I
am new to SharePoint. We have O365 and I need to set up an Intranet for our
organization. That I can do, but need to add some web-based, interactive
standardized forms to be used to record team...
InfoPath is built into SharePoint.
What we currently use are Excel Spreadsheets to
document information daily (i.e. meeting minutes). I believe I may be able to
convert those Excel spreadsheets to InfoPath forms and they are accessible via
a browser. This way, the forms can be completed online (web - based). Does that
make sense?
Please provide your suggestions / advice /
recommendations by means of COMMENTS
What we currently use are Excel Spreadsheets to document information daily (i.e. meeting minutes). I believe I may be able to convert those Excel spreadsheets to InfoPath forms and they are accessible via a browser. This way, the forms can be completed online (web - based). Does that make sense?
Please provide your suggestions / advice /
recommendations by means of COMMENTS
You can also use Silverlight and .NET browser based forms. I love InfoPath but theta have limitations, depending on the complexities.
ReplyDeleteWhat are the forms you have built in? InfoPath or natively in SharePoint (in which case they are simple list forms)?
ReplyDeleteWhen you say they need to be writable, cans you expand on what you mean as forms built in InfoPath are natively writable? Or have you built your forms in Word - in which case there is going to be some pain, but simple forms may be usable.
If you can expand the scenario we can try and help.
That's certainly an option. InfoPath would definitely give you the ability to enter data either through the Filler client or a web form and review it, potentially in a view which presents a different layout, order etc. suitable for easy review.
ReplyDeleteYou might also consider capturing the meeting notes in OneNote, with other items in one or more SharePoint lists if appropriate. This is what we do.
I'm happy to give you a steer on what might be better depending on your need. It all depends on how structured the information is and what you do with it.
The Excel spreadsheets you are using could also be used to create a custom list, using the App - "Import from Excel". Then you get the New, Edit and View forms straight from SharePoint. The List can have permissions to ensure the right people have permissions on it, and you could also attach a workflow or Alerts to the list so that people can approve items, or get emails notifying them that an item has been added.
ReplyDeleteInfoPath is an option, but Lists simpler and are a quick to try things out to start with.
I think that InfoPath would be the way to go, especially if you desire the use of conditional formatting and formulas. List's are a great and effective way to use the out of the box functionality and forms, if you just want to do that. For more than that, you would need to use SharePoint designer to customize the list to inform you on certain criteria, or another tool (InfoPath), etc.
ReplyDeleteCaution with InfoPath if you have not already delved in. Now may not be the time to start using it. It appears Microsoft will not be updating (read: continuing with) InfoPath in the future. I'm not certain what that means for forms previously created with InfoPath. Please do a little searching on this issue - I don't mean to put a damper on what might end up being a good solution for you but you may want to contact MS directly for the newest recommendations; perhaps there will be a better solution for moving forward while planning for future compatibility.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a picture what you really need at the moment, but if you have some person with Access skills, you can use Access Services to build forms.
ReplyDeleteThe user interface is somewhat limited and there is some learning curve, but on the other hand it can be good enough.
Access Services creates SQL server database which can be accessed with e.g. Excel to create reports, if you need ones. I think, that you can later on even use Excel Services to build nice reports.
Although InfoPath is deprecated, it is going to be supported at least for some time, until new technologies would appear. On the other hand building InfoPath forms is not so easy and requires quite good knowledge and understanding of InfoPath, but still a lot can be achieved.