Access denied by Business Data Connectivity - BCS - Resolved

Create an External Content type based on backend SQL Server Database and create an External list based on it.

Open the Site in SharePoint Designer 2010: http://portal.contoso.com

Provide username and password in the promotion for open the site

Opening the site http://portal.contoso.com by communicating with the Web service

Retrieving External Content type Report

Create new external content type: Define General Properties for External Content type

Content type name: Contact; Name Space: http://portal.contoso.com; Office Item Type: Contact; Enable offline Sync to External list 

External System: Click here to discover external data sources and define operations 

Add Connection 

Managing Connections to external data sources and the operations for this external content type

External Data Source Type Selection: SQL Server -> Open the SQL Server Connection

SQL Server Connection: Populate the Database Server and Database name in the box

 Navigate to the appropriate database (AdventureWorks) and scroll through the required table (Contact)  

Table: Verify the available operations for that table

Operations for External content type means action that can be performed on the data associated with the external system -> Click on Create all Operations

Specify the parameters for the Operation

Example: Get the “Last Name” parameter-> Office property: Last Name; Check the Show in Picker box.

Filter Parameter Configuration

Add Filter Parameter: Add a Limit filter to the Query Item List Operation

Add Filter Type: Limit (Strongly Recommended to add a filter of type ‘Limit’ for this operation type)  

Filter Filed: None; Default value given as “100” for the limit filter type

Save the Content type to the Business Data Connectivity Metadata Store

Create an External List for the External Content type

External List : Business Contacts ; System Instance : AdventureWorks

External List: Business Contacts Created

Set Business Connectivity Store Permissions

List and Libraries -> External List-> Business Contacts -> Open Preview in Browser

Access is being denied by Business Data Connectivity Service (Reason: There is no permission for viewing this list)

Set the permission: Open CA->App mgmt. ->Manage Service Applications-> Business Data Connectivity Service->Manage->Set Metadata Store Permissions 

 Add Contoso\Administrator and feed all the (Edit, Execute, Selectable in Clients, Set Permissions) permission to the user.

Propagate permissions to all BDC Models, External Systems and External Content types in the BDC Metadata Store.

Work with External Content type in the Browser: Navigate to the http://portal.contoso.com

List will display with the no permission error now

Edit Item: Edit any of the lists and include any data in the list.

Example: Data Included in one of the List

Product Applies To:
- SharePoint 2010
- SharePoint 2013

The Business Data Connectivity Metadata Store is currently unavailable

BDC, Everybody aware as it was there in MOSS 2007 / SharePoint 2007 but now we have BCS – Business connectivity services, one of the important features in SharePoint 2010. Whenever we need to bring external content / connect to external content types then BCS comes into picture. Today’s article is also based on one of the BCS issue which I came across and resolved it with proper analysis and troubleshooting.

Problem description:

One of our users trying to connect to ‘External content types’ by means of SharePoint Designer and facing the following error.

Error message - 1:

The Business Data Connectivity Metadata Store is currently unavailable.

Error message - 2:

There is no business data connectivity service associated with the current web context.

We haven't used the BCS before so this is the first time we came across this error so when I started exploring our farm then I noticed that one of mandatory requirement to make this functionality working is – Service Application.

Point #1: Make sure you have the BCS service application (SA) exists.

So we have created the BCS SA and check the results but same problem i.e. same error message.

Point #2: Make sure you associate this service application with the respective web applications on which you have the site collections.

How to do this? – Here are the details.

1.   Open the Central Administration

2.   Application management

3.   Service applications

4.   Configure service application associations

5.   Make sure its listed under ‘application proxies’

Point #3: BCS service application has a dependency on managed metadata so make sure the managed metadata service application already exist in your environment. If it’s not then please create it.

Point #4: Make the account that you have used for creating the BCS service application has necessary permissions on the web application database.

Point #5: Make sure the Business connectivity service is in started mode via Services on Server.

How to check this? – Here are the details.

1.   Open the central Administration

2.   System Settings

3.   Servers

4.   Manage services on Servers.

5.   Check the respective service i.e. BCS and start it if it’s in stopped status.

That’s it – the issue should be resolved now after following the above recommendations.

If you find a different solution, please report it as a comment to this post. Be sure to double-verify it: undo your solution and verify that the problem comes back, then redo it and verify that the problem goes away.