Walkthrough: Integrating a MySQL database through ODBC

This walkthrough demonstrates how to integrate MySQL database with Microsoft® SharePoint® 2013 using ODBC by creating a new external content type for MySQL using BCS Meta Man for Windows.

The walkthrough will then get you to display the data from the MySQL database on a SharePoint 2013 page. If you have any questions please submit them on our web site page: Support Request.

This walkthrough demonstrates the following tasks:

• Create an external content type.
• Deploy the BDC Model.
• Create an External List based on your BDC model
  

Prerequisites

You need the following components to complete this walkthrough:

• SharePoint Server 2013
• BCS Meta Man – it doesn’t necessarily need to be installed on the SharePoint server but it requires .NET Framework 4.5 installed on the machine where you are using BCS Meta Man.
• MySQL database server with any sample database
• Windows 64-bit, Connector/ODBC must be installed on the machine where SharePoint 2013 is running and on the machine where you use BCS Meta Man.
  

Create an External Content Type

1. Start BCS Meta Man.
   
   
2. Under data source, click ODBC.
   
   
   
   
3. Select MySQL from the data source type list.
   
   
4. In the connection string text box, type an ODBC connection string, for example,
    "Driver={MySQL ODBC 5.1 Driver};Server=canopus;Port=3306;
    Database=world;Uid=root;Pwd=12345;Trusted_Connection=yes;"
5. Click the blue arrow to move to the next step.
   
   
   BCS Meta Man connects to the MySQL server, and then displays the model diagram page.
   
   
6. Click Tables.
   
   
   A list of all the tables in your MySQL database are displayed.
   
   
   
7. Drag and drop a table onto the model design area.
   
   
   BCS Meta Man again connects to the data source and displays a preview of the external content type. You may modify the external content type name, change identifier and add the methods to the external content type.
   
   
   
8. Click Create.
   
   The external content type is displayed on the design surface.
   

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Deploy the BDC Model

1. On the title bar, click Settings.
   
   
   
2. In the Model deployment URL text box, type the URL of the SharePoint 2013 Central Administration web site.
   
   
   
3. Click Save to close the Settings dialog box.
   
   
   
   
4. Click Deploy.
   
   SharePoint validates your BDC model, and then the Information dialog box is displayed.
   
   
   
5. Click OK.

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Create an External List based on your BDC model

1. Navigate to a SharePoint site where you want to display the contents from your MySQL database.
2. Click Settings, Site Contents and then on the Site Contents page, click add an app.
   
   
   
3. Click External List, you may need to scroll down the page or page the second page.
   
   The Adding External List page is displayed.
   
   
   
4. In the Name text box, type the name for your list.
   
   
5. To the right of the External Content Type text box, click the External Content Type picker.
   
   
   The External Content Type Picker page is displayed.
   
   
   
6. Select the BDC model you generated for you MySQL data source, and then click OK, to return to the Adding External List page.
   
   
   
7. Click Create.
   
   The external data from your MySQL database is displayed in the External List.
   

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Walkthrough: Creating an External Item Picker for Foreign Keys →