Use SQL Server to store data

Question

I want to create a form in SharePoint.

I want to store all information inserted in a specific SQL Server table.

How do I create a list in SharePoint 2013 and use a SQL Server database to store the data in place of the SharePoint database?

Answer 1

That functionality in SharePoint is called an external content type.

You can set up an external content type and hook it up to an existing SQL Server table using SharePoint Designer. To do so:

1. In the navigation pane, under site objects, choose "External Content Types"
2. Create a new external content type
3. Click to discover external data sources, then add a connection of type "SQL Server" and enter the connection information
4. Choose a table from the data source explorer
5. Define the operations that you want the connection to be able to perform (probably all operations, but always at least "Read Item" and "Read List")

Finally, to use the external content type, you then have to create an external list, which can also be done from SharePoint Designer.

There's a walkthrough for setting up an external content type for SQL Server here: How to: Create external content types for SQL Server in SharePoint 2016

You can learn more about external content types here: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/jj163139.aspx