Exporting and importing BDC models and resource files
If
you are fortunate to have a development environment, you may have
created your external system definition and ECTs in that environment.
If the testing was successful, you will now have to deploy these BDC
definitions to the production farm by first exporting the appropriate
BDC model from the BDC service application in the development
environment and then importing the BDC model into the correct BDC
service application in the production farm. You can use the SharePoint
Central Administration website, a Windows PowerShell cmdlet, or
SharePoint Designer to export the BDC model.
If you created the External System definition and ECT using
SharePoint Designer then you should use that tool to export them. The
BDC model, SharePointDesigner-<databasename>-<userid>-<guid>,
created by SharePoint Designer, does not link to the ECTs that are
created by SharePoint Designer. Therefore, you cannot use the
SharePoint Central Administration website to export ECTs developed with
SharePoint Designer.
If the BDC model is to be used by Office 2013 applications, then you
can only export them in the correct format by using SharePoint
Designer. The permissions you have configured on the BDC model, the
external system, and ECT can also be included in the exported BDC model.
You can use the SharePoint Central Administration website or a
Windows PowerShell cmdlet to import a BDC model. You cannot use
SharePoint Designer to import BDC models.
When you export a BDC model, make changes and then import it into a
BCS application; you should update the version number for the ECT. By
default, the version number is set to 1.0.0.0. Changing the third or
second number of the version number indicates a small change, such as
adding a new method or changing connection information. Changing the
first or second number of the version number signals a “breaking
change” to BCS, such as adding a new field to the Read Item operation
(Specific Finder method) or changing the identifier field. Breaking
changes usually cause external lists that were defined using the
previous version of the BDC model to fail. Therefore, before making an
ECT widely available, ensure that your ECT meets all your business
needs and is tested thoroughly.
To export a BDC model using SharePoint Designer, follow these steps:
-
Open SharePoint Designer 2013 and then open a SharePoint site in the
web application that is associated with the BDC service application
where you have created the external system definition and ECT.
-
In the Navigation pane, click External Content Types to open the External Content Types gallery.
-
Click the icon to the left of the ECT you wish to export, and then,
on the External Content Types tab, click Export BDC Model in the Manage
group.
-
In the Export BDC Model dialog box, type the BDC model name, and in
the Settings list, select Default (as shown here) if the BDC model is
to be imported into another SharePoint farm, or select Client if you
are going to use the BDC model with Office 2013 applications.
-
Click OK and save the BDC model as an XML file.
The file will have an extension of .bdcm. If you are importing the
file into an Office 2013 application, change the extension to .xml.
To export a BDC model or the resource information in a separate file
using the Central Administration website, follow these steps:
-
Under Application Management, click Manage Service Applications. On
the Service Applications page, click the name of the BDC service
application that contains the BDC model you wish to export.
-
In the View drop-down list, select BDC Models, if not already
selected, and then, under Service Application Information, select the
BDC model you wish to export.
-
On the Edit tab, click Export in the BDC Models group.
-
On the Export BDC Model page (shown here), select the Model or
Resource file type option and the resource components you wish to
export.
If you select the resource file type option, then a separate
resource XML file will be created, which usually has an extension of
.bdcr. When you export a BDC model in SharePoint Designer, you cannot
export the resources separately, nor can you choose which resources you
wish to export. With SharePoint Designer, all resource information is
exported.
-
Click Export, and then save the file.
To import a BDC model using the Central Administration website, follow these steps:
-
Under Application Management, click Manage Service Applications. On
the Service Applications page, click the name of the BDC service
application that contains the BDC model you wish to export.
-
On the Edit tab, click Import in the BDC Models group.
-
On the Import BDC Model page, in the BDC Model section, either use
the Browse button to navigate to the Model file or type the location of
the Model file into the text box.
-
In the Advanced Settings section, select the Resource option if you
are importing a file that contains only localized names, properties, or
permissions.
-
Click Import to display the Importing webpage.
Note
When you choose to import permissions that are defined in your BDC
model and an entry for an ECT already exists in the ACL, its value is
overwritten with the permission information from the imported file.
Once the BDC model is imported, SharePoint 2013 separates the
external system and the ECT information. You should review both these
objects and set permissions according to your requirements. You should
then check that an external list can be created from the ECT, and
external content can be included in an external data column in a list
or library.
You can also use the Delete command on the Edit tab to delete BCD models, external systems, or ECTs.
