How to Create Schemas for XML Messages
There are several methods for creating BizTalk message schemas. This topic provides step-by-step instructions for some of those methods.
To create a new schema
In Solution Explorer, select the BizTalk project to which you want to add a schema.
On the Project menu, click Add New Item.
In the Add New Item - <BizTalk ProjectName> dialog box, in the Templates section, click Schema.
In the Name box, type a name for the schema, and then click Add.
If necessary, press F4 to open the Visual Studio Properties window.
In the schema tree view, select the Schema node, and then in the Properties window, select the Target Namespace property and type a name for the target namespace. It is important that you set this property in this initial phase of schema creation; avoid using the default Target Namespace property value.
Note
Certain name choices for project member files, such as schema files, can cause compilation errors later on due to conflicts with C# reserved words and.NET Framework type and namespace names (such as System). Examples for schemas include schema.xsd, XmlContent, and RootNodes. This is because the Type Name property defaults to the base (non-extension) portion of the Filename property. You can work around this type of compilation error by explicitly changing the value of the Type Name property to something that does not conflict.
Note
You may need to add, delete, and modify the records and fields in your schema along with their associated properties. To learn more about this, see Managing the Nodes Within a Schema.
To generate a schema from a non-XSD source
In Solution Explorer, right-click a BizTalk project, point to Add, and then click Add Generated Items.
In the Add Generated Items - <BizTalk ProjectName> dialog box, in the Templates section, click Generate Schemas, and then click Add.
In the Generate Schemas dialog box, in the Document type drop-down list, select XDR Schema, DTD Schema, or Well-Formed XML.
If you see either DTD (Not Loaded) or Well-Formed XML (Not Loaded) in the drop-down list, select the appropriate document type anyway, and you will be guided through the process of installing the missing DLL. Then repeat these steps.
In the Generate Schemas dialog box, click Browse, locate the file you want to import, and then click Open. The file you locate must match the document type you selected in the previous step.
A new schema is generated from the specified file, using the same name as that file with the .xsd extension, and opened in BizTalk Editor.