Accessing the data from the database Or some other external data source and display on a SharePoint site is not a big deal these days. As developers we can create a web part and deploy it on the SharePoint but without writing any code, how we can display? BDC is the way to do so…!

Business Data Catalog

I am going to use very basic steps to create the BDC on my SharePoint 2007. If you want to create from the scratch without using any tools such as Application Definition Designer then you can follow this post.

These are the simple 4 steps I am going to use:

1. Create a table and insert some values in SQL Server database
2. Create an ADF using Application Definition Designer
3. Import the ADF file into the Shared Service Provider(SSP)
4. Configure the BDC on SharePoint

CREATE A TABLE AND INSERT SOME VALUES IN SQL SERVER DATABASE

You can see this post to create a sample database and we will retrieve this data using BDC. I have named Database1 and Table1

CREATE AN APPLICATION DEFINITION FILE (ADF) USING APPLICATION DEFINITION DESIGNER (ADD)

You can see this post to create an ADF sample and the file name is ADF_Table1

IMPORT THE ADF FILE INTO THE SHARED SERVICE PROVIDER (SSP)

Go to Central Administration (CA) and click your shared service provider (SSP) (Mine is SharedServices2)

Click Import application definition in the Business Data Catalog section

Click Browse, and select the ADF which we have created in the previous step

Keep other values in their default, and then click Import.

You will be getting this success message!

Click OK to finish the process!

If you want to manage the security just click the manage permissions and do so, that’s all we are done with the step 3! 🙂

CONFIGURE THE BDC ON SHAREPOINT

The last step is to use the Business Data List Web Part to show our data, go to any site and add a Business Data List Web Part to the page.

Open the tool pane

In the Business Data List task pane, click the browse button

The following Business Data Type Picker popup window will appear, you could see our Application Data File, Select the ADF_Table1_Instance

Click OK and publish the page, you can see the data on the web part!

That’s all guys! Happy BDC ing, we will see next BCS on SharePoint 2010! Ensoy..!!

References:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms563661(v=office.12).aspx

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb410048(v=office.12).aspx