Business Data on the Document Information Panel

The business needs:

The documents stored in the Document Center have own content types, the default Document content is not used. Recording these documents is managed by a software out-of-the SharePoint (MOSS 2007), the recording data is stored in a MS SQL 2005 database. We need to display all these data in many formats:

• on the DispForm.aspx of all documents
• on the Document Information Panel (DIP) of all documents (different layouts for different content types)
• inside the documents

The problem:

If we use only "traditional" data types (not business data), it"s quite simple: create a custom DIP and assign it to the content type. But we cannot create a site column from business data - so we cannot display a BDC site column on the Information Panel....

The solution:

Fortunately, the DIP assigned to a content type is similar to columns: we can define it at site level, but we can override and customize this at library-level. So the solution's steps are:

1. Create a content type, with the appropriate site columns and with special DIP if you need.
2. Cretae the document library, which will use this content type.
3. Assign the content type to the document library.
4. Create Business Data columns for the document library.
5. Customize the content type's DIP at the document library:

• Document Library settings --> Content Type settings --> Document Information Panel settings --> Edit this XSN form
• Create a new Data Source in the InfoPath form, from the current Document Library.
• Add the Business Data columns from the new Data Source to the Information Panel. Create the views, layouts, etc.
• Save and publish this DIP and enjoy it!