Working with Data Connections

Applies to: SharePoint Server 2010

The Data Connection Library (DCL) is a kind of document library in Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 that enables applications such as Microsoft InfoPath 2010 and technologies such as Excel Services to specify data connection settings using external files. This provides several advantages:

• Reconfiguration: Data connection settings, such as database server locations, can be modified independently of the solutions that use them.

• Deployment to Different Environments: Test and production servers can specify different locations for data access and a form template will automatically use the server-specific location when they are published to that server.

• Authentication: Using Office Single Sign-On, server administrators can specify alternative authentication credentials to be used by the server when it processes a form for the browser.

• Cross-domain security: The Data Connection Library (DCL) serves as a "safelist" for data connections. For forms that are not published with full-trust, only connections specified by using the DCL can retrieve data from outside the farm.

In This Section

• About Data Connections, Authentication, and Alternate Access Mapping
  Learn about data connection authentication methods, the InfoPath Forms Services proxy service, and SharePoint alternate access mapping.

• How to: Create and Use a Data Connection Library
  Learn how to create and use a data connection library, including how to create a UDC v2.0 file from Microsoft InfoPath 2010.

• Universal Data Connection v2.0 Reference and Schema
  Learn about the UDC v2.0 schema and its elements.