How to Link Two List and Create a combine view in the SharePoint 2010

In this way you can join multiple list together and can create a combine view. for an example assume that you are managing a list for some events. And also you are having a participants in separate list. Thus you want to join the two list and create a composite view.

SharePoint 2010 allows you to create this kind of view using  Linked Data Source. in this approach you can create your own custom list in the SharePoint.

How to Create a Linked Data source

Go to SharePoint designer and  go to the link called data sources.

And Click the Linked Data Source button in the ribbon. Then SharePoint designer will prompt following kind of a dialog.

In there add two list, that you wan to linked together.

I'm adding airline schedule and booking list. those are the two list that i wan to merge. then click next. And it will guide you another screen. it will ask you to select either

• Merge
  • Merge use to combine list which are having same columns definition. for and example we can say this is like a Union operation in the database.
• Join
  • Join operation use to link two or more lists. this do not need to having a same column definition in the lists. this is equal to join operation in the database.

I need to join the two list to get the passengers for particular schedule. thus  I'm using join option and click finish.

 

Then switch to the general tab and give some name to identify the data source.

Now you are done with the linked data source.

How to create a custom view using linked data source in the SharePoint designer

In here I'm going to create a custom aspx in the SharePoint designer and create a view on it. For that go to SitePages and create new aspx file.

 

In the designer now you can see a empty aspc file as follows.

Now you want to add the data source into the page. There are many ways. Best thing is go to Insert and then select you data source to add data source to the page, But in this way i found that it is not always visible in the data source task pane, Thus you can go to Data View and add your data source.

This action will generate a table in the page. But we don't need it. therefore delete it . we will want the data source in the data source task pane. (Select all and press delete in the key board.)

now Go to the task data source pane and select the columns you want to add to the page. and click add as a multiple view item.

This will generate a table for you. now click the right most column and go to table and add a new column to the right in the table as follows.

Now place the mouse cursor to the column and select the second list in the data source pane and select the columns you want and click Join Sub View.

Then it will ask relation between columns to Join (like foreign key ). In here in link data using ID of the AirLine Schedule.

Note : – Some times this Join Sub view not coming. then click two or more columns then this view will come. I don't know why it is happening but it happened to me several times. And in this way i manage to solved the issue.

Now you can see a composite list view in the page that you can use for ..