This is a gotcha that is hard to figure out, especially if you are trying to install and don’t have the documentation in front of you, because it is trying to install it!

In the documentation, it states:

Log on using an account that is a member of the BizTalk Server Administrators group.

Note  This user account must also be a member of the Administrators group on the SQL Server in which you will store BTAHL7 data.

This is normally an issue when you install it and it states: ‘The Specified account “###/###” is
invalid. Error code: Logon Failure: unknown user name or bad password.’

I am not sure if you are as lazy as I am, but I have really gotten tired of typing all of the command line parameters to test a file using the MLLP adapter.
I finally got off my lazy arse, and created a shortcut.
1. I went into the enviornment properties of My Computer and added the {path}HL7\SDK\Utilities\ to the Path, so I did not have to specify the path to the mllpsend.exe
2. I created a batch file (submit.cmd) that is simply two lines:
mllpsend /SB 11 /EB 28 /CR 13 /twoway /f %1
pause
3. I then went to Tool -> Folder Options -> File Types and found .TXT files and clicked on Advanced
4. Added an item called mllpsend and the application used to perform is “{path}\submit.cmd” “%1″

Now every time I right click a .txt file I have the ability to send it to the MLLP adapter.

Hope that this helps you as much as it does me!

My site was down for a few days, it seems that y’all love it so much, I exceeded my bandwidth for the month, so my hosting company locked it down.

I have upgraded my account so I can keep the site up.

I am not sure that you have seen this, but this is some cool information about MOM and HL7 that I just came across.

I had forgot that a while ago, I had to create a custom HL7 message, and I saw a question on the forum asking how you can do it.

Here are the steps: (All modifications take place in both the MSH_24_GLO_DEF and the tablevalues.xsd). In this example I am creating a ZZZ^Z01 message;

1. Edit Table76 and add the message type (add an enumeration) by editing the schema in a text editor:(in my case ZZZ)
   
2. Edit Table3 to represent the trigger:(in my case Z01)
   
3. Edit the Table354 that represents the Message_Trigger: (in my case ZZZ_Z01)
   
4. Finally create your schema with the roon node that follows the following algorithm: Body schema type = TargetNS + “#” + MSH9.1 + MSH9.2 + MSH12.1 (with dots removed) + MSH12.2 (or GLO if the value is blank) + MSH12.3 (or DEF if the value is blank), and don’t forget to make sure that the target namespace of the schema matches what you have defined in the BTAHL7 Configuration Explorer
   

And finally, here is a sample.

One little documented behavior of the MLLP adapter is that it is a streaming adapter. The implications are that if you are developing custom pipeline components, you need to make sure that you stay away from reading the Length of the Stream. What should be done is your pipeline component should read the stream completely before doing it’s ‘work.’ (Loop till Read method returns 0).

I have included this VB and this C# example to look at.

I want to thank support for this bit of info!

It seems that every client that I assist in implementing HL7, we get to testing the process and we send in an ADT, ORM, ORU, or some other message and we wait for the automated acknowledment, but it never comes.

I then remember that unless I have MLLP version 1.0.308.0, and 1.0.309.0 (current) of Microsoft.solutions.btahl7.mllp.dll I better camp out for a while, while I know it states that it can take up to 10 seconds to get the ack, I have gone to lunch and come back with no response. I even heard that there is a 24 hr delay. So make sure that you have the following patches from Microsoft for the HL7 adapter.

• KB893369: HL7 Interrogative transactions may take 10 or more seconds to complete when MLLP synchronizes communications end-to-end
• KB893404: The BizTalk Accelerator for HL7 sends an acknowledgement message to the source system after a long delay

Don’t forget to follow the post installation instruction on getting the send adapter to be a solicit/response as documented here.  

In the BizTalk HL7 accelerator, you set up the port definition and assign the delimiters in HEX, but then if you are going to test it using the MLLP Send test tool, you have to use the Decimal equivalent. I am surprised that they did not include the following table as part of the documentation.

Also, one of the things not clearly explained is the promoted property DoorbellFinalMessage(BTAHL7Schemas.MSH1) = 124; this is the decimal version of |

Inside of the Hl7 Configuration Explorer, the tab for Acknowledgments, most of the fields in there were foreign when I first started dealing with HL7, so below is a list of the values and what they mean.

Acknowedgment Type:

I had forgot about this little document while at a client site, so here it is for reference:

If you have already developed BizTalk Server artifacts that use the native MLLP adapter you must delete and recreate them with the updated MLLP adapter.
To update the existing MLLP adapter
1.               Using Windows Explorer create the C:\MLLPTemp\ folder.
2.               Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003, and then click Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003.
3.               In Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003, click View on the toolbar, and then click BizTalk Explorer.
4.               In BizTalk Explorer, expand erver name>.BizTalkMgmtDb.dbo, expand TwoWayAckReceivePort, expand Receive Locations, and then right-click TwoWayAckReceiveLocation, and the click Edit.
5.               In the Receive Location Properties - Configuration - General dialog box, in the Transport Type drop-down box select File.
6.               In the Receive Location Properties - Configuration - General dialog box, in the Address (URI) box click the ellipsis (…) button.
7.               In the File Transport Properties dialog box, in the Receive folder box, type C:\MLLPTemp\.
8.               Click OK.
9.               In the Receive Location Properties - Configuration - General dialog box, in the Receive Handler drop-down box select BizTalkServerApplication.
10.           Click OK.
Note  If you have any BizTalk Server artifacts configured using MLLP adapter, you must repeat steps 3-9 for each artifact before proceeding. Be sure to save the configuration information so that you can update the artifacts using the updated MLLP adapter. You must also save Receive and Send Handlers configuration information if you have customized the MLLP adapter.
11.           Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft BizTalk 2004, and then click BizTalk Server Administration.
12.           In the BizTalk Administration Console, expand Microsoft BizTalk Server 2004 (Local), expand Adapters, right-click the MLLP from the list, and then click Delete.
13.           In the BizTalk Server Administration dialog box click Yes.
14.           In the BizTalk Administration Console, right-click Adapters, point to New, and then click Adapter.
15.           In the Add Adapter dialog box, in the Name box type MLLP, in the Adapter drop-down select MLLP, and then click OK.
16.           Close the BizTalk Administration Console.
17.           In Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003, in the BizTalk Explorer, click Refresh on the toolbar.
18.           In the BizTalk Explorer, right-click TwoWayAckReceiveLocation, and the click Edit.
19.           In the Receive Location Properties - Configuration - General dialog box, in the Transport Type drop-down box select MLLP.
20.           In the Receive Location Properties - Configuration - General dialog box, in the Address (URI) box click the ellipsis (…) button.
21.           In the MLLP Transport Properties dialog box, do the following:

22.           Click OK.
23.           In the Receive Location Properties - Configuration - General dialog box, click OK.

I just recieved word that the HL7 accelerator (v1.0) and the v2.5 schemas do not mix (because they don’t exist I guess).

Here is what I recieved from support:

HL7 v2.5 and v2.6 schemas were not included with the RTM of the HL7 v1.3 Accelerator.  This will be included in an out-of-band feature pack (no release date).