Set for release early next year, the next version of BizTalk Server will now be named accordingly by Microsoft, which now promises to release its business logic software on a more predictable schedule.

The next major release of BizTalk Server -- newly renamed BizTalk Server 2009 -- is still slated for delivery in the first half of 2009, and Microsoft claims that additional releases of the application server will begin to follow every two years, starting with a product dubbed BizTalk Server 7.

First introduced in 2000, BizTalk is a business process management (BPM) server from Microsoft aimed at helping software systems on different platforms exchange data and transactions, for purposes such as order management and enterprise application integration (EAI). It's what keeps some companies' line-of-business software from becoming too monolithic to be practical.

Microsoft released the current version of the server, BizTalk 2006 R2, in September 2007, following a beta test that began in December 2005.

"I'm happy to report that [the next release of BizTalk] is on track for availability in the first half of calendar year 2009," maintained Oliver Sharp, general manager, BizTalk Server, in a press Q&A late last week.

But with calendar year 2009 only a few months away now, Microsoft has apparently decided that the original name of the next release -- BizTalk Server 2006 R3 -- leaves something to be desired.

"We have also updated the name of the next version from BizTalk Server 2006 R3 to BizTalk Server 2009. BizTalker Server 2009 will be a full release of the product," according to Sharp.

"We know that our enterprise customers need to make longer-term plans about their infrastructure investments, often more than five years into the future. In response to this, we are providing customers with greater visibility into the BizTalk Server release cycle. The goal is to provide a BizTalk Server release every two years, plus additional interim releases of service packs as appropriate."

Aside from platform support for Server 2008, Visual Studio 2008, .NET Framework 3.5, and SQL Server 2008, the next version of BizTalk Server is expected to add new Hyper-V virtualization support; a UDDI Web registry; new and enhanced adapters for Oracle E-Business Suite and SQL Server; consolidation of all queries into a single console tool; and improved host systems integration through updates to MQ, CICS, and IMS.

Sharp also pointed to a road map on Microsoft's Web site stating that future editions of BizTalk Server, after the 2009 edition, will add features that include complex mapping for developers; real-time business event visibility through BI/BAM enhancements; low-level messaging enhancements and ESB Guidance; B2B improvements such as complex trading partner management; and expanded support for industry standards and schemas.