Problem Stated

Update 4/6/2011 12:14PM EST -- I just recieved notice from an authority in UPS that changes to the FIM Client is Unsupported. So this solution while it solved my problem, please realize it is unsupported.

So...I will be speaking at the Chicago SharePoint User Group tomorrow (4/7/2011) on Business Connectivity Services focusing on Extending the SharePoint Social Experience through User Profile Services and data from an LOB System. In preparation for that, I went ahead and squared away my system; in fact I redid my system for those reasons as well as a need for my new client. They were on February 2011 CU, so as a part of this build, I updated my SharePoint Farm to February 2011 CU also, besides that, everything, I mean everything remains the same. To that point, all I did was stood up another SharePoint 2010 virtual will keeping the old DC which also host the SQL server.

To the point you say, so, after creating an ECT to a LOB on the SQL server, and creating an External List on the new SharePoint farm to test it out, I went ahead and created a new UPS Connection with Managed Properties for field I want in the LOB. I basically repeated the steps I did in my blog post here http://www.sharepointfabian.com/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=181 however while I was able to pull in the profiles from AD, the BDC connection failed and I could not associate the LOB fields to the AD profile. Since I do not profess to be a UPS expert, far from it in fact, I first researched myself… came up with nothing, tweeted the problem… no response, and finally posted a question on the MSDN Forums UserProfile Error when Importing from BCS ECT Connection but after almost 1 week and over 150 views, no replies… I was admittedly at a loss, and faced potential embarrassment for my session in less than 24 hours. In a last ditch effort, I sent out emails to two of the smartest minds I know on BCS and on UPS, but I didn't get a solution to my dilemma, what do you do when that happens… you follow the famous Sherlock Holmes quote "Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth" – you would be surprised how much I have to keep reminding myself in my professional life of that truism.

What I faced… Screen Shots

So the primer of what I faced can be reached by reading the blog post 181 above… however when it failed to do what it is suppose to do, I opened up the FIM tool and saw below. Errors stated things such as

• Discovery Errors: CN=__SPS-Dummy
• Description: missing-anchor-component

So, after looking closer on the error message "missing-anchor-component" I began to go through all the properties of the Management Agent Designer, something I never had to do before when I came up to this piece of nugget

The Solution

So under "Set Anchor" button, I clicked it and I saw only "Set-DistinguisedName" in the selected column, and the two fields I actually need on the Left… I basically moved the one I didn't want and moved across the ones I needed. And BOOM! Just like that, after doing a Profile Sync, I am in business

In Summary

I hope this saves someone else out there some time if you face the similar problem.