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IBM Forms V8.0

Forms Experience Builder Overview

2 © 2012 IBM Corporation

IBM Forms Experience Builder

Introduction Forms Experience Portlet for WebSphere Portal Forms as Part of an Overall Web Experience IBM Forms Solutions When to use Forms Experience Builder Production Installation Options Forms Experience Builder Architecture Access data via REST API Forms Experience Builder Services Architecture Applications as a Service Agile Routing Secure Data Management Access and Stages Starter Packs! Where to Find Information



Delivering exceptional web experiences that simplifies data collection, improves social interactions, solves business problems, and reduces total cost of ownership for customer or workforce engagements.

✔ Complete data collection solution for web applications

✔ Engaging experiences for customers and intranet users

✔ Personalized online experience by audience or role✔ Dynamic interactions with custom display &

routing rules✔ Easy-to-use web design & deployment framework ✔ Secure management of collected data✔ Scalable performance


Dynamic ExperienceComprehensive set of data capture items, formulas and rules work seamlessly to increase productivity.

Drive customer satisfaction and employee productivity through engaging interfaces.

Rich user interface— Create engaging & personalized layouts— Deepen relationships with dynamic

content— Smart interactions using formulas— Customization with JavaScript & CSS

Improve customer engagements — Increase forms completion %— Improve click through %

Intuitive self-service experience — Guided interactions with show & hide logic— Role-based views and actions— Responsive content using rules



Delivers an engaging, agile, client experience for data collection interactions in social business and collaboration solutions.

Dynamic Experience

Simple Creation

Comprehensive set of data capture items, formulas and rules increases productivity.

Easy-to-use web design tooling delivers powerful fill and submit experiences.

Agile Routing

Role-based access control and adaptable processes automate user notifications and approvals.

Flexible Integration

ExceptionalWeb Experience

IntranetExperiences

CustomerExperiences

Key Features

Service Oriented

Simple interface enhances user interactions with data from external sources and services.

Secure Data Mgmt Built in tools control access to captured data

while on the web.

Rapid deployment process enables forms to be placed into production quickly.


Simple Creation

Easy-to-use web based design tooling delivers powerful fill and submit experiences. ● Complete tooling

Full set of web data capture items Flexible layout using grids & sections Graphical rules & formula editor Routing editor

● Rapid development Preassembled items with default values Automatic binding to data records Apply advance features quickly

● Familiar techniques Drag & drop design experience

Easy discovery of item properties


Flexible IntegrationRapid deployment process enables forms to be placed into production fast, embedded with other web applications or run stand-alone. Versatile

— Embed links in existing web applications — Embed in Portal applications— Embed in servlet applications

Cost effective— Easy integration with Web/REST services— Service based access to databases or

content storage systems

Expand your reach— Deploy forms in front or behind the firewall— Enclose links in emails, social sites or

mobile applications

Extend, streamline and automate business processes or social engagements


Forms Experience Portlet for WebSphere PortalA single out-of-the-box portlet can render any number of Forms Experience Builder solutions within a portal application.

● Specify an active form URL for display in a portlet.

● Edit forms directly in a portlet and automatically redeploy.

● Ready-made portlet for displaying forms. No programming is required.

● Supports JSR-286 eventing (open, data in & out, and submit).

● Configuration leverages Portal profiles.● Works with Portal’s Web analytics

aggregation.


Forms as part of an overall web experience

Portal profile drives personalization of the form

Selection in the form drives content elsewhere in portal

The form takes on portal's look and feel

Dynamic experience based on decisions made in the form


Different types of forms applications

Is it just about Data?

Is the Document and Data important?

Forms

A dynamicweb experience

for collecting information and engaging a user

in a process

Agile web experiences for

data centric application

eForms for document centric

applications

Agile web experiences for data collection

Capture InspectionOrder

Request

Survey

Enroll

Schedule

Select

eForms for document centric applications

ClaimConsent

Contract

Application

AgreementRegistration


IBM Forms documents and web experiences complement each other by providing the entire spectrum of e-forms solutions.

