SharePoint Business Data List Connector

What's New in SharePoint Business Data List Connector 3?
SharePoint Business Data List Connector includes optional write-back to external data source features. CRUD (Create, Update, Delete)is fully supported for the external data source, if SharePoint list items are created, updated or deleted. In this way any SharePoint list, e.g. contacts, tasks, events, KPI-lists could be used as "front-end" to LOB data, e.g. databases, Office data, CRM and ERP systems.

SharePoint Business Data List Connector (BDLC) offers a "SharePoint External List" by connecting a real SharePoint list (no Web Part) to external business back-end data, using a very simple web-based list settings dialogue. No programming or additional tools are required.

SharePoint Business Data List Connector (BDLC) connects any SharePoint list (no Web Part) directly with almost any external LOB data using common list settings in just minutes:

1. Enter connection string
2. Enter select statement
3. Enter primary keys

Alerts and workflows can be used, to take business actions, if external data records are changed. Full write-back (CRUD) to data source. The feature comes with a robust installer and is available for WSS and SharePoint 2007/2010.

SharePoint Business Data List Connector can be configured easily with a few simple list settings only directly in the browser. The desired data can be populated to the list and presented with the familiar UI and navigation features of common SharePoint lists made available: Views, sorting and grouping, filters, calculated fields. Lookup features can be created as usual for presentation of and interaction with external data in SharePoint lists. The list data can be updated manually or automatically in background, using a timer service. List workflows and notifications per RSS or email can be used out-of-the-box, to take business actions in SharePoint, if external LOB data records are changed. For example the Business Data List Connector can be used to implement a sales dashboard application, which empowers end users to gain insight into the underlying data in a reusable way, e.g. with aggregations and transformations  and quickly being notified in case of changes.

With SharePoint Business Data List Connector, you can connect SharePoint lists directly to databases, such as:

• SQL Server 2008
• SQL Server 2005
• SQL Server 2000 / 7.0
• Oracle
• IBM DB2
• MySQL
• Sybase Advantage Database Server
• Sybase Adaptive Server Enterprise
• Informix
• Postgre SQL
• IBM UniData
• IBM UniVerse
• AS/400 (IMB iSeries)
• Progress
• FireBird
• Interbase
• Paradox
• Ingres
• Mimer SQL
• Lightbase
• Pervasive
• SQLBase  (Gupta/Unify)
• Cache
• Teradata
• VistaDB
• DBMaker
• Netezza DBMS
• Valentina
• and more.

SharePoint Business Data List Connector can pull data to SharePoint lists directly from data files too, for instance:

• Microsoft Office Excel 2007
• Microsoft Office Excel (other versions)
• Microsoft Office Access 2007
• Microsoft Office Access (other versions)
• Visual Foxpro
• DBF / Foxpro
• SQLite
• Filemaker
• Textfiles (csv)  with delimited columns or fixed length columns
• HTML-tables

SharePoint Business Data List Connector can also link SharePoint lists directly to server and services:
(Available for WSS 3.0, SharePoint Foundation and SharePoint Server 2007 / 2010)

• OLAP, Analysis Services -  to provide Business Intelligence data in a real SharePoint list for further processing
• Microsoft SharePoint - to pull list data from another SharePoint site collection or installation
• Microsoft Project - to access project management data via a SharePoint list
• Active Directory - to provide user or device data in a custom SharePoint list
• Microsoft Exchange - to access contacts, events, tasks or other Exchange data
• Microsoft Index Server - to access Index Server queries via a custom SharePoint list
• IBM Lotus Notes - to connect a custom SharePoint list to Notes data
• Intuit Quickbase - to access online application data
• Composit Information Server - a Java-based application server
• ODBC DSN - to connect further data sources via ODBC Data Source Names
• UDL - to connect SharePoint lists via the Universal Data Link protocol with external data sources