Business Data Web Parts

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 includes five default Business Data Web Parts:

Business Data List
Business Data Item
Business Data Item Builder
Business Data Related List
Business Data Actions.
These Web Parts rely on the Business Data Catalog, and offer three main benefits:

No required coding, and reusability These Web Parts enable you to display business data on your portal site without writing any code. Also, these Web Parts are generic and reusable and can show any type of data (entity) registered in the Business Data Catalog.

Connectability These Web Parts support Web Part connections and make it easier to create Master-Detail applications without writing any code. For example, you can display customers and their details using the Business Data List and Business Data Item Web Parts by simply connecting them. These Web Parts can also be integrated in dashboards.

Customization These Web Parts support WYSIWYG editing in Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 and can be customized using XSLT transformations.

Types of Business Data Web Parts
Business Data List Web Part : Displays a list of entity instances from a business application registered in the Business Data Catalog. For example, you can use a Business Data List Web Part to display the customers or orders from the AdventureWorks database.

Business Data Item Web Part: Displays the details of an entity instance from a business application. For example, you can use a Business Data Item Web Part to display the details of a particular customer or order from the AdventureWorks database.

Business Data Related List Web Part: Displays a list of related entity instances from a business application. For example, you can use a Business Data Related List Web Part to display all the orders for a particular customer from the AdventureWorks database.

Business Data Actions Web Part: Displays a list of actions associated with an entity as defined in the Business Data Catalog. For example, you can use a Business Data Actions Web Part to display all the actions that portal users can perform on the Customer entity. Some examples of these actions are to send an e-mail message to a customer or to edit the address of a customer.

Business Data Item Builder Web Part: Creates a Business Data item based on parameters in the query string and provides it to other Web Parts. This Web Part is used only on Business Data profile pages.