Ok, I think I'm just going to blog on the cool InfoPath sessions from TechEd, since there will probably be tons of people talking about all the great SharePoint sessions.
This session was great for us, since a lot of what we do involves form and workflow development. This session highlights the improvements for InfoPath 2007 with regard to workflows.
Here are the highlights…
- InfoPath/WSS now has 2-way databinding, which means changes to form field values in WSS are saved in the form
- Workflows - there are really 3 options, depending on specific requirements
- InfoPath Workflow - workflow set up within the form that is kicked-off by the form; this is good for very simple workflows such as sending an email when a form is filled out
- SharePoint Workflow - used for more complex workflow situations. These can be created either in SharePoint Designer for more straightforward workflows or in Visual Studio 2005 for complex, highly custom workflows
- Biztalk Workflow - also used for more complex workflow situations. Biztalk should be considered if you need things like XML Schema mapping or connections to enterprise systems that have a Biztalk adapter.
Note: Biztalk and SharePoint workflows can both be used for extremely complex workflow requirements. John seemed to suggest that the SharePoint workflow is the best choice unless you have specific needs for Biztalk features.
- Archiving Support
- This is an extremely cool feature of MOSS, enabling forms to be automatically archived as an image file based on WSS Policies
- Forms can be saved as PNG, EMF, or TIFF files out-of-the-box, but the framework is extensible
- Policies are set at the document library level. When an archiving policy is set, forms dropped into the library will automatically be converted to the specified image format
- KPI support
- this is not specifically an InfoPath feature, it's part of MOSS, but it is very useful nonetheless.
- KPI web parts allow dashboard creation to report on all list types, including document libraries containing InfoPath forms
- Conditional formatting provides status information based on specified thresholds
- Information Rights Management (IRM)
- InfoPath now supports IRM, encrypting all form data to prevent unauthorized access
- Can be applied either in WSS on a document library or in Outlook (for email forms)
- Data Connections!!!
- 3 major pain points have been addressed
- Test --> Production Migration, a major pain in 2003, has been greatly improved with the new Data Connection Library, where data connections can be stored and changed without modifying the form itself
- Data Connection Sharing - Data Connection Library. Problem solved…
- Authentication Delegation - the infamous "double-hop" issue with asp.net web services has been solved by using either Office SSO or the Web Service proxy
- Data connections are stored as .UDCX files and then imported into the Data Connection Library
- Data Connection Library - one located in Central Administration that is used for Admin-Approved (fully-trusted, managed code) forms, and others located at the site level for codeless forms
- Excel Services integration - another topic altogether, but very cool!