$995 | Hands-on | 20 hours | FlexClass Format
What to Expect
- 20 hours of deep immersion training heavily weighted towards hands-on lab work
- The perfect mix of video presentations, demonstrations, and a dedicated virtual lab environment
- A comprehensive course manual developed by the SharePoint experts at PremierPoint Solutions, rather than generic\biased vendor-developed curriculum
- An experienced instructor to help you get started and to answer questions via email as you work through the course
You will learn:
- The InfoPath application and its integration with Microsoft Office and SharePoint
- The principles of good form design, and why that matters to your business process
- To work with data fields, form controls, and form options using time-saving, streamlined techniques
- To publish InfoPath forms to a SharePoint Server form library (with or without Forms Services)
- To customize SharePoint List forms with InfoPath
- To use InfoPath Rules to automate form completion and provide a dynamic user experience
- To write powerful, complex custom workflows without code using SharePoint Designer 2013
- To design and troubleshoot workflows using Visio 2013
- To use the enhanced functionality of the SharePoint 2013 Workflow Platform
Benefits to you and your organization:
- Implement process automation in your office without the need for programming expertise
- Create exceptionally usable, dynamic electronic business forms – both for those who will fill them out and for those who will use the data
- Reduce time-to-production and maintenance time by using efficient methods for form creation and management
- Create powerful, complex workflow processes with no coding required
- Confidence to put your new skill to work right away in your workplace
Who will benefit?
- Power Users who want to:
- Create InfoPath digital forms to collect data
- Make use of InfoPath’s integration with SharePoint
- Create custom SharePoint Designer workflows to automate business processes
- IT Pros and Developers who are interested in learning out-of-the-box, no-code functionality and features
(NOTE: this course does not teach Visual Studio workflow development)
Module 1: Forms and InfoPath Forms
- Get to know InfoPath as an XML form design and filler application
- Understand InfoPath’s integration with Microsoft Office and SharePoint
- Know the advantages and disadvantages of InfoPath vs ASPX
- Learn how SharePoint Workflow can automate business processes
Module 2: Designing Forms That Work
- Learn how good form design can improve processes and increase compliance and accuracy
- Understand the role a form plays in a business process
- Develop a form Question Protocol
- Create user-friendly forms that fully meet business needs
Module 3: Getting Started with InfoPath: Creating a Basic Form
- Choose the right InfoPath template for the form
- Learn the features available in Filler Forms vs Browser Forms
- Plan the form data fields, organization, and functionality
- Understand the relationship between data fields and form controls
- Create a form layout
- Use efficient methods for developing forms
Module 4: Publishing InfoPath Forms to SharePoint
- Learn the advantages of publishing forms to SharePoint over other distribution methods
- Publish a new form to SharePoint and create the Form Library on the fly
- Promote form fields to create Form Library metadata columns
- Customize the Form Library
- Fill in and save a form to the Form Library
Module 5: Creating Data Connections to Submit Data
- Learn about InfoPath Data Connections
- Understand difference between submitting a form and saving a form
- Create a Submit Data Connection
- Enhance the user experience and form management by configuring the Submit Options and Advanced Form Options
Module 6: Creating Data Connections to Receive Data
- Understand benefits of leveraging data sources outside of the form
- Create a Receive Data Connection
- Configure drop-down control to use SharePoint List items as field choices
Module 7: Using Action and Validation Rules
- Understand how InfoPath Rules can enhance form functionality and streamline data entry through automation
- Learn the three types of Rules
- Learn the four triggers that can launch a Rule
- Understand the components of Rule logic
- Work with the Manage Rules pane to create Action Rules and Validation Rules
- Use the Rule Inspector to review, troubleshoot, and document Rules
Module 8: Using Conditional Formatting Rules
- Understand Conditional Formatting in InfoPath
- Use InfoPath Views to assist with form development
- Create complex Action Rules to perform date comparisons and populate hidden fields
- Create Conditional Formatting Rules to display graphic KPIs in the form based on the date comparison
Module 9: Leveraging User Roles
- Learn how InfoPath knows which user has opened a form, and how that can be useful
- Discover why the built-in InfoPath User Role feature may not be the best option for all forms
- Use Rules to look up user data in a SharePoint List
- Create different form Views for different audiences
- Use Rules to display the correct form View to the user based on the user’s role
- Use Rules to create a dynamic file name for the form when it is submitted
