10 SharePoint BDC Interview Questions and Answers

SharePoint Business Data Connectivity (BDC) is a powerful feature that allows organizations to integrate external data into SharePoint sites. By connecting to various data sources such as databases, web services, and custom applications, BDC enables seamless data access and management within the SharePoint environment. This integration capability is crucial for businesses looking to streamline their workflows and enhance data-driven decision-making processes.

This article offers a curated selection of SharePoint BDC interview questions designed to help you demonstrate your expertise and understanding of this essential feature. Reviewing these questions will prepare you to effectively discuss your knowledge and experience with potential employers, showcasing your ability to leverage SharePoint BDC for organizational success.

SharePoint BDC Interview Questions and Answers

1. What is Business Data Connectivity (BDC)?

Business Data Connectivity (BDC) in SharePoint facilitates integration with external data sources, allowing users to interact with data from systems like databases and web services within SharePoint. BDC supports operations such as Create, Read, Update, and Delete (CRUD) on external data, enabling seamless data integration.

2. Explain the role of Secure Store Service in BDC.

The Secure Store Service in BDC securely stores and maps credentials needed to access external data sources. It stores credentials like usernames and passwords, maps them to SharePoint users or groups, and ensures sensitive information is encrypted and managed securely. This integration enhances SharePoint’s functionality by providing streamlined access to external data.

3. What are the different types of operations supported by BDC?

BDC supports various operations for interacting with external data sources, including:

• Finder: Retrieves multiple external items.
• SpecificFinder: Retrieves a single item based on a unique identifier.
• IdEnumerator: Retrieves a list of unique identifiers.
• Creator: Inserts a new item.
• Updater: Updates an existing item.
• Deleter: Deletes an item.
• Associator: Associates items.
• Disassociator: Disassociates items.
• BulkSpecificFinder: Retrieves multiple items based on identifiers.

4. How would you configure permissions for a BDC application?

To configure permissions for a BDC application, navigate to SharePoint Central Administration, access the BDC Service Application, and set permissions at different levels, such as the Metadata Store and External Content Types. Assign permissions like Edit, Execute, Selectable in Clients, and Set Permissions to users or groups. PowerShell scripts can automate this process.

5. Explain the process of deploying a BDC model using Visual Studio.

Deploying a BDC model using Visual Studio involves creating a BDC Model Project, defining external content types and operations, configuring connection settings, and deploying the model to SharePoint. After deployment, test the model to ensure it functions correctly.

6. What are the performance considerations when working with large datasets in BDC?

When working with large datasets in BDC, consider efficient data retrieval methods, proper indexing, caching strategies, pagination, and SharePoint’s throttling mechanisms to improve performance.

7. How do you integrate BDC with external systems like SQL Server or WCF services?

To integrate BDC with external systems like SQL Server or WCF services, create a BDC model, define external content types, configure connection settings, and deploy the model to SharePoint. This allows users to interact with external data within SharePoint.

8. What are the key components of a BDC Model?

Key components of a BDC Model include:

• LobSystem: Represents the external system.
• LobSystemInstance: Represents a specific instance of the LobSystem.
• Entity: Represents a business entity or data structure.
• Method: Represents an operation on an entity.
• MethodInstance: Represents a specific instance of a method.

9. How does BDC handle authentication and authorization?

BDC supports multiple authentication modes, including Pass-Through Authentication, Revert to Self, and Secure Store Service. For authorization, BDC uses SharePoint’s permissions model to control access to external content types and BDC service applications.

10. How can you optimize the performance of BDC when dealing with large datasets?

To optimize BDC performance with large datasets, use filters and pagination, optimize external content types, leverage indexed columns, implement caching, optimize database queries, use asynchronous data retrieval, and monitor performance regularly.