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Building Solutions Using Business Connectivity Services
WHAT’S IN THIS CHAPTER?
- Learn how to assemble out-of-the-box BCS building blocks into solutions
- Review steps to build External Content Types (ECT) using SharePoint Designer 2010 and Visual Studio 2010
- Understand how to extend Office using external data and BCS
In Chapter 10 you were introduced to Business Connectivity Services (BCS) and the types of solutions that can be built using BCS. This chapter walks you through several scenarios to show how you can build solutions using BCS. A detailed walk-through of each solution is beyond the scope of this book; however, this chapter should provide you with the guidance you need to decide which methods might be appropriate for your business needs.
BCS BUILDING BLOCKS: DEEP DIVE
The first solutions explored here leverage some of the out-of-the-box building blocks discussed in the previous chapter. For simplicity the walk-throughs in this section assume any entities used already exist in the environment — you explore creating entities later in this chapter.
Walk-Through: Using External Lists
Once an External Content Type exists, one of the most common next steps is to create an external list using the ECT. You have several ways to create an external list, but this walk-through uses only the browser. To get started, browse to a site where you have designer or full-control permissions. From the Site Actions menu, select More Options to bring up the Create dialog. To make it easier ...
