Can InfoPath store in XML and SQL at the same time?

[Ed Durst]

I work for a large Canadian software company called Hummingbird, we
make a number of different software products but I work primarily with
the Document management products. We would be a great fit for
managing InfoPath forms through their lifecycle since we have a great
document repository, a full blown records management capability and an
outstanding workflow module.

My question to you is as follows: As I understand it InfoPath allows
you to store the form data either as XML or can act as a front end to
a database like Access or SQL, but can it do both? Can I have a form
where all the data is in the XML document but some or all of that data
is also in SQL so it would be easy to report on?

Thanks for the help,
Have a great day.



Ed Durst

 

[Franck Dauché]

You can pass the data to a Web Service. Form there, you can save the XML
blob and parse the data to send in SQL Server. So, yes, you can do both at
the same time.

 

[RickH]

InfoPath is primarily a data gathering application. You might want to archive
the forms and make them available to the users.
Data is mainly saved in SQL or Access databases via a Web service or the
submit function in Infopath to directly upload data to SQL/Access., with only
temporary storage of data as XML files. (Although I have used Infopath as a
front end to a large XML file to print datasheets, its not its primary
strength.)