One of my customer wanted to create a BDC application definition file for Oracle 11g database Entity. Also, they wanted to use an InfoPath to leverage or pre-populate the dropdown list from Oracle database entity. Due to the budget cut, they are not willing to spend money/hours to create a seperate webservice wrapper for an oracle entity to pre-populate the dropdowns(in InfoPath) and they would like to use BDC application definition file as a datasource for an InfoPath(sounds crazy here? [:)] ). They had raised a valid question to me that “Why don’t to use BDC as a Data Connection for Infopath? – BDC application definition file has connection string and method instance, blah, blah… so why we can not re-use this application definition file as a datasource for InfoPath Developement?”- Pretty good question, isit? [;)] – Conceptual Design diagram attaced.
But unfortunately, InfoPath data connection wizard doesn’t support BDC application definition file as a Datas ource and it does supports the following options.
We can not use BDC application definition file as an XML form or anyother options. So, I suggested to them to create a simple webmethod(i.e, 4 hours effort) to pre-populate the lookup values from LOB Instances, and make use of this webservice as a datasource in infopath form. So that you can re-use the same application definition file for both BDC application & InfoPath form.
They were really happy to use this technology to satisfy their technical issue as well as save cost [:)] – Using this approach we can able to use Business Data Catalog as a DataConnection for an InfoPath development.
Hope this helps!
