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Information Bridge Framework and metadata

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So, I took the plunge and have been working with the information bridge framework for a few days now. What I have come to realize is that IBF's design is really about taking care of plumbing for you. Need a smart tag to appear in the UI? OK- make sure the right information is in the metadata to pull it off. Need to add a method that will retrieve information from a backend source? Configure the metadata.

What is clear is that the role of the developer is work closely with those who gather the business requirements and put together a cohesive metadata layout, one that reflects the business and is capable of growing.

Strangely, I cannot help but see so many parallels to the BizTalk world where there is orchestration (allegedly done by those who understand the business requirements) and defining the code for schedules and so forth (done by devs). BizTalk is about animating the middleware for you, letting you more easily connect the dots. However, it is not for the faint of heart. The tools in BizTalk are not easy to use, and there needs to be better documentation. I hope IBF does better.

The preview comes with a MetaData project in VS, and it is the best part of the whole thing. It has an import wizard to import metadata. It's a great thing. However, more is needed in this area, as metadata is the heart and soul of the thing.

More on that as I go.

Rock thought for the day: Listening to Sanitarium on my Bose sound cancellation headphones. It is hard to listen to music on anything but these headphones.

Rock on.

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