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Manage application definitions

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Applies To: Office SharePoint Server 2007

This Office product will reach end of support on October 10, 2017. To stay supported, you will need to upgrade. For more information, see , Resources to help you upgrade your Office 2007 servers and clients.

 

Topic Last Modified: 2016-11-14

The Business Data Catalog uses application definitions to connect to the data in line-of-business applications so that the data can be used in SharePoint sites, lists, and Web Parts. Application definitions are XML files that describe the security settings used to access the application, and the entities and methods to import for the application. Each database or Web service in the Business Data Catalog is represented by a single application definition XML file.

Designers or developers can author application definitions by using any XML editing tool. Application administrators for the Business Data Catalog import application definitions for each line-of-business application that provides integrated data for the SharePoint sites and custom applications in your deployment. They can also use the administration pages for the Business Data Catalog on the Shared Services Administration page to modify services permissions for the application, any of its entities, or its methods. To make any other modifications to an application definition, designers or developers must modify the XML using an XML editing tool. Then the administrator must delete the previous application definition and import the modified application definition.

Application definition XML files can be exported for modification and reuse throughout your organization.

For more information about the metadata model for the Business Data Catalog and sample application definitions, see Business Data Catalog: Metadata Model (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=124629&clcid=0x409).

Author application definitions

Developers or designers can author application definition XML files by using any XML editing tool. The following properties must be included in an application definition:

  • In the LOBSystemInstance object:

    • The authentication mode used to access the database or Web service.

    • The single sign-on (SSO) provider, if you are using SSO authentication.

    • The name of the enterprise application definition for the identity used to access the line-of-business application, if you are using SSO authentication.

    • If you are using application-level authentication, you must include the property for the secondary SSO application.

  • Entities that contain data that you want to import.

  • Methods for each imported entity.

Access control lists (ACLs) for the application or specific entities or methods for the application are added automatically when you use the administration pages to edit the services permissions associated with the application, entity, or method. You can add this information when you author an application definition, but it is not required.

You can use the Business Data Catalog Definition Editor tool to author application definitions. For more information about installing the Business Data Catalog Definition Editor tool, see Install the Business Data Catalog Definition Editor Tool.

For an example of an application definition file, see Sample: AdventureWorks2000 PassThrough Metadata (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=124631&clcid=0x409).

Modifying application definitions by using the Business Data Catalog Definition Editor

You can author and modify application definition XML files by using the Business Data Catalog Definition Editor tool. The Business Data Catalog Definition Editor tool is available as part of the download for the SharePoint Server 2007 SDK: Software Development Kit.

Import application definitions

Before an application can access data in SharePoint sites and custom applications, the BDC administrator must import the application definition to the Business Data Catalog. Every time a developer or designer modifies the application definition, the administrator must delete the existing version and import the updated version.

Edit application definitions

You can use an XML editor to modify an application definition at any time. To use the modified application definition, you must delete the previous application definition and import the modified version. You edit the application definition file in the following circumstances:

  • You decide to use a different authentication mode.

  • You switch to a different SSO provider.

  • The identity of the enterprise application definition changes.

  • You want to import data from additional entities or methods for the application.

  • You want to stop including data from entities or methods that were included previously.

  • You want to reuse part of the application definition to create a new application definition for another application used by your organization.

Note

Before you author an application definition XML file for a line-of-business application, configure the authorization permissions for one or more credentials for the back-end server, and configure the enterprise application definition if you are using SSO.

You can use the Business Data Catalog Definition Editor tool to edit application definitions.

For more information about authoring and modifying application definition files, including sample XML files, see Business Data Catalog: Metadata Model.

Export application definitions

One of the advantages of using the Business Data Catalog is that developers and designers can author an application definition file once and then reuse that application definition in multiple places within your organization so that you do not have to reconfigure the same information. One application definition enables data integration for the imported entities and methods across all Web applications and sites that use the same Shared Services Provider (SSP). If your organization uses more than one SSP, or if you want to reuse an application definition for one application to help author another application, the administrator for the Business Data Catalog or the specific application can export the application definition file for use by designers and developers who are authoring similar application definitions, or by application administrators for the Business Data Catalog in another SSP.

Task Requirements

The following are required to perform the procedures for this task:

  • To create application definition XML files, you must have permission to access the application definition XML file.

  • To import or export application definitions to the Business Data Catalog, you must have the Edit services permission to the application in the Business Data Catalog.

  • To modify an application definition from the Shared Services Administration page, you must have the Business Data Catalog services permissions for the application, entity, or method that you are adding, modifying, or deleting.

To manage application definitions, you perform the following procedures: