1. Presenting external content
Once an ECT is created, you can create solutions that use the
external content. You can use the browser or SharePoint Designer to
create these solutions. You can also create custom web parts or Windows
form applications with Visual Studio that can access the data defined
in the BDC metadata store.
Creating and managing external lists
External lists are the preferred method of displaying external
content. These can be created using the browser, SharePoint Designer,
or Windows PowerShell. Depending on the operations that you have
defined on the ECT, you can create, read, update, and delete individual
external content data, such as a specific customer, order, or employee
from the external system. You can also add an XLV Web Part or a DFWP to
a page that displays data from an external list.
Remember, the external content is not stored in SharePoint content
databases; therefore, an external list cannot replicate all the same
functionality as an internal SharePoint list. For example, you cannot
use the Datasheet view, associate RSS feeds, or set item-level
permissions; however, you can export the list data to Excel (a new
feature with SharePoint 2013). In the Excel workbook, the data is
linked to the external list, and therefore, when a user chooses to
refresh the Excel workbook, the data is retrieved from the external
system. As with internal SharePoint lists, this is a one-way
synchronization process; that is, when a user modifies or deletes data
in the Excel workbook, the data is not changed in the external system.
And when a user synchronizes the workbook with the external system, all
modifications in the Excel workbook are lost.
SharePoint
does not have native control over the external content and does not
know when data is in the external system; however, with the help of a
developer, workflow can be triggered when data in the external system
changes and alerts can be sent.
To create an external list using the browser, follow these steps:
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Open the site where you want to create the external list. Click the
Settings icon in the upper-right corner and then click Add An App.
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On the Your App page, click External List to display the Adding External List dialog box.
If you have a large number of list types, it is easier to find the External List option by typing external in the Find An App text box and pressing Enter.
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On the Adding External List dialog box, enter the name and description for the external list.
You will need to click Advanced Options to display the New page to add a description.
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To the right of the External Content Type text box, click the Select External Content Type icon, as shown here.
The External Content Type Picker dialog box appears, which displays
the name of the external system and the display name of the ECT. It is
important that your ECT designers have created a meaningful display
name for the ECT so that your users can quickly identify the correct
external content they wish to work with.
-
In
the External Content Type Picker dialog box, select the ECT that
defines the external content that you want to display in your external
list, and then click OK.
The External Content Type Picker dialog box closes, and the ECT that
you have chosen is specified in the External Content Type text box.
Note
If you choose the incorrect ECT, you cannot choose a different one
once the external list is created. You will need to delete the list and
re-create it, choosing the correct ECT. The external list acts as a
virtual container displaying the contents from the external system;
therefore, when you delete an external list or ECT, you are not
deleting any content from the external system, just the virtual
container and the definition of external content, as shown next.
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In the Adding External List dialog box, or if you clicked Advanced Options earlier, then on the New page, click Create.
The Site Contents page is displayed where the list you just created
appears. When the external list is displayed, the default Read List
operation is used as the default view and the content from the external
system is displayed.