Data-centric Web Solutions


Interactive, dynamic UI steps user through the entire transaction Records are data-centric rather than document centric On-the-web Design and Deployment of whole data collection solutions High volume throughput Supports custom CSS

Hybrid Web Solutions

IBM Forms Documents+Web

Experiences Interactive UI of web experience drives data collection for document style form Combines ease-of-use of web experience with enterprise features of forms documents

Document-centric Web Solutions

“Like paper” forms for the web Dynamic behaviors can be added to provide “interactive paper” forms Allows end-to-end XML solutions Can be digitally signed Can be saved locally Can be archived to content manager as document of record for auditability

IBM Forms Documents

IBM Forms Solutions


Expanding the capabilities of IBM Forms

IBM Forms solutions complement each other to cover the entire spectrum of e-forms solutions for social business.

Data-centricSolutions

Forms Experience Builder Server, Viewer & Designer

Document-centricSolutions

IBM Forms 8.0Suite

✔ Engaging user experiences✔ Web-based tooling ✔ Records are data-centric ✔ High volume throughput

Delivering CompleteWeb Solutions

✔ “Like paper” forms for the web ✔ Intelligent documents ✔ End-to-end XML solutions✔ Digitally signed records


When to use Forms Experience Builder System is data-centric:

— You need to just capture the data - not concerned with the form, logic, or the document that was used to capture the data.

Existing SOA is REST based.— Forms Experience Builder comes with an HTTP Transport that can easily consume REST based

services. Expected heavy concurrent user load

— Forms Experience Builder is much better at handling high transaction volumes.— High concurrency has little to no extra demand on server.

Short lived or ad-hoc application needs— Need quick survey, or quick approval for a limited time.— Heavy need to leverage web based technologies — like JavaScript and CSS— existing skill-sets can be leveraged.

Need easy access to all captured data— Forms Experience Builder can easily export all captured data to XML, XLS, or Symphony.— Provides OOTB view into captured data, allowing filtering and searching.

Need to allow business users to build their own Forms without involving IT— Forms Experience Builder allow business level users to build and maintain their own

applications without having to involve or depend on IT.


Product Installation Options Simple Dev / POC Install

— Installer deploys WASCE and everything else needed to have quickly running version of Forms Experience Builder

— Uses Derby Database – not recommended for production systems— 5-10 minutes

Production Install – Websphere Application Server— Database must be created— Table Spaces must be created— Installer provides artifacts (feb.ear) and manual deployment of EAR is

required.— Other manual WAS config steps are required (datasources, etc)— 1-2 hours

http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lfwiki.nsf/dx/Installing_IBM_Forms_Experience_Builder_FEB_8






Forms Experience Builder ArchitectureReduces the gap between end-user development and IT administration to get solutions deployed quickly.

Create

Deploy

Run

REST

REST Output

(HTML, JS, Tables)

Source(XML, CSS)

Forms Experience Builder Server

Data

ExportImport

ServiceInterfac

e

Form

Manager

Responses

Form

Stages

Settings

● Collaborative framework LOB User: Look & feel, routing, privileges, logic IT staff: ACL, SOA services & plugins Others: CSS, JavaScript, data tables Export/Import with source control

● Proven methods Packaged as an EAR Security provided by J2EE container Database connection via data source

● Extensible REST interfaces (others work with) Services interface (works with others) Data feed API for captured data

● Scalable Client-side web processing 100% stateless server-side

Generator


Forms Experience Builder Deployment Architecture

WebSphere Application Server

DB2 LDAP SMTP

WebSphere Portal


DB2 or other

Can be the same instance of WAS as Portal

Needs DB2 for storing applications and data

Experience Builder includes entitlements to WAS ND and DB2

Can use any directory defined to WAS

Can use any mail provider defined to WAS

Experience Builder Portlet

Experience Builder


Essentially the data for a given FEB application is stored in a single database table.— Each record in this table corresponds to a form submission or form instance— Table structure is very similar to what you see in View Responses— Some exceptions are forms with attachments and forms with tables in them

Forms Experience Builder ArchitectureInternal Database Structure

DB2


WAS

FEB.ear

Forms Experience Builder ArchitectureAccess data via REST API

DB2Data

Access REST API

OtherSystem

Recommended way to programmatically access FEB data – Access control is enforcedon internal DB2 table structures.


