BizTalk Server: Tracking Data Using BizTalk Admin Console

Article
1/17/2024

This article intends to show how data can be tracked using the Admin Console, resulting from this forum question.

Introduction

BizTalk's Tracking helps in tracking data which can help in analysis, report generation, troubleshooting, etc. Tracking can be applied to both types of messages: the incoming message and the message leaving BizTalk. Data, which can be tracked are message body, message properties, message ID, the start time of events, stop time of events, etc.

Note: By default, group-level tracking is enabled.

How tracking happens

When tracking is enabled, BizTalk Server tracking engine inserts the message in the Tracking Database along with their instance id and activity ids and it is done with the help of TrackedMessages_Copy_BizTalkMsgBoxDb which periodically copies message bodies from MessageBox to tracking database (BizTalkDTADb) and it is this job which makes message bodies available to WMI and tracking queries.

Tracked data other than message bodies are moved from the BizTalkMsgBoxDb to the BizTalkDTADb by TDDS(Tracking Data Decode Service) service which runs on the BizTalk Server hosts.

If a host is configured as Hosts Tracking then TDDS sub-service will run in every instance of that host.

Note: BizTalkDTADb Tracking database stores tracked data that has already been processed through the MessageBox database.

What are the artifacts where tracking can be applied

Below is the list of artifacts as they occur in the architecture:

Receive port.
Pipeline.
Orchestration.
Schema.
Send Port.
Policy.

How to Access BizTalk Server Admin Console

Click** Start **button.
All Programs.
Select Microsoft BizTalk Server 2010.
Select** BizTalk Server Administration.**

Available options for tracking

Options	Description	Available on
Request message before port processing	This option is available under Tracking Message Bodies and Tracking Message Properties category	Receive Port and Send Port
Request message after port processing	This option is available under Tracking Message Bodies and Tracking Message Properties category	Receive Port and Send Port
Port start and end events	This option is available under Track Events category	Pipeline
Message send and receive events	This option is available under Track Events category	Pipeline
Message Before pipeline processing	This option is available under Tracking Message Bodies	Pipeline
Message after pipeline processing	This option is available under Tracking Message Bodies	Pipeline
Orchestration start and end	This option is available under Track Events category	Orchestration
Message send and receive	This option is available under Track Events category	Orchestration
Shape start and end	This option is available under Track Events category	Orchestration
Before orchestration processing	This option is available under Tracking Message Bodies	Orchestration
After orchestration processing	This option is available under Tracking Message Bodies	Orchestration
Incoming messages	This option is available under Tracking Message Properties category	Orchestration
Outgoing messages	This option is available under Tracking Message Properties category	Orchestration
Always track all properties	---	Schema
Fast activity	This option is available under Track and gives option to track the instance data on which the policy operates.	Policy
Condition evaluation	This option is available under Track and gives option to track the true/false results of conditions in the selected policy.	Policy
Rule firings	This option is available under Track and gives option to track the actions started as a result of the policy.	Policy
Agenda updates	This option is available under Track and gives option to track updates to the agenda.	Policy

Table 1. Available options for tracking.

Applying tracking on Receive Port

To enable tracking on Receive port:

Right-click the Receive port.
Select Tracking.
Receive port Tracking options page will pop up as shown below.
Select the options depending on what you want to track.

Figure 1. Tracking options of Receive Port.

Applying tracking on Pipeline

To enable tracking on Pipeline:

Right-click the Pipeline.
Select Tracking.
Pipeline Tracking options page will pop up as shown below.
Select the options depending upon what you want to track.

**Figure 2. **Tracking options of Pipeline.

Applying tracking on Orchestration

To enable tracking on Orchestration:

Right-click the Orchestration.
Select Tracking.
Orchestration Tracking options page will pop up as shown below.
Select the options depending on what you want to track.

**Figure 3. **Tracking options of Orchestration.

Applying tracking on Schema

To enable tracking on Schema:

Right-click the Schema.
Select Properties-->Tracking.
The below shown page will appear.
Select the only option if you need to track all properties.

**Figure 4. **Tracking options of Schema.

Applying tracking on Send Port

To enable tracking on Send Port:

Right-click the Send port.
Select Tracking.
Send Port Tracking Options page will pop up as shown below.
Select the options depending on what you want to track.

Figure 5. Tracking options of Send Port.

Applying tracking on Policy

To enable tracking on Policy:

Right-click the Policy.
Select Properties-->Tracking

**Figure 6. **Tracking options of Policies.

Note: Although tracking is very useful, it should be used wisely as it contributes to increasing the size of tracking database which may have a performance impact.

Author

Maheshkumar S Tiwari|UserPage
http://tech-findings.blogspot.com/

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