This time, we’re talking to Patrick Wellink, Senior BizTalk Consultant.
At the moment, I spend four days a week working on integrations with SWIFT for and at De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). SWIFT is the international network for financial transactions. Using Microsoft BizTalk, I make sure that all internal messages from DNB’s various applications — and there are at least 20 of them — are translated into SWIFT format. And the other way around: messages from SWIFT are translated back into the formats the applications expect.
So in a way, I function like a mailroom. Or actually, more like a logistics hub. I unpack messages — without knowing exactly what’s inside — and transform them into the right format so they can be delivered to the correct application. On busy payment days, this can involve as many as 6,000 to 7,000 messages per day. And each one — no matter how many zeroes it carries — is equally important. It just has to work, no exceptions.
I’ve been working at DNB for about six years now, which means six years of experience with SWIFT messaging. But I think it’s important that this knowledge becomes transferable. No one at DNB has in-depth knowledge of BizTalk, so I started a project to convert all the BizTalk-based mappings into C#. DNB does have plenty of C# developers. By moving the logic — why and how certain fields are filled — into C# code, it becomes much more readable and manageable for their internal teams.
I started working at Estreme, now part of Enable U, 10 years ago. At the time, I was working on a project at UWV through a company that was later acquired by Codit. I was actually considering becoming self-employed as a freelancer. But while working at UWV, I met the management team of Estreme — and they were very interested in my BizTalk experience. We really clicked, so I decided to join Estreme.
I’ve been working as an integration consultant for 21 years now — it’s truly my passion. I spent quite some time at LogicaCMG, and before that, I worked at Exact Software. At Exact, I was a consultant for so-called “problem clients.” We called it Black Support. I could tell you tons of fun and intriguing stories about that. But in the end, it often came down to one simple thing: if you really listen to the client and put yourself in their shoes, you can always help them effectively.
At Logica, I initially worked as a SQL Database Administrator. But over time, that became less and less interesting. That’s when I got introduced to BizTalk — and that really became my thing. What I love about it? The client tells you what they want to achieve and only cares about the end result. How you build the solution or implement it — that’s entirely up to you.
I really enjoy solving puzzles like that. A business flow can be quite complex and there are always a few technical challenges. But when it all comes together, that gives me a lot of satisfaction. In every solution I build, I always include a track-and-trace feature, so I can see exactly where a message is at any given moment. As a result, I rarely get the question, “Where is my message or payment?” The functional support team can simply check the portal themselves to see where the message ended up. For example: recently, five payments went missing — and we’re talking about huge amounts of money. In the logging of my solution, I could see they had been sent and signed for upon receipt. So we immediately knew on which side there was problem . I was able to point that out within five minutes, while the receiving party spent an entire day with three people trying to figure out what had happened and where the messages were. That is exactly why I’m glad I always build in track-and-trace by default. You don’t need it often, but when something goes wrong, you can prove your work is solid. And on top of that, it reduces interruptions while I’m working on integrations — the client can check message status themselves.
Well, I am a bit of a nerd, as I follow all kinds of videos about Microsoft developments. I used to attend conferences regularly and often spoke on stage to share my knowledge. These days, I do that a lot less as it takes up quite a bit of time. And to be honest, I’d rather spend that time developing.
I also keep my knowledge up to date by continuously solving puzzles. When I first heard rumors that Microsoft might eventually phase out BizTalk, I immediately started experimenting with cloud integrations — building solutions in Azure. That’s when I discovered that Azure works quite differently compared to on-prem integration solutions. On-prem integrations offer guaranteed delivery; in Azure, it’s at least once. That is a huge difference. A payment with seven digits or more really needs to go through once, and definitely not a second time. To solve that, I developed a framework in my spare time that comes very close to guaranteed delivery in the cloud. We’re now working on further developing that.
And of course, I’m Microsoft certified — and I keep those certifications up to date too.
We have not yet been part of Enable U for very long, so I can tell you more about Estreme. It’s a very flat, flexible organization with like-minded people. Communication is open and transparent — you can say what you think, and others are free to have their own opinions about it. I really appreciate that. We have strong communication skills, and that is essential, because as integration consultants, we work directly with clients. Enable U has more defined roles and responsibilities, which makes sense, as together we form quite a large organization. During the joint ski trip two months ago, I got to know a lot of my new colleagues. It was great fun. I’m definitely looking forward to working together more closely in the future.
I’m still happily solving puzzles, experimenting, and problem-solving with integration technology. My work is my hobby. There are easily a thousand things I still want to explore, so I never get bored in my free time. Solving problems really gives me a sense of satisfaction.
But I also enjoy boating, fishing, and just relaxing on the beach. I live in Voorschoten with my partner and my 20-year-old son. The beach is just seven minutes away, and Voorschoten is a lovely little town with the Voorstraat as its heart. During local celebrations, everyone gathers there for drinks and good vibes. Until I was eight, I lived in many different places — like Eindhoven, Wassenaar, and The Hague. But now I have truly found my home. I’m not planning on ever leaving Voorschoten.
It may sound strange, but that the unhappy flow is actually more important than the happy flow. Why? Because you’re judged when things go wrong. That’s exactly when you need to support the client and be the problem-solver. That’s when you earn their appreciation, and show that you’re truly the expert.
And: the customer is always right. At least, in their own perspective. If you can put yourself in their shoes, you’ll understand them, and that’s when you can really help.
