biztalk-xsd-to-csharp - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: biztalk-xsd-to-csharp description: 'Convert BizTalk XSD schema files to C# model classes with XML serialization attributes. Use when: migrating BizTalk XSD schemas, generating C# models from XSD, converting BizTalk message types, XSD to POCO, create C# classes from schema, BizTalk schema migration to .NET 8.' argument-hint: 'Path to the .xsd file(s) and target C# namespace'

BizTalk XSD → C# Model Classes

Convert BizTalk .xsd schema files into strongly-typed C# model classes decorated with System.Xml.Serialization attributes for use in Azure Functions (.NET 8 isolated worker).

When to Use

Migrating a BizTalk XSD schema to a C# class
Need XML-serializable POCOs that match the original BizTalk message structure
Setting up the Models/ layer before writing transform or function code

Procedure

Step 1 — Read the XSD

Read the target .xsd file. Note:

targetNamespace → becomes the [XmlRoot(Namespace = "...")] value
root_reference annotation → the root class name
xs:element / xs:complexType nesting → class / property hierarchy
xs:string → string, xs:decimal → decimal, xs:date → DateTime, xs:boolean → bool
maxOccurs="unbounded" → List<T> with [XmlArray] + [XmlArrayItem]

Step 2 — Generate the C# Class

Apply these conventions:

XSD construct	C# output
Root element	`public class <Name>` decorated with `[XmlRoot("<Name>", Namespace = "<ns>")]`
Simple child element	`public <Type> <Name> { get; set; }` with `[XmlElement("<Name>")]`
Complex child element	Nested `public class` with its own `[XmlElement]` property
`xs:sequence` of repeating elements	`public List<T> Items { get; set; }` with `[XmlArray("<Parent>")]` and `[XmlArrayItem("<Item>")]`
`default="..."` on XSD element	Initialise via `= "<value>";` in the property or constructor
`xs:date`	Use `public DateTime <Name> { get; set; }`
`xs:decimal`	Use `public decimal <Name> { get; set; }`

Step 3 — File Placement & Namespace

Place generated files in func/<AppName>/Models/
Use namespace <AppName>.Functions.Models
One .cs file per XSD root element (e.g. SuperContribution.cs, FundAllocation.cs)
Add using System.Collections.Generic; and using System.Xml.Serialization; at the top

Step 4 — Validate Completeness

Verify every XSD element maps to a C# property. Run a quick cross-check:

Count xs:element declarations in XSD vs. properties in the class
Confirm nested xs:complexType became nested classes (not flattened)
Confirm maxOccurs="unbounded" elements use List<T> not arrays

Example

XSD input (SuperContributionSchema.xsd, namespace http://SuperFundManagement.Schemas.SuperContribution):

<xs:element name="SuperContributionRequest">
  <xs:complexType>
    <xs:sequence>
      <xs:element name="ContributionId" type="xs:string" />
      <xs:element name="Members">
        <xs:complexType>
          <xs:sequence>
            <xs:element name="Member" maxOccurs="unbounded">
              ...

C# output (Models/SuperContribution.cs):

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Xml.Serialization;

namespace SuperFundManagement.Functions.Models
{
    [XmlRoot("SuperContributionRequest",
             Namespace = "http://SuperFundManagement.Schemas.SuperContribution")]
    public class SuperContributionRequest
    {
        [XmlElement("ContributionId")]
        public string ContributionId { get; set; }

        [XmlElement("Members")]
        public MembersWrapper Members { get; set; }
    }

    public class MembersWrapper
    {
        [XmlElement("Member")]
        public List<Member> Member { get; set; } = new();
    }

    public class Member
    {
        [XmlElement("MemberAccountNumber")]
        public string MemberAccountNumber { get; set; }

        [XmlElement("GrossAmount")]
        public decimal GrossAmount { get; set; }
    }
}

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

Do not use XmlSerializer with DataContract — pick one serialization model
Do not use System.Xml.Linq.XElement / XDocument for the model classes themselves
Do not flatten nested xs:complexType into the parent class
Do not use [JsonProperty] — these models are XML-only in the transform path