Submit a web based InfoPath Form to SQL Server and display in SharePoint.

M

Milo Hoffman

I am having a hard time finding some guidance on this architecture so I
will lay out what I have found in the hopes of getting some advice and
helping anyone that is facing something similar.

Bascially I have an InfoPath form that must be used through the Forms
Services web rendering engine. So no rich client.

I need to submit that to SQL Server because I will blow through the
2000 submission limitation as this will be submitted by many people on
a weekly basis.
(Here's the limit:
http://technet2.microsoft.com/Offic...e374-4df5-b3be-9848c78f9ca71033.mspx?mfr=true)

I will have to use a web service to submit it because according to this
guy (http://blogs.msdn.com/timpash/archive/2006/05/22/603758.aspx) I
cannot use the Office Data Connectors.

Another requirement is to view and manipulate these forms in SharePoint
AFTER they have been submitted. So I figured I would use the Business
Data Catalog (BDC) to expose the submitted data to SharePoint lists.

There is also a Workflow requirement here. I have to build a custom
Workflow and drive an approval process based on data in SQL Server when
the form is submitted.

So... here is my design:

InfoPath form rendered by Form Services.
Form is Submitted to a Web Service
Web Service parses the form fields and inserts them into a SQL table.
Web Service fires off Workflow.
Web Service updates the business data catalog (because a submission is
done and bdc requires manual updates)

Form data will be viewed in a list on SharePoint using the BDC.

Ok, so, here are my questions:

1. How do I update the form data itself now that it is submitted. I
mean, how do I invoke Form Services from list data?
2. Anyone know the impact of updating the BDC so frequently?
3. In relation to question 1, do I have to submit the form to both SQL
and SharePoint? If so, what about the library performance limit.

This is long winded, but I am hoping someone out there may have faced
this already.
 
A

Andrew van Renen

Hello Milo,

How far did you get down this route?

I have only just read about this limit - it does not appear in the deployment/planning
documentation elsewhere on TechNet. Do you know if this is still current/recommended
practice? Have you run any experiments yourself on the effect of hitting
this limit?

I am putting together an document authorisation system that could mean up
to 7000 items at a time in the list, so I am a little worried about this.

Andrew
 

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