Application Definition files for Sharepoint 2007
I finally got around to playing with the new Business Data Catalog
service in Sharepoint 2007. I've always thought that Sharepoint was a
great tool for "putting a face" to an enterprise's SOA effort, and this
gets it one step closer. The process involves creating a
LobSystem(line-of-business system). This involves creating what is
known as an "Application Definition" file. This file describes your
LobSystem(entities, methods, actions etc).
You can easily use a web
service as the source for this. However, the XML for this file is
quite verbose. Eager to start creating my own LobSystems, I ran across
BDC Meta Man. This is a great tool that lets you create Application Definition files though a (decent) GUI.
Check it out below: