Installation - Additional Software

The following are some of the additional software components that may or may not be required depending on which components of BizTalk Server you are going to use.

SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services

SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services is the next generation of the OLAP Services component that shipped in SQL Server 7.0. Analysis Services is an easy-to-use, integrated, and scalable set of components that enables you to build multidimensional cubes and provide the application programs with access to the cubes. SQL Server Analysis Services is optional for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation. It is required only if you want to use Health and Activity Tracking (HAT) or Business Activity Monitoring (BAM).

SQLXML 3.0

SQLXML enables XML support for your SQL Server database. It enables developers to bridge the gap between XML and relational data. SQLXML 3.0 is optional for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation. It is required only if you want to use the SQL adapter.

XML Core Services

XML Core Services (formerly known as MSXML, for Microsoft Extensible Markup Language or XML) is an application for processing Extensible Stylesheet Language Transformation (XSLT) in an XML file. XML Core Services is a required piece of software for your BizTalk Server installation.

Microsoft Office XP Tool: Web Components (OWC10)

Microsoft Office Web Components are a collection of Component Object Model (COM) controls for publishing spreadsheets, charts, and databases to the Web, and for viewing the published components on the Web. OWC10 is optional for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation. It is required only if you want to use Health and Activity Tracking (HAT).

Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003

InfoPath 2003 can help teams and organizations efficiently gather the information they need through rich, dynamic forms. The information collected can easily be reused throughout organizations and across business processes because InfoPath 2003 supports industry-standard Extensible Markup Language (XML) using any customer-defined schema. InfoPath is optional for a BizTalk Server 2004 installation. It is required if you plan on configuring Business Activity Services (BAS).

Source: Luke Nyswonger MSDN Blog