This document discusses custom indexing connectors in SharePoint 2013 search. It describes how to integrate external systems like Confluence, SQL, and SAP into the SharePoint search index using connectors. The key components of a custom connector are a Business Connectivity Services (BCS) model, a BCS connector, and a protocol handler. It provides an example of developing a Confluence indexing connector that uses the BCS to surface Confluence pages and other objects in SharePoint search results.

1. Custom Indexing Connectors
How to integrate external systems into SharePoint Search
Heinrich Ulbricht
Germany, MEZ
April 16th /17th, 2014

2. Session
Time
(GMT)
Time
(EST) Title Level Speaker Twitter Handle
#SP24S090 5:00 1:00
Using the Content Enrichment Web Service with
SharePoint Server 2013 Search
Technical -
Advanced
Sezai Komur -
NEC Australia
@sezai
#SP24S021 6:00 2:00
2013 Search, Display Templates, Query Rules,
Result Types
Technical -
Beginner
Omer Zubair -
CSC
@Omer_Zubair
#SP24S047 8:00 4:00
Real-life experience building search-driven
applications for product-centric sites
Technical -
Advanced
Marius Constantinescu -
blue-infinity SA
@c_marius
#SP24S088 10:00 6:00
Custom Indexing Connectors - How to integrate
external systems into your SharePoint Enterprise
Search
Technical -
Advanced
Heinrich Ulbricht -
Communardo Software
GmbH
@h_ulbricht
#SP24S083 11:00 7:00
Search First Migration with SharePoint 2013 –
Benefits / Disadvantages
Technical -
Intermediate
Max Melcher -
Alegri International Service
GmbH
@maxmelcher
#SP24S034 14:00 10:00
The Search Immaturity Cycle, and How to Create a
Search Strategy
Business -
Intermediate
Jeff Fried -
BA Insight
@jefffried
#SP24S009 16:00 12:00
10 Things to Know about Search in SP2013 and
Office 365
Business -
Beginner
Agnes Molnar -
Search Explained
@molnaragnes
#SP24S019 18:00 14:00 Search Topology and Optimization
Technical -
Advanced
Mike Maadarani -
MCM Consulting
@mikemaadarani
#SP24S050 22:00 18:00
Search Driven Application Development in
SharePoint 2013
Technical -
Intermediate
Matt Youngstrom -
Magenic
@spguru

3. #SharePoint
#Apps
#Search
#WindowsPhone
Software Developer for
SharePoint
Communardo Software GmbH
Dresden, Germany
Contact
@h_ulbricht
heinrich.ulbricht@communardo.de
http://sharepointbrainpump.blogspot.com/

4. Session Objectives
Key Takeaways

7. SAP
SQL
WCF
Siebel
Dynamics
Confluence
?

9. Level of Search Integration

11. Result blog for Bing search results
SharePoint results

12. Confluence

14. SAP
SQL WCF
Siebel Dynamics
Confluence

15. Communardo

17. 1) BCS
3) Search
Connector
Framework
2) SharePoint
Search
4)
Confluence
Indexing
Connector

19. SQL, WCF, Oracle,
SAP, Siebel,
Dynamics,
Confluence
BCS

20. Source: Professional SharePoint® 2013 Development (ISBN: 978-1-118-49582-7)

23. Source: TechNet, http://zoom.it/t7G3#full

24. Source: TechNet, http://zoom.it/ktlC#full

25. Source: TechNet,
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/office/jj163300.aspx
Connectors
Source: Professional SharePoint® 2013 Development (ISBN: 978-1-118-49582-7)
* Indexing
Connectors

26. Source: http://searchunleashed.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/crawling-content-with-sharepoint-2013-search/
Indexing Connector
Source: TechNet, http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/office/jj163300.aspx

28. Start
addresses
Protocol
Handler
Content
Source
Confluence
Indexing
Connector
Register DevelopConfigure

30. + X =
“Translation”
BCS <->
Search
Source: Professional SharePoint® 2013 Development (ISBN: 978-1-118-49582-7)
Source: TechNet,
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/office/jj163300.aspx

33. Custom Connector

34. MSSearch.exe
Protocol
Handler
MSSDmn.exe
Custom Connector
HKLM:SOFTWAREMicrosoftOffice
Server<spversion>SearchSetupProtocolHandl
ers
OSearch15.ConnectorProtocolHandler.1
-> COM-Component ConnectorPH.dll
New-SPEnterpriseSearchCrawlCustomConnector
.NET

35. External System: Confluence
BDC Model*
BCS Connector
Parts*
LobUri*
INamingContainer*
Custom
Connector
Crawl DB
MSSearch
starts
BCS Connector
8
MSSDmn.exe
3 5
6 7
9
12
14
4
1 2 10 11
CPP
15
16
13
Content Source
*Dev
1) confluence://server/?entity=page
2) { Entity = Page, Identity = null }
5) PageIDs: [1,2,3,…]
6) {Entity = Page, Identity = 1 }
7) AccessUri =
confluence://server/?id=1&ispage=1
10) confluence://server/?id=1&ispage=1
11) { Entity = Page, Identity = 1 }
14) Page: { DATA }

36. BDC Model*
BCS Connector
Parts*
LobUri*
INamingContainer*
Custom
Connector
Crawl DB
MSSearch
BCS Connector
MSSDmn.exe
5
14
4
CPP
13
Content Source
*Dev
5) PageIDs: [1,2,3,…]
Incremental Crawl needs additional
information
14) Page: { DATA }
Security trimming needs ACL or
Claims directly attached to the
element

37. Page IDs: 1, 2, …
• 1: Change date: 02.03.2014
• 2: Change date: 03.03.2014
MSSDmn
Page IDs: 1, 2, …
• Changed: 1, 2
• Deleted: 3
MSSDmn

38. http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/office/SharePoint-2013-MyFileConne-79d2ea26
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj219746.aspx
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/office/ee556429.aspx

40. Image source: https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence
• Enterprise Wiki from
Atlassian
• Spaces
• Wiki Pages in Spaces,
Hierarchical

41. Spaces
Pages
Comments
Blog Posts
Attachments

43. Space
Page/
Blog Post
Attachment
Comment
Space Page
Attachment Comment
Blog Post

44. Space
Page /
Blog Post
Attachment
Comment
AD

45. Space Page / Blog Post
ACL
+
SharePointConfluence Connector