ECT: Agregate view, differing update and create forms

Question

In short, I have a complex database containing documentation for IP addresses, servers, network switches and so on. This database should be manageable in SharePoint using, I think, external content type.

The trouble is basically that the information viewed differs, in some cases wildly, from the information that can be edited and again from the information entered when creating a new object.

As an example, imagine documenting a VLAN: When creating a new VLAN you have to enter the name and the VLAN tag but also information regarding the relevant subnet such as network address and CIDR. When viewing the VLAN, only the subnet name is interesting, not the CIDR. However, the subnet name should link to a page with a view of that given subnet. When updating the VLAN, only the name can be changed, not the tag. The subnet should be changeable through a drop-down or similar.

The database already contains views and stored procedures to accomplish all desired operations but since the variables in the procedures does not match, SharePoint designer can not create the appropriate forms for creating, updating and deleting.

Is it at all possible to create a completely custom list with custom forms? Am I going about this the wrong way? Are there better solutions?

Answer 1

This can be achieved using Visual Studio to create Business Data Connectivity Models as per this article: Working with BCS in Visual Studio 2010 series

This allows all the needed customization for the individual external content types as well as adapting the output of stored procedures and views to fit the content type. After creating the model, the lists and forms can be customized in SharePoint Designer to fit the vastly different input and output parameters.