How to Crawl SQL database in SharePoint 2010

Question

How does one crawl a SQL database? I want to be able to go to my SharePoint site, type in a keyword in my search bar, and have SharePoint crawl a SQL database and return desired search results.

Are various webparts going to have to be made? Like the profile page for a search results instance, is that going to require code to retrieve the information we want to see???

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

This is super easy with SharePoint 2010. You need to define an External Content Type and then configure a content source, here is a nice article that will guide you: Configuring SharePoint Server 2010 Search for External Content Types (Part 1 of 2) and Configuring SharePoint Server 2010 Search for External Content Types (Part 2 of 2)