Transcript External Content Types in SharePoint 2010

Business
Connectivity
Services in
SharePoint
Kyle Mitchell
February 2014
Quick Bio about Kyle

Recently moved to Victoria and seeking employment as
a consulting or business systems analyst

Experience implementing and administering integrated
Microsoft solutions


SharePoint

MS Dynamics NAV ERP

SQL Server Business Intelligence
Experience working primarily in the public and not-forprofit sectors (BC Hydro, Tides Canada)
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Agenda

Jargon

BCS Overview

External Content Types

Secure Store Service

Prospecting Site Example Overview

BCS Profile Page & Business Data Web Parts

List View Web Part Parameters

External Lists
26 Slides
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Jargon

BCS (Business Connectivity Services)

ECT (External Content Type)

SSS (Secure Store Service)

SQL (Structured Query Language)
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BCS Overview
Source: MSDN Blogs
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Prospecting Site Overview
An ECT “NAV CN” has been created to integrate
external data from our CRM system into this
otherwise standard SharePoint list
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BCS Profile Page
And with one click the user is shown a summary
overview of linked external data about the list item
contact
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External Content Types
External Content
Type
Content Type
External Data
Columns
Site Columns

A content type with columns from an
external data object

Create them in SharePoint Designer

Easiest way to conceptualize one is a view
or able within a database

Utilize CRUD operations
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Customer ECT
Creating An ECT:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/enus/library/office/ee557243(v=office.14).aspx
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External Item Picker
Source: sharepointpt.org
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External Item Picker
Source: lightningtools.com
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Secure Store Service Setup

Configure Secure Store Service in SharePoint Central Administration to
deal with “double hop” issue
External
System
External
Database
Credentials
Secure Store
Service
Stores a list of SharePoint users
allowed to use SSS
Stores credentials for accessing
the external system
SharePoint
User ID
BCS Profile Prospecting
Page
List
SharePoint
User
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Prospecting Site Overview
External Data Columns in SharePoint lists have
an Action drop down list
Default action is to go to the Profile page of that
ECT record
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BCS Profile Page
Made up of interconnected Business Data Web Parts – One Business Data
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Item Builder and multiple Business Data Lists
ECT Actions
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Source: sharepointobservations.wordpress.com
ECT Associations
Donations
Constituent
A shared “ID” field is
required to link the
ECTs together. CN#
is used in this
example.
Constituent
Relationships
Designation
Relationships
Constituent and
Grants have a “manyto-many” relationship
and require a “bridge
view”
Grants
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SharePoint: BCS Profile Page (Business Data Web Parts)
BCS Profile Page
The three grant web parts all point back to the same ECT (Grant) and
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have a filter applied on their default view
Prospecting Site Summary
1.
Create SQL Views in SQL Server Management Studio for
each data entity I want to see in SharePoint
2.
Provision and configure Secure Store Service in
SharePoint Central Administration
3.
Create an ECT for each SQL view in SharePoint Designer
4.
Create parent-child associations between the ECTs in
SharePoint Designer
5.
Create a list in a SharePoint with an external data
column for the “parent” ECT (e.g. Constituent)
6.
Modify the BCS Profile Page of the parent ECT in
SharePoint Designer for formatting & layout
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Prospecting Site Overview
1
2
1 /prospecting/lists/StaffFiltered?Staff=Alexandra
2 /prospecting/lists/VolunteerFiltered?Staff=Joel
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Views With Parameters

Within our view we can set the filter equal to the
parameter
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Views With Parameters

Create a parameter on a view in SharePoint Designer

Then create a URL somewhere on the site with the
parameter referenced

/prospecting/lists/StaffFiltered?Staff=Alexandra
Staff
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Summary – BCS Tools

SharePoint Central Administration

SharePoint Designer

SQL Server Management Studio

SharePoint

Visual Studio (Optional)
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Summary – Core BCS Entities

External Lists

External Content Types (ECT)

ECT Associations

SQL Views

BCS Profile Pages

External Data Columns

Secure Store Service Application
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•
ca.linkedin.com/in/kdmitchell/
Thank You & Questions
Feel free to contact me with any questions or
leads for consulting opportunities in Victoria –
I’m new here!
Kyle Mitchell
[email protected]
ca.linkedin.com/in/kdmitchell
(403-971-5607)
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External List
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External List Functionality
Limits

No item-level permissions

No item or list alerts

No user ratings, tags or notes

No add new column option

No column validation

No content types

No check-in/check-out

No versioning
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