In this article we will see how to search the data from the external content
type in SharePoint 2010.
Steps Involved:
- Create a new content source
- Start the full crawl
- Create a new search scope
- Create a new search center site and
configure the search scopes
- Search for a data from the external
content type
Create a new content source:
- Go to Central Administration =>
Application Management => Manage service applications => Search Service
Application => Crawling => Content Sources.
- Click on "New Content Source".
- Enter the Name, and select "Line of
Business data" option in the Content Source Type section.
- In the External Data Source section,
select "Business Data Connectivity Service" from the drop down and select
"Crawl selected external data source".
- Click on Ok.
- A new content source is created
successfully.
Start the full crawl:
- Go to Central Administration =>
Application Management => Manage service applications => Search Service
Application => Crawling => Content Sources.
- Select BCS, go to the ECB menu and click
on Start Full crawl.
Create a new search scope:
- Go to Central Administration =>
Application Management => Manage service applications => Search Service
Application => Queries and Results => Scopes.
- Click on New Scope.
- Enter the Title and click Ok.
- A new scope is created successfully.
- Click on "Add Rules".
- In the "Scope Rule Type" section, select
Content Source option.
- In the "Content Source" section, select
BCS from the drop down.
- Click on Ok.
- It will be updated after a particular
interval, if you want update now go to Administration => Search
Administration => System Status =>Scopes needing update => click on "Start
update now".
- Refresh the page until the scope update
process completes.
Create a new search center site and
configure the search scopes:
- Open the SharePoint site.
- Go to Site Actions => New Site =>All
categories => Search.
- Select Basic Search Center template.
- Enter the Name and URL name.
- Click on Create.
- Go to the root level site.
- Go to Site Actions => Site Settings =>Site
Collection Administration => Search settings.
- In the "Site Collection search center"
section, select Enable custom scopes option and enter the basic search
center URL that we have created.
- Click on Ok.
- Go to Site Actions => Site Settings =>Site
Collection Administration => Search scopes.
- Click on Display Groups.
- Select BCS and I have made the BCS as a
default scope.
- Click on Ok.
Search for a data from the external content
type:
- Go to the root site and if you see by
default in the search scope dropdown list BCS will be selected.
- Enter a search term that will return the
result from the external content type.
- It will return the result with a BDC
protocol URL which cannot be used by the end user.
- If we want to view the entire details for
the search you need to create the profile page.