This book is designed to provide a detailed developer’s guide to the SharePoint 2007 Business Data Catalog. Its primary focus is to explore all five services that the Business Data Catalog provides out of the box, before taking a leap to the next level, where we’ll begin to develop solutions using the Business Data Catalog and its object model. Having read this book, you’ll be armed with all of the information required to tackle any Business Data Catalog project.
This book has 11 chapters and three appendixes. The first three chapters will get you started with the Business Data Catalog, beginning with a gentle introduction, through to understanding the application definition file in depth. We then take a look at security and how that should be configured for us to connect to our line-of-business data.
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the Business Data Catalog. In this chapter, we discuss the architecture of the Business Data Catalog, and briefly describe the services that are offered by the BDC.
Chapter 2 provides a detailed understanding of the application definition file. We explore the methods, entities, associations, actions, and so on that make up the ADF. We do this keeping in mind that today you wouldn’t write an ADF by hand, but still require an understanding so that you can support it.
Chapter 3 enables us to fully understand the implications of using each authentication method within the BDC. We explore each authentication type, as well as how to overcome authentication issues by using Single Sign-On or Kerberos. We then explore the security trimming provided by the BDC.
The next four chapters explore the out-of-the-box functionality of the Business Data Catalog. Each chapter looks at how to use our development skills to customize or extend the functionality of a different service.
Chapter 4 explores the out-of-the-box web parts for displaying line-of-business data. We look to customize the out-of-the-box web parts with Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer providing web part connections, conditional formatting, and aggregate functions.
Chapter 5 gives us insight into the Business Data field type. After exploring the out-of-the-box functionality, we look at customizing the Document Information panel using Microsoft Office InfoPath, before creating our own Business Data field type using Visual Studio.NET to overcome some of the limitations.
Chapter 6 provides an understanding of how to configure Business Data Search, both using the Shared Services Provider and the application definition file. After exploring the configuration, we look to customize the search results using custom search pages, XSL, and the Search API.
Chapter 7 ensures that we understand MOSS user profiles and how the Business Data Catalog can be used to provide line-of-business data to them. We look at the advantages, such as audience targeting using line-of-business data.
The last part of this book is development-focused. Now that we have a handle on the out-of-the-box functionality, we begin to explore how to use the BDC object model and our Visual Studio.NET development skills to create custom solutions.
Chapter 8 gives us insight into the ApplicationRegistry namespace, which provides an object model to manipulate the Business Data Catalog and obtain line-of-business data programmatically. In this chapter, we create a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) web service that returns line-of-business data for use in remote applications. We then use the BDC object model with Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) to create a Visual Studio workflow that can update or be triggered by changes in the line-of-business system.
Chapter 9 provides a detailed walkthrough of creating a custom web part that displays line-of-business data from the BDC object model. The result is a Business Data List-style web part that refreshes data automatically using a JavaScript callback method.
Chapter 10 explores how to get the most out of your Microsoft Office applications by using Office Business Applications (OBA) that utilize the Business Data Catalog. We explore using LOB data in Word, Excel, and Outlook applications.
Chapter 11 provides two methods of writing back to the line-of-business system. The BDC is marketed as a read-only view of data. We can provide two techniques that give us the ability to update or insert data as well.
The appendixes provide specific information on data sources other than Microsoft SQL:
SharePoint 2007 Developer’s Guide to Business Data Catalog is for Microsoft SharePoint 2007 information workers and developers who need to learn how to use, customize, and create solutions using the Business Data Catalog. Information workers will appreciate the introduction to the Business Data Catalog, as well as the coverage of how to create the application definition file using tools and how to use or customize the out-of-the-box services such as web parts and the Business Data field type. .NET Developers will appreciate the same, but can extend the Business Data Catalog solutions by using the BDC object model, authoring WCF web services, and creating Office-based applications with Visual Studio Tools for Microsoft Office (VSTO).
If you’re new to the Business Data Catalog, you should first read chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 provides background information and a brief description of what the Business Data Catalog consists of. Chapter 2 provides in-depth coverage of the application definition file. Even if your ADF is already created, chapter 2 will ensure that you’ve grasped many terms that will be used throughout the book.
It’s common for people using the Business Data Catalog to hit a brick wall fairly early on with security issues. Chapter 3 provides insight into likely problems and how to overcome them. We explore some best practices when it comes to authentication and authorization, so reading chapter 3 should be useful for any stakeholder in the Business Data Catalog project.
Chapters 4-7 describe each service provided by the Business Data Catalog. Not all of these services will be used by your company. For example, maybe you’ve decided not to use the MOSS user profiles or My Sites. Therefore, each of these chapters has been written so that they can be read and understood without any prerequisites.
Chapters 8–11 should be read by Visual Studio.NET developers who already have a good grasp of SharePoint and the BDC, and wish to extend the functionality or create solutions using the BDC to manipulate or present line-of-business data in a custom format.
Finally, the appendixes are useful to anybody requiring information about a specific data source. Everything in this book is applicable to each data source, but most of the examples are provided for Microsoft SQL only. Therefore, any differences that you need to be aware of can be found in the appendixes.
This book contains source code examples written in XML, XSL, and C#.NET. All source code in listings or in text is in a fixed-width font like this to separate it from ordinary text. Code annotations accompany many of the listings, highlighting important concepts.
The source code can be downloaded from http://www.manning.com/lonsdale or http://www.manning.com/SharePoint2007DevelopersGuidetoBusinessDataCatalog.
The source code should be used in conjunction with the instructions provided, so that any references to DLLs or used namespaces aren’t missed within your Visual Studio Projects.
