Preparing to Build External Content Types

Prior to building External Content Types in SharePoint Designer, a few preparation steps are necessary. First, a SharePoint site is required. To create a new SharePoint site, complete the following steps:

1. On the SharePoint 2010 server, select Start and SharePoint 2010 Central Administration.
2. Under the Application Management, click Create Site Collections.
3. In the Title box of the Create Site Collection page, type BCS Sample Site.
4. In the URL section, select the /sites/ option in the drop-down box, and type BCSSample in the text box.
5. Enter one or two login accounts to serve as the site collection administrator(s).
6. In the Template Selection section, choose the blank site template, as shown in Figure 31.1.

   Figure 31.1. Create a blank SharePoint site.

   

Additionally, external content types require a SQL Server database to connect to. Chapter 30 includes a set of steps to install the AdventureWorksLT database. If you completed those steps in the previous chapter, it is not necessary to do so again; if not, these steps are repeated here:

1. Download and install the AdventureWorks samples databases by visiting http://msftdbprodsamples.codeplex.com/.
2. Click the link to the SQL Server 2008R2 product sample databases (http://msftdbprodsamples.codeplex.com/releases/view/45907), and then click the AdventureWorks2008R2 RTM.exe link; click I Agree on the licensing page. Click Save and save the installation file to a machine running SQL Server 2008.

   Caution

   The sample product databases for AdventureWorks will change over time, so the link above might be replaced by a newer version. If possible, locate the specific .exe file listed in this section because using an updated file might invalidate certain steps in this or future sections.

3. When the file finishes downloading, double-click the executable, and the self-extracting zip unloads the files. Read and accept the license terms.
4. On the next screen, select the AdventureWorksLT database to install, plus any additional ones that you would like to use.