Microsoft SharePoint is a commercial platform that enables collaboration between employees of an enterprise and internet users.
The free version “SharePoint Foundation” is a collection of Windows Server 2008/2010 add-ons, including all neccessary features for the information management realized with lists, libraries, pages and notifications.
The Microsoft Business Connectivity Service (BCS) provides a range of services to define the handling of external data from SharePoint solutions used by different connection methods like SQL server databases, SAP applications and web services.