Enable FAST search to crawl SQL contents using BCS and secure store

  • Article

Here is my farm topology:

  • SharePoint collaboration farm (SharePont contents)
  • SharePoint application farm (BCS, Managed Metadata, Secure Store, User Profile, Web analytics)
  • FAST search farm
  1. Ensure SharePoint collaboration farm is subscribing to BCS and Secure store services from the SharePoint application farm and FAST search service from the FAST search farm.
  2. Ensure FAST search farm subscribes to BCS and Secure store services from the SharePoint application farm, so that BCS contents are available to FAST search.
  3. Import BCS models (for accessing SQL contents) to the BCS service application, ensure BCS model is using secure store. [Test access to BCS contents from SharePoint collaboration farm, example: via BDC webparts]
  4. Create a new content source from FAST search connector service application using the BCS model from the BCS service application. Start a full crawl to test.

Then I saw the following error:
"Error while crawling LOB contents. (Access denied by Business Data Connectivity.)"

After searching and testing, the following steps were needed to enable FAST search to crawl SQL contents using BCS and secure store:

  • Add the search crawl account as an admininistrator on the BCS service application
  • Give the search crawl account execute permission on the BCS models you want to index from the BCS service application
  • Add the search crawl account to the Secure store application used by the BCS model