InfoPath Dev

Does anyone know how peformance compares when retrieving data from SQL DB vs a SharePoint list? If I have choice where to pull secondary data from, which should I choose? When should I include the data in the form itself?

TIA
Dean

I haven't done testing for this, but my instinct would tell me that SQL DB is going to be considerably more performant, especially as your solution grows to large scales.

Storing data in a secondary data source is almost always a good idea. If you want other applications to also have easy access to the data, a database is a good idea, otherwise an XML document will usually suffice. However, a DB is easier to add/edit data items later.

I'll ask if anyone has experience with performance testing SharePoint vs. SQL.

Well, since SharePoint sits on top of SQL Server I would assume that it is no faster than SQL. However, given that SharePoint doesa LOT with SQL in terms of configuration, versioning, libraries, etc. I would have to guess that it is some significant percentage slower than SQL.

Then again, this is a comparison between apples and oranges. This is like asking the perf difference between a Chevy Big Block engine and a Car that has a Chevy Big Block engine in it.