InfoPath Forms Services, which is part of Office SharePoint Server 2007, extends your reach to organizations that do not use Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 by allowing you to fill out forms in a common browser or even a HTML-enabled mobile device.

Fill out Business Process forms in a common browser or on a mobile device.

Deliver your forms with a consistent user experience regardless of where they are used. Office InfoPath 2007 uses built-in controls to deliver easy-to-use forms with predictable behavior, mouse-over tips, and built-in data validation.

Streamline your business process applications through InfoPath forms, which collect and validate the data that drives your workflows.

Use built-in collaborative workflow templates to streamline approval, review, and archiving processes. Or create your own custom workflows with Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007 to build interactive collaborative applications. These applications will automatically route documents for reviews or approval, send e-mail notifications to participants, and archive documents to meet retention policy requirements.

Loan application business process form and related document library and workflow template settings. 

With Office SharePoint Server 2007, you can initiate and interact with workflows right from within your Microsoft Office application. You can also collect and validate important document metadata via the document information panel. Office SharePoint Server 2007 helps you:

• Collect important metadata defined by the Windows SharePoint Services library via the document information panel. The metadata may include information such as workflow status, content deadline, routing information, or other properties related to the document life cycle.

   

• Create a custom document information panel that contains the rich capability of an InfoPath form, including external data connections, data validation, conditional formatting, business logic, and other controls.

   

• Deploy document templates that have advanced document management capability built directly into a document in a way that is easy and straightforward for document authors.

   

• Initiate a workflow or set a workflow status right from your familiar Microsoft Office application such as Microsoft Office Word 2007.

An example of document workflow in action 

Features

SharePoint Portal Server 2003

Office SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise CAL

Browser-Based Forms
Microsoft Office InfoPath Forms Services available in Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Office Forms Server 2007 make it possible to design Web-capable forms in Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 and distribute them on corporate intranets, extranets, or the Internet. Users can fill in forms in a browser or HTML-enabled mobile device without download or client components.

Centralized Forms Management and Control
Office InfoPath Forms Services provide an administrator-controlled centralized forms solution catalog that makes it easy for users to find a form and minimize forms solution downtime when upgrades are necessary. It also provides administrators with the tools to manage forms solution security and accessibility.

"Design Once" Development Model
Forms designers can design forms once and deploy them for use both within the rich Office InfoPath 2007 client program and through a Web browser. Office Forms Server 2007 automatically converts the form into ASP.NET Web forms, with no additional work from the designer.

Form Import Wizard
The designer in Office InfoPath 2007 provides an easy way to convert forms designed in Office Excel and Office Word into rich Office InfoPath 2007 forms. The Form Import Wizard handles the conversion of form fields, repeating tables, rich text boxes, and other elements, and dynamically generates the underlying XML structure for the new form.

Integrated Deployment Model for "No-Code" Forms
The Publish Wizard in Office InfoPath 2007 makes it easy to publish forms that do not have any managed code components to a Windows SharePoint Services library, while making the form available as a browser-based form at the same time.

Compatibility Checker
The Compatibility Checker helps forms designers validate features that need to work across the broadest range of Web browsers.