What is MashPoint™? 
MashPoint is the new, FREE platform from Bamboo® that enables integration of external data sources in MOSS or Windows SharePoint Services.
With MashPoint you can access databases, web services or Custom Providers in your SharePoint environment exactly as you would with the Microsoft Business Data Catalog. Using Web Parts from Bamboo, you can quickly view and organize this data. But you don’t have to use Bamboo Web Parts to leverage the power of this new platform. You can use MashPoint for free to build custom applications that consume data from outside your SharePoint environment. MashPoint protects your investment in custom development by providing a framework you can run on top of WSS, MOSS or MOSS Enterprise, 100% consistent with the standard BDC architecture. If you are running WSS today, but planning or even contemplating a migration to MOSS, MashPoint is your integration method of choice.
Mashups + SharePoint = MashPoint
• “Mashup” data from SharePoint and external data sources. MashPoint supports common data sources such as SQL Server, Oracle DB, OLE DB. You can use it with any business data system supported by a Data Definition file. This includes any Custom Provider you build using the BDC architecture.
• Supports Anonymous, Basic, Windows and Integrated/Kerberos authentication.
• Data sources connected to SharePoint with MashPoint can be displayed by Bamboo’s Data-Viewer Web Part and Virtual Map View Web Part. More MashPoint enabled Web Parts from Bamboo are coming soon.
Next: MashPoint - How Does it Work?