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Feature comparison: SharePoint External List (BCS) vs. Layer2 BDLC
The Layer2 Business Data List Connector for SharePoint (BDLC) can connect and sync native SharePoint lists directly with almost any external data source in just minutes codeless using the web browser. But what's the difference compared to out-of-the-box SharePoint external lists (BCS)?
Although the SharePoint Business Connectivity Services (BCS) External List is a great step forward with SharePoint data integration, there are still many gaps. An external list is some kind of web part that integrates external data in the SharePoint user interface. But it is still not a native SharePoint list - as the SharePoint BDLC List definitely is. This causes some limitations in case of features and other issues.
First not all BCS features are available with all SharePoint editions:
| BCS Feature | SharePoint Foundation | Standard Edition | Enterprise Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| External List | YES | YES | YES |
| External Data Column | YES | YES | YES |
| BDC Service | YES | YES | YES |
| Connector Framework | YES | YES | YES |
| Secure Store Service | NO | YES | YES |
| External Data Search | NO | YES | YES |
| Profile Pages | NO | YES | YES |
| Business Data Web Parts | NO | NO | YES |
| Rich Client Integration | NO | NO | YES |
Read more about this here:
http://www.chakkaradeep.com/post/What-is-Included-in-BCS-e28093-BCS-Feature-Comparison-Table.aspx
The next table compares features of a SharePoint BCS external list to a native SharePoint list connected via the Layer2 Business Data List Connector (BDLC):
| Feature | SharePoint External List | SharePoint BDLC List |
|---|---|---|
| Integrate external data from various sources into SharePoint | YES | YES |
| A complete SharePoint list with all list features is implemented | NO | YES |
| OOB almost any type of data source is | NO (.NET Type / WCF Service / SQL Server) | YES |
| Full SharePoint 2007 / WSS 3.0 support | NO (SharePoint Foundation 2010 supported) | YES |
| No additional tools, | NO (SharePoint Designer has to be installed and used) | YES |
| NO | YES | |
| OOB full search capabilities | NO (not for SharePoint Foundation) | YES |
| Full offline capabilities | NO | YES (with SharePoint 2010 / 2013 only, SharePoint 2007 supports certain list types only, e.g. contacts) |
| Full Info Path support to customize forms | NO | YES |
| Full Info Path support to customize forms | NO | YES |
| OOB-support for the SharePoint Client Object Model | NO | YES |
| OOB-support for REST-services web part connectivity | NO | YES |
| OOB-support for making associations to other SharePoint lists | NO | YES |
| OOB-support for making associations to other SharePoint lists | NO | YES |
| Alerts will be fired on data change | NO | YES |
| Email notification | NO | YES |
| RSS notification on data change | NO | YES |
| Workflows can start business actions on external data change (SPD, Visio, VS and Nintex-based) | NO | YES |
| Datagrid editing supported | NO | YES |
| Lookups can display any column | NO (ID Only in 2010) | YES |
| Support for joins as data source | NO | YES |
| Support for common SharePoint list types, e.g. contacts, tasks, events etc. | NO | YES |
| Exel export feature | NO | YES |
| Item level permission | NO | YES |
| Versioning | NO | YES |
| Item history | NO | YES |
| LINQ support | NO | YES |
| Site column support | NO | YES |
| Rating support | NO | YES |
| Commenting support | NO | YES |
| Tagging support, Activity Streams etc. | NO | YES |
| Managed Metadata and Enterprise Keyword Columns | NO | YES |
| Metadata Navigation | NO | YES |
| Attachments enabled (documents can be attached to external data) | NO | YES |
| Anonymous Login support (for public facing sites)Office 2007 support | NO | YES |
| Office 2007 support | NO (2010 required) | YES |
| Works with all 3rd party Add-Ons | NO | YES |
| NO (some kind of cache seems to be implemented) | YES | |
| Data is available in SharePoint while original data source is not available (e.g. because of maintenance). | NO | YES |
| There is no row limit or list view threshold. | NO (it seems to be a | YES |
| YES (SharePoint users directly access the external system) | YES (if supported by data source) | |
| Can connect to almost any external data source, e.g. SQL, SharePoint (on-premises or Online), Dynamics CRM, Exchange, OData, XML/RSS, CSV, SOAP and many others codeless. | NO | YES |
| User licenses are required for SharePoint users in the connected systems (e.g. ERP systems) to read external data | Yes (depending on license agreement), SharePoint users directly access the external system. | No (depending on license agreement), SharePoint users are working with synced data copies only in SharePoint lists. |
Read more about the BCS features compared here:
http://www.chakkaradeep.com/post/BCS-Limitations.aspx
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