Creating Business Data Connectivity Service and External Content Type using SharePoint Designer 2010

This article shows how to create a Business Data Connectivity using external Content type through SharePoint Designer. Business Data Connectivity can be used to integrate with SQL database and SharePoint in your working scenario to manage data’s using SQL Server.

Step 1:

Open SQL Server and create a database named “Employee”. Then create a table named “EmpInfo” and create a column as show in a figure below

Step 2:

Go to Central Administration and click Manage Service application

Step 3:

Click the New button from menu, list of services will be listed. Then click the Business Data Connectivity services and configure them.

Step 4:

After connecting the Business Data Connectivity services. Open SharePoint Designer and click Central Administration

Step 5:

Click the External Content Types from the left menu

Step 6:

Click New External Content Types from the file menu

Step 7:

Click here to discover external data sources and define operations for connecting the external data source shown below

Step 8:

Add Connection button to connect the SQL Server

Step 9:

Choose the Data Source Type as SQL Server

Step 10:

Configure SQL Server as below and click ok

Step 11:

Now the SQL Server is connected and you will get the Employee Database connection Source

Step 12:

Click Table name Emp -> Tables ->EmpInfo then right click the EmpInfo and click the Create All operations

Step 13:

Then All operation will popped up. Click Next button

Step 14:

Parameter Configuration popped up and click Finish Button

Step 15:

Click Create Lists & Form Icon from Ribbon

Step 16:

Then Conformation Will be popped up and give “Yes” to save the changes

Step 17:

Enter List Name as Employee information and click ok button

Step 18:

Go to Central Administration

Click Site Actions->View All Site Content and EmployeeInformation will be listed there.

Step 19:

Click the New button from the menu

Step 20:

Add New item and Save it

Step 21:

Open SQL Server ->Choose the Database “Employee” and Check the “Emplnfo” table using Query analyser. Your data will be saved.