Microsoft® SharePoint® Server 2010 Bible

Chapter 17. Implementing Business Data Connectivity Services

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Identifying your business data

• Defining Business Data Models

• Implementing Single Sign-On with the Secure Store Service

• Configuring a business data search

• Integrating business data with lists and sites

The Business Data Connectivity Services (BCS) is a service that allows you to reuse other sources of data in your organization by centrally surfacing business data from other applications and making that data available to SharePoint lists, Web Parts, search, and user profiles.

You can use the BCS to display data from Siebel, SAP, or other applications through Web services or database access. The most common sources for BCS data are line-of-business applications so that you can reuse that information throughout the organization without giving all users access and/or training on that line-of-business application.

This chapter discusses the scenarios that may require use of the BCS, defines applications and entities to make business data available, and implements the Secure Store Service which can be leveraged by the BDC for ease of application access. Finally, we will use the integrated data in SharePoint components throughout your site.

Identifying Your Business Data

The first step to successfully implementing a business data application is to define what the data is and in what scenario it can be leveraged in SharePoint. This allows you to define the success criteria and goals for your business application that can ...