What are the features of Business Data Catalog?

After the prerequisites for working with Business Data Catalog features are completed, the people in an organization can use the BDC features to view and analyze the data on Office SharePoint Server 2007 sites. The features of Business Data Catalog are as follows:

1. Business data Web Parts: Office SharePoint Server 2007 contains several business data Web Parts that can display any entity from the BDC. Business data Web Parts can be used to customize how business data is displayed on a SharePoint site. A user can also connect Web Parts so that when an action is performed in one Web Part, it changes the contents of another Web Part.
2. Business data in lists: Business data can be incorporated into any existing SharePoint list or document library by adding a business data column. A business data column is a field type that allows a user to add any entity that is defined in the BDC to a SharePoint list or library.
3. Business data actions: Business application actions can be incorporated into lists or libraries so that a user can update the profile information directly in a business application, such as SAP or Siebel. Actions are implemented as links, so that he can also use them to perform simple actions such as sending an e-mail message or opening a Web site.
4. Business data in user profiles: Business data profiles are created by default when an application is registered in the BDC. Business data profiles can be used to enhance the user information in Office SharePoint Server 2007 by incorporating the business data from any external data source that is registered in the BDC.

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