This document summarizes alternatives to Microsoft InfoPath for building forms, as InfoPath is being discontinued. It discusses options like Excel, Access apps, custom forms, open source tools, third party apps, and online services. It highlights PowerApps as a promising new option from Microsoft that aims to provide many of InfoPath's core features for building native mobile apps with drag-and-drop form designers. PowerApps is still in preview but allows connecting to many different data sources and its roadmap includes future support for embedding forms in SharePoint. The document concludes by discussing hopes for a spring 2016 release of more details on Microsoft's plans for replacing InfoPath forms.

1. Maarten Visser
InfoPath alternatives and
the potential of PowerApps

2. Maarten Visser
Email : mvisser@meetroo.com
Twitter : @mvisser
Web: maartenvisser.com
FORMS BIO
Outlook/Exchange Forms in 1999
SharePoint Forms since 2001
InfoPath Forms since 2007
Third party tools (now)
Product Manager
Standard Intranets,
Workflows and Dashboards
for Office 365

4. SharePoint Forms
15 years ago Microsoft gave us List Forms

5. • Patent June 2000 (XSLT gen)
• InfoPath released in 2003
• Multiple data sources
• Offline use
• New InfoPath versions in 2007, 2010, 2013
InfoPath

6. • Microsoft announced InfoPath was discontinued on January 31, 2014
The InfoPath/FoSL drama story

8. The next day

9. FoSL (Forms on SharePoint Lists )

10. Forward to February 2015….
InfoPath support confirmed for SharePoint 2016
Office client & InfoPath Services support were (again)
confirmed until 2023

12. And a couple of days later…
Vlad Catrinescu makes a discovery on the Office 365 roadmap page:
FoSL is dead!

13. Forms on SharePoint Lists (FoSL) was a set of functionality to allow users to customize the
look and feel of a SharePoint list. The prototype was created and demonstrated at the
SharePoint conference several years ago. The hope was that it was low hanging fruit, and
an easy "win" for getting users some basic functionality as a replacement to InfoPath in
regards to customizing the look and feel of SharePoint forms. However, it didn't
accomplish all the things they had hoped it would. We started thinking about an
overall forms strategy, and realized FoSL didn't really fit into the big picture, either.
Summary written by Becky Bertram
Summary of AME with Sonya Koptyev

14. InfoPath is alive!
But…
Forms Services will be maintained in
SharePoint Online at least 12-18 months
after the release of SharePoint 2016.
So the InfoPath story for Office 365 might
end after 2017…

15. So what to do?

16. InfoPath Alternatives

17. • Form Designer
• Form Filler
• Form Publishing
• Microsoft Specials
What is InfoPath? (InfoPath Core Features)

18. Form Designer
• WYSIWHG Form designer
• Drag and drop interface
• Large library of controls
• Rules for Formatting and validation
• Get data from data sources (SharePoint)

19. Form Filler
• Desktop client
• Embeded in SharePoint (Online)
• Offline usage
• Mobile Support (missing, but available in alternatives)

20. Form Publishing
• SharePoint List / DocLib
• File (XML) / email
• Database (Access / SQL)
• Webservice

21. Microsoft Specials
• Outlook/SharePoint Task Integration
• Custom Actions (Custom Code)

22. How can we build Form Solutions today?
Excel Online Services
Access Apps Forms
Build Custom forms
Open Source Solutions
SharePoint Third Party Apps
Various Online services

23. Excel Online Services
Pros
Everybody knows Excel
Data can be manipulated easily
Cons
Only useful for very basic forms
No design options
Not mobile friendly
Excel
Form Designer
• WYSIWHG Form designer
• Drag and drop interface
• Large library of controls
• Rules for Formating and validation
• Data connections
Form Filler
• Desktop client
• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)
• Mobile Support
• Offline usage
Form Publishing
• SharePoint List / DocLib
• File (xml) / email
• Database (Access / SQL)
• Webservice
Specials
Task Integration
Custom code
GREEN 0
RED 10

24. Access Apps Forms
Pros
Can handle relational data (SQL Server/Azure)
Easy-to-use and build
Powerful!
Cons
Limited design options
Not built for single lists or tables
No way to do workflow (linked list is read only)
Enterprise feature (E3/Plan 2)
No Search
No Security trimming
Access
Form Designer
• WYSIWHG Form designer
• Drag and drop interface
• Large library of controls
• Rules for Formating and validation
• Data connections
Form Filler
• Desktop client
• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)
• Mobile Support
• Offline usage
Form Publishing
• SharePoint List / DocLib
• File (xml) / email
• Database (Access / SQL)
• Webservice
Specials
Task Integration
Custom code
GREEN 5
RED 6

25. Custom forms in SharePoint
Pros
Very extensible and reusable
You can pick the technology you like
Cons
You need to be a developer
Maintenance (costs!)
Custom
Form Designer
• WYSIWHG Form designer
• Drag and drop interface
• Large library of controls
• Rules for Formating and validation
• Data connections
Form Filler
• Desktop client
• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)
• Mobile Support
• Offline usage
Form Publishing
• SharePoint List / DocLib
• File (xml) / email
• Database (Access / SQL)
• Webservice
Specials
Task Integration
Custom code
GREEN 8
RED 3

26. OpenSource: Forms7
Spbiz Session
OpenSource
Form Designer
• WYSIWHG Form designer
• Drag and drop interface
• Large library of controls
• Rules for Formating and validation
• Data connections
Form Filler
• Desktop client
• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)
• Mobile Support
• Offline usage
Form Publishing
• SharePoint List / DocLib
• File (xml) / email
• Database (Access / SQL)
• Webservice
Specials
Task Integration
Custom code
GREEN 4
RED 3

27. • Nintex Forms (*)
• K2 SmartForms (*)
• Formotus
• KwizCom Forms (*)
• Infowise Ultimate Forms
• Dell Quick Apps
• PDF ShareForms
• SPForm
* OnPrem + SharePoint online App
Third party solutions

28. SharePoint Appstore

29. Third Party Apps
Pros
Quick to learn
Most work on mobile devices
Cons
A third party tool will require licenses
Can be difficult to reuse / migrate
Thirdparty
Form Designer
• WYSIWHG Form designer
• Drag and drop interface
• