Advanced BCS - Business Data Connectivity Models and Custom Connectors - SPTechCon Boston 2011
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This document discusses Business Connectivity Services (BCS) in SharePoint 2010, including .NET Assembly Connectors, Custom Connectors, and Custom Index Connectors. It provides an overview of BCS models and methods, how to create connectors using code or tools like BCS Meta Man, and resources for additional information. Demo sections show creating connectors to illustrate the concepts.
Advanced BCS - Business Data Connectivity Models and Custom Connectors - SPTechCon Boston 2011
- 1. Advanced BCS: Business Data Connectivity Models and Custom ConnectorsCorey Roth@coreyrothBlog: www.dotnetmafia.com
- 2. Corey RothSharePoint Solutions Architect for Stonebridge
- 4. Specializing in ECM and Search
- 5. Passed all SharePoint 2010 certification exams
- 9. Laptop: Dell E6510 i5 2.4 GHz 8GB
- 10. Oracle VirtualBox 3.2.8 – 4GB on VMTranslation Guide
- 11. Business Connectivity ServicesNo code connectivity to external data sourcesFull CRUD Support including reading and writingBuilt with SharePoint Designer 2010Offline access via SharePoint WorkspaceOutlook IntegrationSearchable just like in MOSS 2007Extensible with .NET Assembly Connectors and Custom Index Connectors
- 12. ExtensibilityWeb Services – the old MOSS 2007 way (still viable).NET Assembly Connector - relatively easyCustom Connectors - a bit harderCustom Index Connector - will earn you The Insane achievementProtocol Handlers – still around, but unmanaged code
- 13. Application DefinitionAn XML file which defines an entity and various methods to interact with the entity (CRUD)XML describes the entity, multiple methods for that entity, and type descriptors for the in and return parametersActions define the link that the user goes to for each item in BCS web parts or search resultsPossible to associate multiple entities together.BDCM File ExtensionCreated with SharePoint Designer, Visual Studio 2010 or manually
- 14. Method TypesSpecificFinder – returns a specific item given an identifierFinder – returns all itemsCreator – creates a new itemUpdater – updates an existing itemDeleter – deletes an existing itemIdEnumerator – (somewhat deprecated) - returns the value of all identifiers for crawlingThere are many more operations available to implement for advanced purposes
- 16. .NET Assembly ConnectorBuilt in Visual Studio 2010 with a designer (Business Data Connectivity Model)Write custom code to perform CRUD operationsSharePoint Designer Support Must have a known backend schema at compile timeRecommended for external systems that are staticExternal List supportAdministrator privileges not requiredCan be deployed using Visual Studio 2010Plan on renaming a lot of properties
- 18. BCS Meta ManSuccessor to the BDC Meta Man used with MOSS 2007Powerful no-code solution for generating BCS application definitionsHelps quickly build .NET Assembly ConnectorsIntegrated directly into Visual Studio 2010Generates code for .NET assembly connectors which can then be customized for your own needshttp://www.lightningtools.com/bcs/bcs-meta-man.aspx
- 19. BCS Meta ManDemo
- 20. Custom ConnectorUsed when the schema is not known at compile timeUse Microsoft.BusinessData.Runtime.DynamicType class to build return parameter at run timeNo SharePoint Designer Support = create application definition XML manuallyInstalled into Global Assembly CacheDeployed manuallyProvides ability to override default type reflectorRequires administrator privilegesImplement ISystemUtility, IDisposable, IConnectionManager, IAdministrableSystem interfaces
- 22. Custom Indexing ConnectorEffectively replaces custom protocol handlers in MOSS 2007Provides search functionality only – no external listsSimilar to a custom connector but requires additional classes to map BCS URLs to / from real URLs (INamingContainer, LobUri)Registered as a “protocol handler” in the registry with your own custom protocol (i.e.: myhandler://)Installed with New-SPEnterpriseSearchCrawlCustomConnectorAttach to mssdmn.exe to debug
- 24. ResourcesDifferences between .NET Assembly Connector and Custom Connectorshttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee554911.aspxImplementing a Custom Connectorhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff464382.aspxSharePoint Search Connector Frameworkhttp://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee556429.aspxHow to: Debug a Custom Index Connectorhttp://www.dotnetmafia.com/blogs/dotnettipoftheday/archive/2010/09/08/how-to-debug-a-custom-index-connector.aspxBCS Meta Manhttp://www.lightningtools.com/bcs/bcs-meta-man.aspx