Architecting solutions connecting to LOB applications

Presented by:

Ashvini Shahane (Head Strategic Service Unit - Synergetics)

Discussion Points

• Need for connecting to External LOB systems

• Business Connectivity Services

• Building Composite solutions with BCS

– OOB No Code solutions

– Intermediate Declarative Solutions

– Advanced Code Based Solutions

Challenges With Back End Data

Challenges With Back End Data

BDC 2007 - Connect to Business Data

• Connect SharePoint to any business application or structured database

• SharePoint Provides:– Business Data in Search

• Crawl back-end systems like ERP, CRM, Custom Databases, SAP, Siebel, etc

– Business Data Web Parts• Display back-end data

– Business Data in Lists• Add business data as list columns and as document metadata

– Business Data in User Profiles• Add business data as properties in User Profiles

BDC 2007 - Connect to Business Data

MetadataBusiness Data Catalog

Web Parts Lists SearchUser

ProfilesCustom

Apps

Database

WS Proxy ADO.NET

Web Service

SQL Server, Oracle, OLEDB, ODBCBizTalk, SAP, Siebel, Legacy, …

List Columns

SearchIndex

Profile Store

Business Data Catalog – Summary

Connect to Business Data

Build Business Application with No-Code

Collaborate around Business Data

Search Business Data – Index and Query

Business Data Web Parts Business Data SearchBusiness Data Catalog Business Data Columns

Feedback on 2007 BDC

• Read/Write

– Read is nice… Write back would be even more powerful

• Tooling Support

– Need an easier way to create, debug and maintain appdef XML files

• I wish it was baked into the Platform

• Wouldn’t it be nice to use offline?

Investment Areas

A bit of Terminology…

• Business Connectivity Services – All up

• Business Data Connectivity (BDC) – plumbing, runtime, connectivity

• External System – back ends

• External Content Type (ECT) - a building block, entity++

• Model – XML file

• External List – newest type of SP list

SharePointDesign Tools

Office Applications

Business Connectivity Services

External Content Types

(Web Service, DB, .Netobject, LOB system, Web 2.0

service, etc.)

BCS-enabled solutions rely on ECTs to integrate external data into SharePoint and the Office client applications

Describes the schema and data access capabilities of an external data source and its behavior within Office and SharePoint

*formerly known as BDC Entity

External Content Type (ECT)

• Superset of entity capabilities; describes:

– Structure of the external system (Fields, Methods, Connection)

– How this data behaves within SharePoint and Office

• Manage and reuse from a central location

• Added to the Business Data Connectivity service through:

– SharePoint Designer

– Visual Studio 2010

– Import into the Business Data Connectivity service as part of a model

External Content Type

External Content Type

CustomerCustomerIDFirstNameLastNameEmailAddress

External data

BCS PRESENTATION INVESTMENTS

• Expose external data as a native SharePoint list – Full CRUD capability

– Familiar UI and navigation

– Sort, Filter, Group

– Programmatic access via SPList OM

– Profile page available for each item in the list

– Form• Auto-generated OOB

• Upsize to InfoPath

– Offline-able

Presentation

Presentation

• Connect to Outlook as– Contacts

– Tasks

– Calendars

– Posts

Presentation

• External Data Columns

– Add data from external content types to standard SharePoint lists

– Can be made available as Content Controls in Word

• Web Parts

Scenario: Use for Dashboard pages

– External Data List

– External Data Item

– External Data Item Builder

– External Data Related List

– External Data Connectivity Filter

– Chart Web Part

• External Data Search

– Integrate External Data into search results

DEMO

SCENARIO

Office Client

SharePoint Server

External Systems

Contoso Sales Solution

Solution Overview

Connect Product data from SharePoint to SharePoint Workspace

• External List

• InfoPath Forms

• SharePoint Workspace integration

Create a Sales Quote document in Word

• External Data Column

• Word Content Controls

• External Content Type

• External List

• Outlook integration

Bring Customer data into SharePoint and Outlook

BCS CONNECTIVITY INVESTMENTS

Connectivity

External data

Connectivity

• Business Data Connectivity enhancements– Read/write capability

– Claims aware

– Connect via ADO/SQL, WCF/WS, .Net Assembly and Custom Connectors

– Batch and bulk operation support

• BDC used for Search indexing connectors– Added blob, incremental crawl and item level Security

• Symmetrical server and client runtimes– Connect from client or server directly to external data

• Rich client cache– SQL CE database is used to cache external data

– Allows for “cached mode” behavior on external data

BCS TOOLING INVESTMENTS

Tooling

• Discover

– Database

– Web services

– .NET type

• Map operations

– Create, read, update, delete, lookup

• Connect to SharePoint/Office

– External List

– Contact

– Task

– Appointment

– Post

Tooling

Baked into the Platform…

Secure Store Service

External Data Search

Rich Client Extensions

External Data Web Parts

BDC Client Runtime

Profile Pages

External List External Data Column

Business Data Connectivity Service

Solution Types, Toolsand Roles

Advanced DeveloperDeveloperPower User

NO CODE* CODE

Solution Types, Toolsand Roles

Intermediate AdvancedSimple

• Create reusable components (UI parts, ECTs, actions)

• Surface data in External Lists

• Connect those lists to Outlook, SPW

DeveloperPower User

NO CODE*

Advanced Developer

CODE

Solution Types, Toolsand Roles

IntermediateSimple

• Customize• InfoPath forms• Outlook taskpane and

ribbon• Word (QuickParts)• Workflow• Web Part Pages

• Surface data in External Lists

• Connect those lists to Outlook, SPW

SharePoint

Designer

SharePoint

SDK

DeveloperPower User

NO CODE*

Advanced

• Create reusable components (UI parts, ECTs, actions)

Advanced Developer

CODE

SharePoint Designer and Visual Studio

Capability / Tool SharePoint Designer 2010 Visual Studio 2010

Connect to Existing WCF, Sql Server, .NetAssembly

Any data source by creating .Net Assemblies

Modeling Approach Discover and Configure Create and Publish

Target Scenarios Author “simple” models with OOB UX (External Lists, Outlook, SharePoint Workspace, InfoPath, Search, simple FK-based associations)

- Author complex models with custom connectivity logic for aggregation, transformation, security, etc. - Author custom UX via VSTO customizations- Author reusable rich and thin UI parts (WebParts) that connect to External Data

SCENARIO FOR INTEGRATION

SharePoint Server

Customer Data Aggregation Scenario

Data Aggregation

Sql Database.Net Data Service (REST)

SharePoint Server Office Client

Data Aggregation Scenario

Data Aggregation

Connect to Outlook

BCS External Data Cache

Customers

Rich/Thin SolutionsPackaging and Deployment

Thin ClientComponents

WSPPackage

SharePointServer

Import

Deploy and Update

Include in WSP

Office Client

Why the Business Connectivity Services?Integrate other systems with SharePoint

sites• Reporting dashboards• Line of business applications

Integrate BCS data into hybrid Windows Forms Applications

Search for data in other systems via the SharePoint Search service

Save the time, cost, and monotony of writing yet another data layer!

Artist Tracker > Artists

Artists

ContractsArtist Name Address City State

Artist

Mandible

Artist Name: Mandible

Agent:Andrew Datars Quartet

Stuck in the Mud

Tastes like chicken

Deathrattle

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Down on the Bayou

Concourse

Down on the Bayou

Concourse

Concourse

Jay Hamlin Trio

My Artists

Pervasive external data with Business Connectivity ServicesSharePoint Composites

QUESTIONS?