Module 10: SharePoint Workflow 101
- Understand what a SharePoint workflow can do
- Learn the various options available for adding workflows to SharePoint
- Understand the scope of each option, specifically SharePoint Designer no-code workflows
Module 11: Getting Started with Custom SharePoint Designer Workflows
- Understand the three types of SharePoint Designer workflows
- Understand workflow logic and structure
- Plan the workflow
- Configure Settings and Start Options for List workflows
- Learn about workflow enhancements in the optional SharePoint 2013 Workflow Manager platform
- Create, test, and modify a basic workflow
- Understand workflow instances
- View workflow instance history
Module 12: Managing SharePoint Workflows
- Work with List/Library Workflow Settings
- Stop, restore, and remove workflows
- View the hidden Workflow History log for a workflow
Module 13: Working with Workflow Conditions, Logic, and Lookups
- Use conditions to create branching logic
- Understand the groups of Actions available for various types of workflows
- Configure a workflow to perform data lookups for Conditions and Actions
- Use workflows to perform calculations and populate variables
- Update List/Library metadata columns with a workflow
Module 14: Sending Email and Updating InfoPath Form Fields with a Workflow
- Use workflows to send email notifications that include dynamic information
- Learn tips for troubleshooting workflow emails
- Update InfoPath form data fields through a workflow
Module 15: Creating Tasks with a Workflow
- Understand how workflows can create SharePoint Tasks
- Learn the different options for using workflow-generated Tasks
- Create and test a workflow that adds Tasks to a SharePoint Task list
Module 16: Using InfoPath Browser Forms and SharePoint Forms Services
- Understand SharePoint Server Enterprise Forms Services
- Learn the advantages and limitations of InfoPath Browser forms
- Create an InfoPath form using the browser form template
- Configure Form Options to enhance the user experience
Module 17: Web Services and the User Profile Database
- Learn about connecting InfoPath to data sources outside of SharePoint sites
- Understand web services
- Create a Receive Data Connection to the SharePoint User Profile Database web service
- Use InfoPath Rules to populate user information fields from the SharePoint User Profile Database
Module 18: Accessing SQL Data through External Content Types and External Lists
- Learn about security concerns for working with external data in SharePoint
- Understand using SharePoint as the front-end for SQL data through External Lists
- Create an External Content Type and an External List in SharePoint Designer
- Add Data Connections to an InfoPath form to use data in the External List
Module 19: Using Visio Professional 2013 to Design and Troubleshoot Workflows
- Learn about additional Actions and features available for workflows
- Design a workflow using Visio Professional 2013 for approval routing and data updating
- Import the Visio workflow design to SharePoint Designer and complete the workflow
- Publish and test the workflow
Module 20: Customizing SharePoint List Item Forms with InfoPath
- Customize the form for a SharePoint List with InfoPath
- Create cascading (context-sensitive) drop-down controls
- Add a Repeating Table control
- Publish the customized form and configure repeating data options
Module 21: Publishing InfoPath Forms as Content Types
- Understand SharePoint Content Type
- Create an InfoPath form based on an XML file
- Publish the form as a Content Type
Module 22: Incorporating Globally Reusable Workflows
- Understand Reusable Workflows and Globally Reusable Workflows
- Use the App Step in a workflow to overcome permissions limitations in a safe way
- Add an out-of-the-box Globally Reusable Workflow to a custom workflow and modify it
Module 23: Saving Form Data to SQL Through a Web Service
- Create an InfoPath form using the Web Service template
- Publish the form to a new SharePoint Form Library
- Customize the SharePoint subsite home page and add the InfoPath Form Web Part
- Open SQL to verify the data was
This course is designed for SharePoint Power Users and IT Pros who are tasked with using SharePoint’s powerful workflow engine to develop medium to complex workflow solutions for their organization.
While this course does not require the student to be able to code in a programming language such as C# or VB.NET, it does require the ability to implement complex processing logic using the graphical workflow-development tools that SharePoint and InfoPath provide.
It is recommended that students have a minimum of 6 months of full-time experience working with SharePoint as a Power User or IT Pro, before taking this course.
Each student will be provided with the following:
- A custom-developed, comprehensive electronic course manual containing:
- Presentation slides with speaker notes, and
- Step-by-step, scripted hands-on lab exercises
- Remote Desktop access to your own SharePoint site on a virtual server for one full week
(Click here to verify that your computer meets the minimum requirements to connect to the lab environment.)