InfoPath Dev

 Hi,

I just learned to to create a blank form in Inforpath 2007, and now I want to add fields from a sql table as data source to the form.

My question: is this possible and how?

I read that creating a form based a database template has limitations.

Thanx in advance for your suggestions and advice.

Hi Daxer,

Welcome to Infopathdev forums!!

Yes, we can create an infopath form using sql table as data source.Look at the link which will guide to create the form using SQL.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/infopath/HP100866391033.aspx

I would also suggest to take into consideration the web services. Bellow are 2 very simple and yet so great posts of Janne Mattila which are dealing with InfoPath using web services. You can imagine that using web services you can practically go everywhere in the world and still be able to use your InfoPath forms with so little effort like you are in your own office at work.

http://blogs.msdn.com/jannemattila/archive/2007/01/21/infopath-and-web-service-data-connection.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/jannemattila/archive/2007/10/25/from-infopath-to-database-via-web-service.aspx

 HI, thanks for you tips. The problem is that I am not developer and i am not familiar with webservices,it will take a while maybe. I know sql server 2005 and now I want to find a way to use them together.

I couldn't find anything in the available books that talks about connecting to a sql databse AFTER the blank template was formatted. For your understanding

Step 1) I designed an employee form  based on a blank template.

Step 2) In sql server 2005 I created a table Employee

Step 3) Question: how to submit data to this form?

If using webservices is the only solution that I will have to find my way through  learning about webservices.

Again, Thanx

 No, you do not need to learn web services. They are just another way to interact with the database. Please read the following article.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/infopath/hp101070601033.aspx

I have been at this for two weeks now and just cant seem to wrap my head around it. I have a basic form, 5 fields. Just to capture customer info. I want that info stored in SQL database. I want the form to be web enabled.

HOW?

Any help is greatly appreciated. I am trying to learn through others examples but feel like I am going in circles.

- You have to build the DB in SQL first

- Create a web service to interact with it (read/write)

- Create a new, blank form that is browser-enabled and create data connections for submit and receive using your web service(s)

- Convert the data connections to UDC, which saves them in a Data Connection Library (MOSS only)

- Create a Single Sign-On entity in Central Admin for connecting from SharePoint to the SQL DB with an approved account

- Modify the UDC files from above to allow for the passage of the proper credentials (browser forms have double-hop issues with authentication)

The above is not simple and requires several different blog posts to piece together.  Do you really need the data in a separate SQL DB?  If you just save it directly to SharePoint, then that is still SQL, but you just don't have control of the table directly.  For 5 fields, do you really need that?  Keeping it in SharePoint as the DB would be 100 times easier.

I am using 5 fields as an example. Yes it must be in a sql database because once I figure this out the actual form we will be using has many more fields.

The database is already created. The web service is where I am stuck at. I want the end user to fill out the form, click submit, form data gets stored in database. Office people can then pull up another  form from Sharepoint that will be populated usint the database.

Yeah, that's how it works, but it's a very complicated process with a browser form - not as bad with a rich client form.

It still is very powerful without using a DB on the back-end.  What is your requirement that necessitates SQL?

Because the entire business is using database for data storage. We are currently moving it all to Sharepoint and going to be using workflows. Need the ability to pull data for invoices as well. I find it hard to believe that it is this hard to submit data to SQL using a web enabled form. The forms HAVE to be web enabled as this particular company gets many orders from customers and it is done over the web.

I have:

-Created SQL DB
-Created web service
-Created web form using web service
-Tested the form in Info Path (data was written to DB)
-Published Form (doesnt work)

 I assume I now need to convert to UDC, Create SSO, modify UDC?

Can you point me in a direction that will help me with this?

Yes, you're getting there - it's all permissions/security from here.  I got all the rest of that from blogs online, but I didn't keep track of where they were. You'll just need to search for each concept individually.

Converting the DCs to UDC is simple.  Just click Tools > Data Connections > and do it here.

Creating an SSO instance is a pain, but it's pretty well documented online.

Modifying the UDC is a much more obscure thing that may require some deeper searching.  do all your searching in the context of InfoPath browser forms submitting to DBs.

I have opend the form in design, converted the data connection but now my controls are unbound(control cannot store data)

I haven't encountered that before, sorry.

ok then Where on this site should I be posting this so I can reach out to people who have? Or are even familiar with this?