Exercises

1.	True or False. The Business Data Catalog contains important data from external applications.
2.	Describe the difference between the roles of the application definition author and a developer.
3.	When an application is added to the BDC, can any user with list creation rights add a column to a list that points to the application?
4.	Explain the difference between the Business Data List Web Part and Related Business Data List Web Part.

Answers

1.	False. The Business Data Catalog contains application definitions that describe the business data in the external applications, but does not actually contain the data. Instead, it defines how users will connect to the application to retrieve the data.
2.	The application definition author is the user who must understand both XML and the API of the business application well enough to describe access details of the application and the various data components. Once this person has completed the application definition file for an application, his role is generally complete. After a system administrator imports the application definition file, a developer accesses the business data to extend SharePoint’s functionality or to create custom applications that interact with the business data. While the application definition author is not required to be a developer, a single individual may perform both roles.
3.	Once the application is added to the BDC, only users with Select in Clients right can associate an entity with a list or library column. The system administrator controls this right via the Shared Services administration area for the application.
4.	The Business Data List Web Part connects to an entity to show a grid view of items in that entity. The Business Related Data List Web Part is a connectable Web Part that depends on another Web Part, such as the Business Data List Web Part, to display details related to the selected item. For example, a listing of customers may be displayed in a Business Data List Web Part, and a Business Related Data List Web Part may contain information about orders. When a user selects a customer in the Business Data List Web Part, a related listing of orders would display in the other Web Part.