The SharePoint Business Data List Connector is used to simply connect a SharePoint list with external LOB data, e.g. from databases, CRM or ERP systems.

BDLC - Known issues & workarounds with V1.02 (outdated)

Please first make sure, that you have downloaded the most current software version after registration from its original source. Some vendors distribute older versions. Your version should have "...Version 1.02..." in the *.wsp solution file name (not the zip file).

There are some known issues and workarounds with the current BDLC version 1.02:

BDLC list configuration dialog can't be accessed (Unspecific SharePoint error message). Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 is not installed. Please update your .NET Framework to current version.

This is fixed in V1.5
After activation and IISReset the Sharepoint Timer Service continues to manage BDLC actions with the restrictions of the shareware version. You have to restart the SharePoint Timer Service to finally activate the solution.
After installation in some cases resource items get lost in SharePoint cache management. You'll see $ResoucesXYZ entries as column names (instead of localized names) in the BDLC Configuration List. This has no side effects to functionallity. The wrong column names disappear after server restart.
Please take care, if you have columns in your data source with special characters or spaces in column name, e.g. "tel nr" or "Straße". These columns are shown in preview and are corerctly created in the SharePoint BDLC list. But they are not updated.

This is fixed in V1.5

As a workaround please rename these columns in the select statement like this:

Select ... "Tel nr" as Telnr, "Straße" as Strasse ...
There are number conversion issues in multi-locale configurations, e.g. in case database uses a different locale schema compared to the SharePoint site. Why?

We don’t provide any “locale conversion” inside the BDLC currently. The BDLC knows nothing about your regional settings in the database source (e.g. American English) and SharePoint destination (e.g. Dutch). But the BDLC has to deal with formatted content, because it uses the XML-based batch API internally for performance reasons. So it comes to conversion errors (e.g. 0,75 will be translated as 75,00) because of different locale settings of your source and destination systems.

If you need a specific locale format in your destination (e.g. Dutch SharePoint) you have to explicit format this directly in the select statement (e.g. using some number formatting function of the database system). In SQL server you can use CAST / CONVERT functions:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa226054(SQL.80).aspx

Or you can generally change the locale language setting in the database as used at the SharePoint site.
If one update timer job ends with error for any reason, no other Jobs are executed.
The job is set to locked in the configration list

This is fixed in V1.5
There are no other known issues in the current version. Please contact us, if you have found any issue.

"Please support us to improve our products and solutions. Give us your feedback."

Frank Daske, Business Development Manager, Layer 2 GmbH

News

European SharePoint Component Vendor Layer2 announces Technology Partnership with Nintex

Strategic technology alliance formed by Layer2 and Nintex enables seamless integration of any external Line-Of-Business Data into SharePoint workflow and lists without code.

SharePoint Codeless Bi-Directional List Connectivity Powered by Enterprise Enabler and Business Data List Connector

Stone Bond Technologies, provider of the world’s only codeless connectivity software and eco-system, today announced a strategic alliance with Layer2 a leading publisher of SharePoint Web Parts and solutions.

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SharePoint Business Data List Connector

Related Downloads

2009-11-01: Layer2 Press Release

SharePoint – New Business Data List Connector for External Lists in MOSS 2007 and WSS 3.0
Layer2, the SharePoint Experts from Hamburg (Germany) announced a new Microsoft SharePoint extension to unlock the value of enterprise data for SharePoint 2007 based portals. The Business Data List Connector (BDLC) for SharePoint directly connects SharePoint lists with external LOB data sources. Almost any data from databases, Office or even text data can be displayed in SharePoint lists without any programming. Workflows can be used to start business actions in SharePoint, if external data records are changed.

Business Data List Connector PAD File

This XML-based PAD file offers a product description for resellers to download and publish.

Flyer: Layer2 Partner Program

Partner with us as a software reseller or SharePoint service provider. There is a free partner program with up to 30% discount. Download as PDF.

How to connect ANY external data source directly to SharePoint lists?

From SQL Server or Oracle tables and Excel files to web services, .NET objects, COM+ objects and ANY other data sources - connect it simply to any existing SharePoint 2007 / 2010 lists now.

Layer2 Flyer: Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Web Parts and Solutions

Produktflyer: Business Data List Connector for SharePoint

Productflyer (PDF) in English for download.

Testimonial: How the US Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) integrates SharePoint with Oracle using BDLC

"Layer2 Business Data List Connector (BDLC) software provides a powerful mechanism for surfacing external data through lists, and drastically improves platform stability and development cycles."

Are you looking for Layer2 product resellers and implementation partners?

United States:

Insight (USA, Canada)
Softchoice Corporation (USA)
Corporate Power (USA, New York)
www.corus360.com (USA, Georgia)
www.componentsource.com (USA)

Great Britain, Scotland and Ireland:

France:

SMLB

Netherlands:

New Zealand:

fourthmedia

Switzerland:

Netrange AG

Poland:

Effect

Turkey:

NEOVAS

South Africa:

Titus Corp

Malaysia:

V-WORK

Aptrio Download Store

BDLC works with NINTEX Workflow 2010 for SharePoint

Start NINTEX Workflows while external data changes.

Did you know? You can connect SharePoint lists directly to almost any external data source with BDLC to have a "SharePoint External List" today.

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. You can pull data to SharePoint lists directly from data files, e.g.

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

and more. You can also link SharePoint lists directly to server and services, e.g.

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

You can use Enterprise Enabler for SharePoint BDLC to additionally connect SharePoint lists directly to

Web Services
XML
EDI
HL7
Virtual Store
Microsoft .Net Objects
COM+ Objects
MS Dynamics CRM
MS Dynamics AX
SAP
Salesforce
Journyx
Quickbooks
PeachTree
and other

Enterprise Enabler for SharePoint BDLC additionally automates complex bi-directional aggregation, transformation and manipulation of entities among multiple Line Of Business applications.