Forms Experience Builder Services Architecture


Experience Builder

Service Definitions

Every Experience Builder application is exposed as services

- Retrieve- Search- Delete- Submit

Definitions can be created for any REST or Web Service including:GeneralExperience

Builder - SAP- Oracle- DB Systems- many others


Service OrientedSimple interface makes it easy to enrich user interactions with data from external sources and services.

Conduct business more effectively, and adapt to changing data needs.

● Flexible linkage Data-driven experiences filled with user or

product information Easy to link form items to service data in any

direction Use data from other data capture solutions

● Cost effective Reuse existing services & data repositories Automatic generation of web content Seamless interoperability between systems

● Adapt to changes Dynamically discover services Real-time linkage of form items

with data


Applications as a Service Every Form in every Forms Experience Builder Application is automatically

exposed as a set of services consumable by any application.— Create

● Inserts a new record— Search

● Pass in search criteria, and get list of records that match.— Update— Delete— Retrieve

● Get data for a particular record Services are auto-generated, and access rules are still enforced. Utilizes the Data Access REST API


Configuring a Service

Map the Inputs to the service — Specify what data is being passed

from the form to the service— Mapping done before service call is

made. Select item from the Form Select parameter in Service Click Assign button Adds entry to Assigned Inputs list.

— Repeat


Where can you call a Service?

On form load – for pre-population



On item level events



On Submit or Stage Action Buttons


Agile RoutingRole-based access control and adaptable business processes automate user notifications and approvals.

Automate your form management processes, enabling you to save time and money.

● Customized interactions Guided data capture experience User-specific access to form items Personalized submission actions

● Dynamic experience Content show & hide based on role Automatic generation of email notifications Invoke services at routing steps Flexible routing using rules

● Quick setup Easy to automate routing process Simple role & user security assignments


Secure Data ManagementBuilt in data management tools control access to captured data for detailed analysis and exporting to 3rd party reporting systems.

● Quick access Find data by searching or filtering

records View captured data by form template See routing activity as it happens Print individual records

● Permission based Only see records that one is allowed to

see Continue working with saved

applications Export records to generate detailed

reports Compete assigned tasks Quickly obtain critical business information

with “point and click” ease in a secure way.


Access and Stages Each Form within an IBM Forms Experience Builder Application can go through many “Stages” Each Form contains a 'Start' Stage and an 'End' Stage. Each Stage specifies what items in the form are visible and / or read-only when the Form is in that

Stage. Each Stage has its own set of 'stage transition' buttons that each specify what stage the Form

should go to next when clicked.— For example: an Approve button might send the form into a different Stage than a Reject button would.

These stage transition buttons can carry out normal submit like actions— Email, Call a Service, Assign Users.

These buttons can also hide and show based on Rules – this is the way FEB provides conditional workflow

Generally, the Access tab is where (for each Stage) you define what users have access to the Form when its in that Stage:

Each Application can specify many Roles● Like 'manager', or 'approver', or 'budget reviewer'

Roles are then assigned access permissions to a Form at a given Stage● Like 'approver's are allowed right access to the form when its in the 'Needs Approval' Stage, but only

allowed read access otherwise.— Individual users or groups can be added to a Role.

● Users belong to Roles, Roles are used to determine permissions for a Form at a given Stage. Access tab is also where you specify what Roles (ie users) have design / edit permissions for the

application itself.


Access and Stages

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

not visible

not visible

read-only

not visible

read-only

read-only

visible

visible

visible


Starter Packs!


Starter Packs!

IBM Forms Experience Builder Starter Packs http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lfwiki.nsf/dx/Forms_Experience_Builder_Starter_Packs

http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lfwiki.nsf/dx/Forms_Experience_Builder_Starter_Packs






Starter Packs!Types of Applications Features they demonstrate / document


IBM Forms Website– http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/forms/

IBM Forms on YouTube– http://www.youtube.com/user/LotusFormsEnabl

ement

IBM Forms Wiki– http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lfwiki.nsf

IBM Forms Catalog– http://www-

01.ibm.com/software/lotus/forms/catalog/

Experience Builder Download– http://www-

01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/forms/designer/beta/

Where to find more information

Portal

iPad

Android

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/forms/

http://www.youtube.com/user/LotusFormsEnablement

http://www.youtube.com/user/LotusFormsEnablement

http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lfwiki.nsf

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/forms/catalog/

http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/forms/catalog/