Frequently Asked Questions about BCS Meta Man
1, I’m an existing BDC Meta Man customer, how can I upgrade?
If your Software Maintenance agreement is up to date then you can request a BCS Meta Man license key at any time. If you did not take out Software Maintenance when purchasing BDC Meta Man please contact us to arrange a discount on a new BCS Meta Man license.
In order to work with Oracle database you should have installed:
Please note that both drivers are required for development environments, in production only the 64 bit drivers are required
1. Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Client (11.2.0.1.0) for Microsoft Windows (32-bit) on the machine where Visual Studio 2010 and BCS MetaMan is running (it can be downloaded here http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/enterprise-edition/downloads/112010-win32soft-098987.html)
2. Oracle Database 11g Release 2 Client (11.2.0.1.0) for Microsoft Windows (x64) on the machine where SharePoint 2010 is running (it can be found here http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/database/enterprise-edition/downloads/112010-win64soft-094461.html)
Please ensure you select the ‘Administrator’ type of installation when you install Oracle clients.
It is a bit odd. But Visual Studio 2010 is a 32 bit application, so although it is installed on a 64 bit OS, it still runs in 32 bit mode. This is why you need the 32 bit drivers.
SharePoint 2010 though is 64 bit only, so it of course runs in 64 bit mode and therefore needs the 64 bit drivers.
Also please take a look at this blog posts regarding Oracle and BCS MetaMan:
1. Business Connectivity Services and Oracle with BCS Meta Man
2. Oracle and the Business Connectivity Services
3. Secure Store Service with Oracle
3, How can I quickly and easily test out my BCS Models?
You can use the testing tool that we have developed to easily test the Business Connectivity Services. Check out BCS Tester Man.
4, Can I just install BCS Meta Man on my desktop Visual Studio?
BCS Meta Man needs to be installed to Visual Studio where SharePoint 2010 is on the same box. The requirements are the same as the Visual Studio SharePoint Project Templates
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee231582.aspx
The benefits of this set up is superb for the developers as it’s so easy to test and deploy your BCS Models. Check out the BCS Meta Man Video to see how easy it is.
We have a handy guide which walks you through moving the generated wsp from your development environment to staging or production
