InfoPath Dev

Hi, I put my question in general because it is very general and I just want to know what is possible to do with InfoPath. I have never created any form, have seen samples on youtube and I know that in InfoPath there is no possibility of storing data to display later (am I right?). I'm working on a solution in which you entry data offline (so the InfoPath form would be great). But...my extra requirement is to access all or selected entries I created in the past, display them and be able to modify. Also, I would like to be able to send parts of the data (or everything) to the system via Web Services and download the data from the system and store (overwrite if they are different that stored offline). Can you advise me if it's possible? I know that SharePoint is integrated but I don't know how it can be used (or if it can be used). Thank you very much for your reply. Katie

nevermind:

I know that in InfoPath there is no possibility of storing data to display later (am I right?)

 

No, the data can be stored in embedded resource files, default values and choices of data fields/controls if not mention "external" data sources.

nevermind:

Can you advise me if it's possible?

This is possible
It would have been funny to create forms without ability to persist data or do all mentioned by you

nevermind:

I know that SharePoint is integrated but I don't know how it can be used (or if it can be used)

This is generally being done by clicking on on Infopath Designer GUI (menus, buttons) and using  wizards and choosing choices from drop-down list boxes

Hi -

Well, first off, when you fill out an InfoPath form, you can save data entered into the main data source - as an XML file.

Here is a link to some Office Online information that may help you. Without knowing anything about your "system" mentioned above, I can't speak to the ability to access its web services.

Thanks for so quick replies! Well, the system is well-known and it's called sap :) some of the web services exist and some need to be created. At the beginning I planned to have excel file to entry data, save and modify. But excel has its limitations and is not so user friendly as a form. But then in what form the end-user can access the stored data to modify it and upload?

InfoPath can connect to some web services, but if it were my project, I'd start out by verifying my form can connect to the ones I need. I've not worked with SAP, and don't know if it has web services IP can submit to or if you'll need to build those.

Since I'm sure other applications are accessing the same data, you'd probably want to give the user a way to query for the current data to then update rather than save the XML - if something else has modified the data since the last time the XML was submitted, you could have data loss.

nevermind:

But then in what form the end-user can access the stored data to modify it and upload?

 

In the form the users are the most accustomed to :) 

Excel is one of the choices

Thanks a lot! I have one more question or maybe precising previous question. Let's say I create 100 (or more) forms. Is there a way that I can see all the entries in one excel file? As far as I know, each form is saved separately in xml. Is there a way to read all created forms? I would say, one form per row (different name columns for different entries in the form).