http://blog.pointbeyond.com/category/applications/
Why do I need Nintex Forms?
A comparison of InfoPath and Nintex Forms.
Many organisations consider using, or already have, InfoPath Forms from Microsoft. So with InfoPath available, why would you consider using Nintex Forms? The two products offer slightly different, but overlapping functionality, so which is right for you ultimately depends on what you already have and what you are trying to do. In this article I’m going to highlight the major differences, and set out why you might want to consider Nintex Forms.
I’ll start by summarising what the two products do.
InfoPath
InfoPath is a thick client visual forms designer and filler. It allows complex forms to be designed and filled. Data from each completed form is stored as an XML document. Connections can be made to databases and web services. Rules and validation can be built into the forms.
The InfoPath client can be used by designers and end users without using SharePoint at all. However most of the usage we see is in conjunction with InfoPath Forms Services, a feature of Enterprise Editions of SharePoint and SharePoint Online Plan 2. There are two ways in which InfoPath is used with SharePoint.
The first is that forms designed in the InfoPath client are published to InfoPath Forms Services. The forms are then rendered within SharePoint as HTML, so they can be filled out by end users with a browser. In other words, forms designers need to have the InfoPath client, but users filling out the forms do not. Selected fields within the form can be promoted to be columns within the SharePoint list where submitted forms are stored.
The second usage scenario is more straightforward. InfoPath can be used to edit the forms associated with an existing SharePoint list (ie the view, insert, edit forms). So if you want to change the look of these list forms, or add some rules, InfoPath offers a way to do it.
Seeing as InfoPath Forms Services is available in SharePoint Online Plan 2 the functionality is pretty much the same whether on premise or online. The only major difference is that direct connectivity to other data sources is not possible with SharePoint online (although BCS can sometimes be used).
The screenshot below shows a form being designed in InfoPath. Note the high degree of formatting and layout control, the repeating section, the underlying data structure shown in the “Fields” panel, and the rules in the “Rules” panel.
Nintex Forms
Nintex Forms is a browser based forms designer that is used to build forms based upon SharePoint lists. It also allows quite complex forms to be designed and filled, however more complex rules and business logic are better shifted to a Nintex workflow, rather than contained in the forms themselves (workflow is arguably a better place for them anyway). Connections to external data sources are possible via BCS, but the primary usage scenario is with data solely within SharePoint. There is good integration with Nintex Workflows – for example forms have access to workflow variables.
Nintex Forms is available as both an on premise installation, and as the Nintex Forms for Office 365 app from the app store. The latter can be used with SharePoint Online. At the time of writing the app store offering is more limited in capability than the on premise installation, for example publishing forms to Nintex Live (see below) is not an option, but the Nintex team are working hard to close the gap.
There are numerous functional differences between InfoPath and Nintex forms, and I will detail some of these below. However one of the most significant differences is the support for mobile devices provided by Nintex Forms. There are three aspects to this: support for mobile friendly layouts; mobile apps for working with forms; and Nintex Live. Let’s look quickly at these.
Browser based forms can be easily designed for different devices such as iPads, iPhones, Android and Windows phones. These forms render correctly on each device, making them easy to use.
Additionally Nintex provides a forms app for iOS and Windows 8, with an Android app coming soon. These apps allow mobile users to work with forms and tasks directly, without having to access SharePoint. The apps are fast and easy to use, and they allow offline working, with forms data being submitted to SharePoint when a connection becomes available.
Nintex Live is a form hosting service. Forms can be published from SharePoint to Nintex Live. Once published these forms can be accessed over the internet, either through a browser or through one of the mobile apps described above. Forms may be username/password protected, or accessible to all. The nice thing about Nintex Live is that your forms are available on the web without you needing to make infrastructure changes, such as opening up firewall ports to expose your internal systems to connections from the internet.
The screenshot below shows a form being designed in Nintex Forms. Note the options to create layouts for other devices, the repeating section, and the rules in the “Rules” panel.
Eight Reasons to Consider Nintex Forms
- Mobile device support. Nintex Forms makes it very easy to create forms that work correctly on a wide range of mobile devices. These forms can use the built in features of a mobile device such as geo-location and the camera.
- Access over the internet using Nintex Live. Nintex Live adds the ability to securely publish forms so that they are available over the internet, without needing to make infrastructure or firewall changes.
- Offline Access. The apps for iOS, Windows 8, and soon to be Android, allow easy offline working with forms and workflow tasks.
- InfoPath Forms Services requires SharePoint Enterprise Client Access Licences (CALs), or SharePoint Online Plan 2. If your only reason for needing Enterprise CALs is the forms capability, then using Nintex Forms may well be a cheaper option. If you’ve a large number of users it will be a considerably cheaper option. You can even run Nintex Forms on SharePoint Foundation if that platform is adequate for your other needs.
- Specific Functionality. Nintex Forms include some functionality that is not available in InfoPath, such as geo-location, touch support, workflow variables, type-ahead on lookup fields, managed metadata fields support, and support for jquery. Nintex Forms can be used to customise the task forms in Nintex Workflow.
- Easy to use browser based designer. With Nintex Forms the designer is browser based, so unlike InfoPath, there is no need to purchase, deploy and maintain a thick client form design tool.
- Ease of consistent branding of forms. In Nintex Forms, a form template can be created with the corporate look and feel. This form can then be used as a template for future Nintex Forms. If the corporate branding changes in future, a new template can be created and uploaded to Central Administrator. All forms will inherit this new design.
- There is a question mark over the longevity of InfoPath. InfoPath 2013 saw little investment or improvement from InfoPath 2010. Some organisations have stopped using InfoPath for this reason.
Conclusions
In summary then, both InfoPath and Nintex Forms are capable forms based products, but with slightly different focus. InfoPath is better suited to forms with a complex underlying data structure, complex presentation layer logic, and direct connections to databases or web services. It’s biggest downsides are its lack of mobile support, and its questionable future. Nintex Forms is easier to use, more tightly integrated with SharePoint, and the mobile support is impressive. Its biggest downside is the more limited capability for presentation layer logic.
If you are looking to mobile enable your forms, to provide access beyond the firewall, or to provide offline access, then Nintex Forms is a compelling offering. If you don’t have SharePoint Enterprise CALs then it’s also a pretty attractive option.
No comments:
Post a Comment