There are several ways a company using SharePoint Flex may connect to external data sources. The determining factor to how this is best achieved will depend on the source of the data, how often the data needs refreshing and whether it must be delivered in real time.
Importer/Updater
The SharePoint Flex Importer/Updater can manually or automatically (using Windows Scheduler) import data into a defined list which data is then displayed within a Sub-Grid – as a child item to the Parent item.
Below are a series of screenshots of a Flex list called “Sales History” which could be imported on a scheduled basis.
Each line item from the imported list is related to an Account by way of the Customer No. and the value is displayed in the Sub-Grid for that Account utilizing the Parent/Child filter in the Sub-Grid Web Part Configuration.
Business Connectivity Services
SharePoint Flex uses custom New, Edit, and Display forms in order to provide the features and functionality that is required to achieve the goal of relationship management.
For clients that wish to use BCS (Business Connectivity Services) within Flex, the following procedure is required.
Set up your External Data field using a Unique Identifier (such as “CustomerID”) to be selected as the BCS Display field and the secondary fields will be populated upon saving the new item.
The BCS Specific Finder method is required in order to populate secondary fields. BCS needs to have at least one Specific Finder method defined to work so one external data field needs to be the unique key.
Using this method the client can have Specific methods defined for every external field available.
The Secondary fields will only be populated if the Unique Identifier key field is specified as the ‘Display field’ in the BCS field setting on the list.
InfoPath
Another way of using SharePoint Flex with external data is to utilize a tool like Info Path which can be configured to draw from an external data source and populate a list within Flex.
Once the data is pulled into the Info Path form it is displayed for the specific Flex item in an associated Sub-Grid the same way the Importer performs this step.