Auditing, troubleshooting, replay support, client dispute resolution… sooner or later every BizTalk solution ends up needing an outbound archive. The problem is that outbound messages can be sent by many different ports, environments, and teams—so the archive needs to be:
- Consistent
- Easy to browse
- Low maintenance
- Safe to enable on multiple send ports without custom code per port
That’s precisely what the YYYY/MM/DD Archive Pipeline Component is for.
YYYY/MM/DD Archive Pipeline Component
This is a send pipeline component that you can place in any stage of a send pipeline (commonly Encode or Pre-Assemble).
When the message is being sent, the component:
- Reads a configured archive URI/root folder (local path or UNC share).
- Creates a date-based folder structure dynamically:
port-uri\YYYY\MM\DD\ - Builds an archive filename using a macro pattern (for example:
%MessageId%,%SourceFileName%, etc.). - Writes a copy of the outgoing message to that archive path.
- Let the original message continue its normal outbound path (it does not need to change your send port destination).
Result: every outbound message gets archived into a clean, predictable folder tree—without creating dozens of “archive ports” or custom per-port solutions.
Why the YYYY/MM/DD structure is a big win
A date-based structure is simple, but incredibly effective:
- Fast navigation when you’re troubleshooting “what was sent on that day”
- Retention-friendly (easy to delete or move whole days/months/years)
- Scales naturally (no single folder with 500k files)
- Works well with robocopy, Azure File Sync, backup software, and retention jobs
Typical use cases
- Operational troubleshooting
- Someone reports an issue with an exported XML/EDI. You can locate the exact payload quickly:
\\share\archives\2025\12\21\...
- Someone reports an issue with an exported XML/EDI. You can locate the exact payload quickly:
- Audit trails
- You get a proof of what BizTalk produced (even if downstream systems mutated/renamed things).
- Replay / reprocessing support
- If your downstream system is temporarily down or requires resubmission, your archive is an instant source of truth.
Where to place it in the send pipeline
Because it’s a send pipeline component, you can use it in any stage, but the choice affects what exactly you archive:
- Pre-Assemble / Assemble: archive closer to the “logical payload” (before certain encodings).
- Encode: archive the final format that is about to be delivered (common choice).
- Example: if you apply compression/encoding, archiving here captures the real outbound output.
What is BizTalk Pipeline Components Extensions Utility Pack?
The BizTalk Pipeline Components Extensions Utility Pack is a set of custom pipeline components (libraries) with several custom pipeline components that can be used in received and sent pipelines, which will provide an extension of BizTalk’s out-of-the-box pipeline capabilities.
The project is available on the BizTalk Server Open Source Community repository on GitHub (https://github.com/BizTalkCommunity), and everyone can contribute new pipeline components that can extend or improve the existing BizTalk Server capabilities.
At the moment, it is only available for BizTalk Server 2020, but it can be easily converted and compiled for earlier versions of the product.
Where to download it?
You can download BizTalk Pipeline Components Extensions Utility Pack from GitHub here:
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