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I already run VS, so this worked out perfect for me. However, I know there are plenty of developers who (either by necessity or by choice), do not run Visual Studio. Obviously, the VS integration could be seen as a double-edged sword.

One other problem I encountered when using BT, was that even though it supported the inline on-the-fly coding of .NET functions, it seemed to actively discourage it at the same time.

The text box where the inline code can be added is NOT resizable, making any custom functions more than a few lines long increasingly difficult to debug.

One other pain with the inline coding was the fact that every .NET command used within the function had to be specifically defined.

For example, if you created your custom function with Visual Basic, and tried to use the "Mid()" command on a string, it wouldn't work. You have to describe the entire command "Microsoft.VisualBasic.Mid()" for it to compile along with the rest of your project.

Again, this may not be a problem if your function is a line or two long, but if you have something that could get a little lengthy, you're going to be in for some real fun.

Usability: MapForce 2004
On the usability score, MapForce is way ahead of BT. After I installed it, I had a basic XML Transformation test running in less than two minutes. The interface is sleek, easy to run, and pretty high on the intuitive scale.

That being said, creating custom functions in MapForce is not quite as easy as BizTalk makes it.

Unlike the Visual Studio-powered BizTalk, it can't just throw in your custom code as you go. It must be referenced separately within an mff(MapForce Function) file, which you can then added into MapForce. The details of creating customized MapForce functions are available within MapForce's online manual, available HERE.

Usability: Conclusion
In terms of usability, MapForce wins hands down. Compared to MapForce, BizTalk Mapper looks clunky and cramped. However, BizTalk does score some points on being able to make custom functions quickly...as long as you keep them short, that is.

If you're looking for a way to transform XML files with XSLT, and you would like to maximize the portability of your code, MapForce 2004 is definitely the way to go.

It has a sleek, simple interface that still allows for a wide variety of customization, allowing you to use multiple languages, sources, and destinations within the XML transformation.

HOWEVER...

I've mentioned several times in this article that BizTalk can't be beat for .NET integration. If you need .NET in your development, this is the best way to go, as long as you have all the prerequisites it needs, and get used to its comparably-clunky interface.

Incidentally, I need .NET in my developement, at least in the forseeable future. I sided with BizTalk on this one, and have been swatting flies with tactical nukes since.

About the Author:
David Handlos is a software architect from Lincoln, Nebraska. Working professionally with web-based technologies since 1998, he has also been a computer/electronics enthusiast since 1992. His "enthusiasm" has led him to work with radio communications, hardware programming, web development, XML-related applications, and most recently, Linux.