Automating Business Processes with SharePoint 2007 

This module teaches how business information was traditionally collected using Word, Excel or SharePoint forms. Through real examples, usage key shortcomings will be exposed and discussed setting the groundwork for improvement in future modules.

• Discuss various form usages
• How Word & Excel forms are used
• How SharePoint list forms can be utilized
• Demo: expense in Excel, fax form in Word, and Word site inspection

This module teaches how to create business forms using InfoPath. The student will learn about how to design form layouts using the appropriate controls to collect business data easily and efficiently.

• Form templates
• Form template dialog
• Existing out-of-the-box forms (asset tracking, expense report, meeting agenda, status report, travel request)
• Lab: modify the status report form
• Form layout design
• Working with standard controls
• Repeating and optional components
• File and picture controls
• Lab: create a new absence request form
• Multiple form views
• Control formatting
• Editing default values
• Lab: create a new multi-view equipment purchase authorization request
• Form data binding
• Automatic vs. manual creation of the form data source
• Data source field and group properties
• Lab: create a form using an existing XML schema
• Lab: create and modify the data source for a purchase authorization form

This module teaches the next step in creating advanced business forms to increase business productivity and efficiency. These smart interactive business forms can enforce the company business rules, automate data filling tasks and even standardize the process.

• Advanced controls
• Conditional formatting
• Control properties
• Connect to external XML data
• Connect to external database information
• Connect to SharePoint list data
• Connect to web services data
• Offline data caching
• Secondary data source bindings
• Field data validation
• Using secondary data sources
• Filtering lookup items
• Rules
• Logic Inspector
• Lab: ceate a detailed asset tracking form with external lookups

This module teaches some key methods of saving the form data once the user fills the information in using SharePoint. The standard SharePoint method will be discussed along with several advanced methods that can extend the reach of the form filling experience using Forms Server.

• Promotion to a Form Library
• Form library promotion
• Form data field promotion (and demotion from SharePoint)
• Offline data for secondary data sources
• Form reporting and merging
• Lab: promote the travel request form to a SharePoint library
• Forms Server
• Design checker for SharePoint Forms Server
• Promotion to content type
• Lab: promote meeting agenda form as a content type
• Administrator only promotion process
• Mobility support with Forms Server
• Lab: create and promote a site inspection form to SharePoint forms server via the administrator option

This module teaches several methods of easily automating common business processes by submitting and/or exchanging form data.

• Submit form data to SharePoint
• Automate the submit process
• Form server URL query string options
• Lab: expense report with promotion, merging and formatting
• Automate simple business actions with InfoPath & existing web services
• Lab: Create a new site collection request form
• Using e-Mail in business processes
• E-Mail enable SharePoint lists and libraries
• Lab: resume submission process
• InfoPath and email (submit or save to)
• The Outlook 2007 experience
• Lab: survey to attend golf tournament via std email & Outlook 2007 and expense report using Outlook 2007
• Automate business processes to existing database systems
• Standard database submission
• Database dataset submission
• Lab: CRM integration, new prospect/opportunity process

This module teaches how to lock down and secure your business processes when utilizing SharePoint and Office 2007.

• InfoPath security levels
• Full trust security level
• Domain security level
• Restricted security level
• Trust center and designer lockdown
• Forms server
• Administrator only deployment
• Management of data connections
• Lab: deploy a form with managed external database connections

This module teaches the basics and benefits that workflows provide to business processes.

• Three state
• Lab: implement a three state workflow for a resume submission process
• Approval
• Lab: legal document approval workflow
• Lab: InfoPath travel request approval
• Signatures
• Lab: contract signatures collection workflow
• Collect feedback, disposition, language translation (supplemental)

This module teaches the extensions possible for complex and customized business process workflows.

• Steps, actions and conditions
• The 9 Conditions in detail
• The 23 Actions in detail
• Work with the history list including usages for debugging
• Lab: create an automatic workflow to copy an approved document to the public repository
• How to use workflow variables
• How do lookups work and how to correlate them to the workflow
• Workflow forms data entry
• Multiple workflows working together
• Lab: create a student course sign-up process (requires multiple workflows)
• Lab: create a multi-tiered capital expense approval workflow
• Custom actions and activities
• Lab: Integration with 3rd party application via custom action that writes to a database

This reference module teaches some advanced features of InfoPath that can be utilized in your business processes.

• Capabilities of each version of InfoPath
• InfoPath reporting and merging
• Forms library merge
• Merging forms and customizing merge behaviour
• Printing: views, headers, footers and multiple views
• Lab: create custom merging & printing for a status report
• Template parts
• Create template parts, using template parts
• Lab: create a re-usable address template part block
• User Roles
• Creating user roles, using roles in actions, role based views
• Mobile support
• Lab: view a travel request form on a mobile device
• Importing and exporting
• Lab: import an Excel expense spreadsheet and a Word fax form