Compatibility:
SharePoint 2013 Foundation (SPF) and Server (SPS) SharePoint 2010 Foundation (SPF) and Server (SPS) Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) 3.0 / Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007
SPF & SPS 2013 • 2010 • 2007
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Sunday
Apr262009

FilterZen BCS/BDC Business Data Item Builder Web Part

Note: this Web Part requires SharePoint Server Enterprise Edition with the Business Data Connectivity (BCS/BDC) features enabled.

The FilterZen BCS/BDC Business Data Item Builder Web Part initially serves the same purpose as the built-in Business Data Item Builder Web Part provided by Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Enterprise Edition: to obtain the ID of a Business Data Connectivity (BCS/BDC) entity instance and broadcast that instance to compatible Web Parts. However, the FilterZen BCS/BDC Business Data Item Builder Web Part goes beyond the built-in equivalent Web Part in many ways:

Obtaining the External Content Type / Entity Instance ID

The out-of-the-box Web Part can only ever obtain the required entity instance ID from a pre-defined URL Parameter named ID, whereas the FilterZen Business Data Item Builder Web Part obtains the required entity instance ID from any connected Web Part. So while you can "recreate" the original behaviour by connecting the FilterZen Business Data Item Builder Web Part to a MOSS URL (Query String) Filter Web Part, or a FilterZen Filter Web Part (containing a Page Request / URL Filter), there are now innumerable additional ways for the item builder to obtain the entity instance ID (including any built-in or custom FilterZen filter types and the out-of-the-box provider Web Parts, for example List Views) and send all entity instance data to any consumer Web Part.

Simply choose your preferred entity instance ID provider Web Part from the Connections / Get BCS/BDC Entity Instance ID From sub-menu.

Sending the selected Entity Instance to BCS/BDC Web Parts

Simply select from the Connections / Send Selected Item To sub-menu any Business Data Actions or Business Data Item Web Part to send the entity instance associated with the current entity instance ID. You can only connect to Web Parts that have been pre-configured for a specific Business Data Connectivity application and external content type. For the FilterZen BCS/BDC Business Data Item Builder Web Part to become aware of the Business Data Connectivity application, data type and entity columns to use, you need to make at least one such connection.

Sending any Entity Instance Column values to any Web Parts

Once you have made at least one such connection and the FilterZen BCS/BDC Business Data Item Builder Web Part became aware of the Business Data Connectivity (BCS/BDC) application, data type and entity columns to use, you can now also send live BCS/BDC column values of the selected entity instance to any kind of consumer Web Part: simply select from its Connections sub-menu the FilterZen Business Data Item Builder Web Part and follow the on-screen Connection Properties dialog.