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Frequently asked questions about InfoPath -
George Wesolowski
Introduction
Lately, many of our clients
have asked us what InfoPath is all about,
and how they can effectively use InfoPath in
their organization. We’ve compiled the “top-ten” list of frequently-asked
questions:
1. What is
InfoPath?
InfoPath is a Windows
application that is part of the Microsoft
Office System. It allows you to create and fill out electronic
forms. Examples of such forms include timesheets, expense reports,
and other business-specific data entry forms.
Designing forms
InfoPath provides a design environment for designing and
publishing forms using commonly-used Windows controls such as text
boxes, check boxes, option buttons, list boxes, and command
buttons. An InfoPath form may stand on its own, or may get its
data from an external data source such as a database or a Web
service. Forms may be published to a common network location to be
shared by others.
Filling out forms
InfoPath users fill out forms using common Office document
features such as rich-text formatting and spellchecking. Users may
also be able to merge data from other InfoPath forms, and export
data to other applications.
2. Why use
InfoPath?
There are many compelling reasons to use InfoPath to help
automate your business processes. They include, but are not
limited
to:
Data Validation
InfoPath forms can be designed to include data
validation and mathematical calculations. This helps to ensure
that the data that is entered is accurate. In a scenario where an
InfoPath form is connected to an external data source such as a
database, data is not stored in the database until it has passed
validation.
Implementing complex business logic and user
roles
You can create an InfoPath form that implements your
own customized business rules as well as user roles. For example,
you can create a form that displays different subsets of data
based on whether a user is a manager or a sales person.
New and improved data entry
controls
In addition to the common Windows controls such as
text boxes and option buttons, InfoPath provides new controls such
as repeating tables, choice groups, and optional sections. These
new controls solve design problems that are commonplace in many
typical data entry forms.
Separation of data and form design allows
for ease of maintainability
The actual design of an InfoPath form and the data
contained in the form are stored separately. This clean separation
between data and design allows for the design of an InfoPath form
to be easily modified and republished. This makes InfoPath forms a
far better option than paper-based forms.
A centralized forms repository
You can build a forms repository in a centralized
location on your network such as a file share or SharePoint
portal, and publish all your forms there. This allows your users
to easily find the latest version of your
forms.
3. How is data stored in an
InfoPath document?
InfoPath forms are based on
industry-standard Extensible Markup Language (XML). When you save
an InfoPath form, a file with an .xsn extension is created. This
file has the same format as a Windows Cabinet (.cab) file
containing standard XML files such as XML Schema (.xsd) files and
XSL Transformation (.xslt) files. When you fill out an InfoPath
form, data is saved in an XML document.
You can take a look inside a .xsn document with a
.cab file viewer and view the .xml, .xsd, and .xslt files using
your favorite text editor or XML tool.
4. Do I have to be a programmer to
create an InfoPath form?
Simple data entry forms can be
created without any programming per se. However, the real power
and value of InfoPath forms is the ability to implement complex
business logic and user roles using Microsoft .NET Managed code
and JavaScript.
The Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 Toolkit for
Visual Studio .NET allows you to use Visual Studio .NET to create,
debug, and build InfoPath projects that use Microsoft Visual C# or
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET managed code.
5. Can I create an InfoPath form
that has multiple views of data?
Yes. The
complexity of an InfoPath form can range from a simple data entry
form to a more complex form that contains multiple views of data.
For example, you could create a complex order form that
allows the user to toggle between a summary view of the
order, and a more detailed view that lists each
item separately.
You can also create an InfoPath form with embedded
user roles. This allows different groups of users to have
different views of data.
6. Do I need a copy of
InfoPath to use an InfoPath form that someone else has
created?
Yes, you need
to have a copy of InfoPath to fill out
a form.
7. I have an InfoPath form that is
connected to a SQL Server database. Do I need to be connected to the
database at all times, or can I fill out the form while
disconnected?
You do not
need to be connected to the database in order to fill
out an InfoPath form. You can fill out the form offline,
and submit the form later when you reconnect to
the database.
8. Can I fill
out an InfoPath form with my Tablet
PC?
Yes, InfoPath supports the Tablet
PC platform. Tablet PC users can use the tablet pen to fill out an
InfoPath form, and the form automatically converts ink to text. In
addition, certain controls have the ability to store ink directly
as part of the InfoPath document.
9. How does InfoPath integrate with
other Microsoft technologies?
As you’d expect, InfoPath forms
integrate well with other Microsoft Office System applications, as well as
other Microsoft technologies such as Windows SharePoint Services and
BizTalk Server.
Microsoft Office Excel 2003
Users can export data from an InfoPath form to a new
Excel workbook.
Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Users can send a copy of their completed form as the
body of an email message. Both the design of the form as well as
the form data are sent as part of the message. The recipient does
not need to have InfoPath installed on their computer to view the
form and the data.
Microsoft Access 2000 and later
InfoPath forms can be connected to an existing
Access database. Users can view data from an Access database and
store data in the database. Also, list boxes and other data-bound
controls can be used on the form to view data from an Access
database.
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and later
InfoPath forms can be connected to an existing SQL
Server database. Users can view data from a SQL Server database
and store data in the database. Also, list boxes and other
data-bound controls can be used on the form to view data from a
SQL Server database.
Microsoft Windows SharePoint
Services
InfoPath forms can be published directly to a forms
library in a SharePoint portal so that your team can access forms
in a centralized location. From the forms library, users can fill
out forms, export data to Excel, or merge data from several forms
into a single form. Also, forms can be designed with a data
connection that receives data from a SharePoint site or submits
the form to a SharePoint forms library.
Microsoft BizTalk Server
InfoPath is rapidly becoming the primary front-end
client to BizTalk server. Users can enter data in an InfoPath form
that becomes part of a larger business process that is managed by
BizTalk server.
Microsoft Visual Studio 2005
The Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003 Toolkit for
Visual Studio .NET allows you to use Visual Studio .NET to create,
debug, and build InfoPath projects that use Microsoft Visual C# or
Microsoft Visual Basic .NET managed code.
Web Services
You can connect your InfoPath form to a Web service
in the same way that you connect it to Access or SQL Server. This
allows your form to exchange data with other disparate data
sources that support the Web service standard.
XML Schemas
Perhaps you already use
XML heavily in your organization and have designed your own
corporate-standard schemas. If so, you can use these schemas in
your InfoPath forms, or allow InfoPath to create its schema for
you.
10. Is InfoPath included on my
Microsoft Office 2003 disc?
InfoPath is included with Microsoft Office Professional Enterprise Edition
2003 only. If you do not have the Professional
Enterprise edition, you must purchase InfoPath
separately.
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