Microsoft 2007 manual Back-end systems in SharePoint lists, Web Parts, pages

Business Data Catalog	The Business Data Catalog makes it possible to include data from
New	back-end systems in SharePoint lists, Web Parts, pages, and
	search results.
	The Business Data Catalog deeply integrates external data into
	the Office SharePoint Server 2007 user experience, gives access
	to external data exposed by ADO.NET and Web services, and
	permits the display and analysis of external data through
	Business Data Web Parts and Business Data SharePoint lists.
	External data was formerly used to enhance the information
	available in user profiles, for example, information from a human
	resources application or employee skills database. External data
	added to User Profiles can be automatically indexed and searched
	in the same manner as user directory information.
	External data can also be used in custom applications using the
	Business Data Catalog runtime and administration APIs.
Business Data SharePoint	Business Data SharePoint Lists and Web Parts store, analyze, and
Lists and Web Parts	display LOB application data retrieved through the Business Data
New
	Catalog.
Business Data Actions	Business Data Actions are links that appear beside business
New	objects from the Business Data Catalog. These links can, for
	example, open Web pages, display the user interfaces of LOB
	applications, or launch Office InfoPath 2007 forms. These actions
	are easy to create with no custom coding.
	Business Data Actions menus also appear in SharePoint lists and
	search results.
Data Connection Libraries	Data Connection Libraries centralize storage of Business Data
New	Catalog connections to external data making it easy to discover
	new sources of data.
Dashboards	Office SharePoint Server 2007 makes it easy to create rich BI
New	dashboards that incorporate dynamic KPIs, Office Excel 2007
	workbooks, and Microsoft SQL™ Server Reporting Services
	reports.

www.microsoft.com/office/preview/servers/sharepointserver28