Automatically Generating Complex Types in BizTalk Schemas

I’m currently teaching a “BizTalk Developer” class for my colleagues and as usual, I learned something I didn’t know before. Maybe it’s common knowledge, but it was new to me.

Specifically, I never had figured out how to turn nodes in my schema into actual “complex types” to be used elsewhere. Let’s say I start with a “TrainingBooking” schema that validates messages from folks that are requesting training rooms for course delivery.

We’ll also assume that I want to build a “room” object that other schemas may want to reuse. My “room” schema may look like this …

Now I can import this “room” schema into my “booking” schema and reuse the defined types.

However, the only “types” available from that schema when looking at the Data Structure Type in my “booking” schema is the root type. What if I want the “room details” node from my schema instead?

What I just learned, was that if I go to my “room” schema, click my “room details” record node, and type in a value for the DataStructureType, then automagically, a “type” is created for me (see here for more details on creating global definitions).

Sweet. Now if I go back to my “booking” schema, the new “RoomDetailsType” is accessible.

I’ve had a lot of cases the past few months where I would have liked “real” complex types created, and now I know how. Learning is half the battle.

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