Backend Data Connections

Built-in SharePoint connectivity plus standards-based Web services make Formotus an ideal mobile cloud connector for line-of-business applications.

• Store business data where you want — Formotus does not host your data
• Collect data offline in the field and submit it over-the-air
• Pull real-time data to the mobile device and cache it
• Connect directly with any SharePoint  — on premise, hosted, or Office 365
• Connect to any system using standards-based XML Web services (SOAP/REST)

Mobile SharePoint Data Connections

Formotus mobile applications are created using Microsoft Office InfoPath and support the same built-in ability to connect directly with any SharePoint account. No SharePoint add-ons or installations are required. Forms can submit directly to a SharePoint document library, and data queries can be made to SharePoint lists. Submitted forms are InfoPath compatible, so they can trigger SharePoint workflows and be opened  on the desktop for further processing. You can use SharePoint itself as your backend system or as a data portal to other systems.

Backend Data Connections using Web Services

SharePoint is not required to connect Formotus mobile forms to your backend systems. You can also write standard SOAP/REST Web services to create data connections to any system. Formotus supports these standard Web services for both submitting data and querying data.

 

Data Caching on the Mobile Device

If you expect your iPads and Android devices to always be connected, you can design your mobile application to take advantage of that fact, for example, by querying for real-time data every time a form is opened. Many devices however are only occasionally connected, so Formotus has extended the InfoPath model with enhanced caching capabilities. This allows you to design an application that will continue to re-use cached data from the most recent query until a new query is requested by the user. Besides enabling productivity without connectivity, this approach can also improve application performance and eliminate unnecessary data transmission costs.

Most Flexible Mobile Cloud Connector

You do not need to choose a single type of data connection for your Formotus mobile application. One common scenario is a mobile application that queries for data using a Web service connection, then submits the completed form to a SharePoint library. It’s even possible to query multiple data sources and submit to multiple destinations if your situation calls for it.

What Next?

Read more about the Formotus mobile application platform

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