for collaborative workflows. With SharePoint Designer, knowledge workers in the enterprise can create or modify collaborative workflow applications using drop-down lists and checkboxes. Health activity tracking. Enables administrators to identify, monitor and troubleshoot problems in real-time with their business processes. POWER THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS Developers can quickly build and orchestrate business processes within and across organizations. All Microsoft technologies for supply chain integration are backed by numerous partners. Their specialized knowledge of supply chains and retailing helps make a Microsoft solution one of the most versatile in the industry. For more information, visit What s New in BizTalk Server 2006 R2 BizTalk RFID, a collection of robust technologies that seamlessly connects real-time RFID events to supply chain processes Native support for the EDI, AS2, EDIFACT and X12 B2B protocols widely used by midsize companies and their partners in B2B applications Broadened support for Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows Vista BIZTALK SERVER SUMMARY Enables midsize retailers to connect and collaborate with suppliers and carriers using minimal time and effort Reduces the complexity associated with supply chain management without sacrificing functionality Increases ROI and business agility by lowering the costs of B2B integration

5 Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Hardware Requirements Processor 32-Bit Systems PC with An Intel Pentium compatible CPU including: 1 GHz or higher for single processors 900 MHz for higher for double processors 700 MHz or higher for quad processors 64-Bit Systems AMD Opteron (AMD64), Intel XEON (EM64T) or compatible 1.7 GHz or higher processor recommended Memory 1 GB of RAM 1 GB of RAM Hard Disk 6 GB of available hard disk space 6 GB of available hard disk space Drive CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive recommended CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive recommended Monitor Super VGA(1024 x 768) or higher recommended Super VGA(1024 x 768) or higher recommended Software Requirements The minimum software requirements for a complete installation of BizTalk Server 2006 on a single computer include: Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 Microsoft Office Excel 2003 and InfoPath 2003 with Service Pack 2 Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 with Microsoft Visual C#.NET Microsoft SQL Server 2005 or Microsoft SQL Server 2000 with Service Pack 4 Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Analysis Services or Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services with Service Pack 4 Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Notification Services or Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Notification Services 2.0 with Service Pack 1 Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 2.0 with Service Pack 2 The following operating systems can also be used with BizTalk Server 2006: Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 Windows 2000 Server with Service Pack 4 or above Windows Server 2003 R2

6 Integrated server infrastructure software that improves manageabilty, reliability, security and integration with your existing systems so you can spend more time adding valuable new capabilities to your business. c) 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This data sheet is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY. Microsoft, BizTalk, SharePoint, Visual Studio and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. Microsoft Corporation - One Microsoft Way - Redmond, WA Part No. XXX-XXXXX