Part Four: Getting Data from the SQL Server.

SharePoint allows organizations to quickly build a shared database of information through the use of lists. SharePoint lists can be used to display information in various formats and can be tailored for use by different sets of users. These display formats include standard lists, calendars, and even other custom display types such as our Gantt chart view.

One of the display formats that SharePoint is missing out-of-the-box is a Map View for displaying geographic data. For example, displaying address fields in a contact list or a customer list on a map can be used to manage sales and marketing efforts.

The Virtual Map View product allows users to display data points as markers in a Google map or Microsoft Bing map using a SharePoint List or SQL table or view as the data source.

Challenge: Your Company has 1000 employees. Do you want to control their locations? How do you display all of them on the Virtual Map View web part?

Note: Virtual Map View supports getting data from the following SQL Server versions:

• SQL Server 2005
• SQL Server 2008
• SQL Server 2012
• SQL Server 2014

In this article, I’ll give an example of how to get data from an SQL server:

1.       Let’s create a Table/View in the Database.

Make sure that the table has the following four columns:

• Country,
• Region,
• Address,
• City.

2.       Configure Virtual Map View Web Part: Edit Tool Pane

• • In the Select Data Source section: Select SQL Server Table or View option
  • Select Table or View to Display in the Map section
  • Enter Server Name
  • Select Database
  • Select Table or View to Display in Map
  • In Geocoding Section: Select four columns: Address, City, State, Country – for each
    dropdown list
  • In Select Map to Display section: Select 1 in 2 options such as Google Map or Bing Map
  • In the Display Options section
  • Marker Type: There are a lot of types of Marker; select one of them

• Use Multiple Markers: Please see Part One: How to Use Multiple Markers
• Maker Tab title: if we select the Show tabs checkbox, the textbox will be enabled for
  inputting titles onto it. Display Columns list box will show 3 tabs
• Show tabs checkbox:
• If you uncheck the Show tabs checkbox, it displays a hyperlink for the tabs when you hover the mouse over the marker
• If you check on the Show tabs checkbox, it displays the button for the tabs when you hover the mouse over the marker
• Column to display in Navigation pane: Showing data of the column on the left pane

Click Apply and OK.

If you select the Google Maps radio button, you will see that Map View will display your data. When clicking on the address hyperlink on the left pane, you will see all information displayed on the Tab. If you select the Bing Maps radio button, you will see that Map View will display your data.