BCS is one of great feature in SharePoint platform that
integrates SharePoint solution based application to external system. In this
article, I illustrates a step-by-step
procedure that how to connect SharePoint application to external system, how to create an external content type using SharePoint
designer as well visual studio and in
which and where we have to use visual studio for developing external content
type .
External content type which is a fundamental block of BCS
and describes how to connect external system from SharePoint by using metadata
in the xml program. For those familiar with SharePoint 2007 BDC, it was called
as BDC entity and they can understand the pain of creating external content
type in SharePoint 2007 environment .But, in SharePoint 2010 it is very easy
and straight forward to create external content type from SharePoint designer.
But in some situation we couldn’t use SPD for creating external type such as
calling complex data type , calling multiple external system and calling one
external system and writing output to another external system .In the remaining
of article I will explain more elaborately .Let us take a look how to create
external content type from SPD 2010
How to create external content type from SPD 2010
This is a great starting point for who are newly introduced
to BCS and Information knowledge worker.
Open SharePoint designer 2010 from desktop and enter your
site url where you want to show the external system data .Click external
content type in the site objects window, and then click External Content Type link under
external content type menu
I hope that you are in the same window .After click New
external content type menu, you can view see same window with your new external
content type properties that content type display name,name,version and etc.
After change external content type display name and name as
meaningful, Click “Click here to discover external data sources and define
operation” link under external content type information box, which navigate you
to new screen same as below.
This is the place where we are going to create an external
data source connection. Click Add connection button and then select your data
source type i.e. in which platform based application do you want to connect ,
in this example, I am using sql server as a data source . Once select your data
source type, click OK.
It will pop-up a data connection properties screen and enter
your database server, database name and select
authentication identity option button which talks to external system
during connection time and pass the
credential depends on your selection in the window then Click OK button.
Once successfully configured connection, you can view your
external source data inside data source explorer box.
Right click your table; it will pop –up menu looks like
below screen and click “create all operations” option. It takes you to all operation screen and then click next button.
After click Next button, you are in parameter configuration
screen same as below screen with your table properties.
In the errors and warnings box, you can see all errors and
warning message. In our window also, you can see an error message that “At
least one identifier should be specified”. Yes, we have to set one field
property as a map to identifier .Here, I have set it map to identifier property
to Customer id field. After setting map to identifier property, you can see
that error message goes off from the error and warning box and then Click
Finish button and save your content type. Finally, we create our new external
content type successfully.
Now, we have to create an external list to display our
external data on our site .They are two ways to create external list, one is
from SPD and another one is directly from site. In my example, I am creating an
external list from SharePoint site.
Before going to create an external list, just check that our
external content type has been successfully and external content type was
imported in the central administrator. For checking in central admin, Open your
central admin, click “manage service application” under application management
and then select your BCS application services which will navigate you to
external application service information page, here, you can see your external
content type .
Now we ensure that our external content type has been
imported and resided under central admin. Let us go to our site view all site
setting page, click create link and choose “External List” list type from list
category.
After creation of external list, you will be in the same as
below screen.
In this screen ,you enter your list name ,quick launch menu
option and at the end select your external content type which we has been
created and imported on the central admin .If you have confusion while selecting
your content type .Please follow below screen numerical notation .Select your
external content type , Click create button .
Now, you can see your external list with your external
system data .Some time, you may see the famous error that “Access denied by
Business Data Connectivity”. The reason of the issue is that you don’t have sufficient
permission to access the external system data. Go to Central admin where your
external content type file was imported.
Select your external content type check option and click
“Set Metadata Store Permission” .you can find that no one user account has been
configured for permission .Add your credentials and select all permission check
box then click Ok button.
Now, Go to your external list and refresh .Right now, your
external system data will be listed on your external list but at the end we
will achieve our goal.
Let us check our functionality, Add a new item in the
external list, it will automatically reflect on your external system same as
vice versa.
It is working perfectly fine .I hope you enjoyed and learned
new feature ;)
I’ll explain you in my next article that how to create
external content using Visual studio 2010.
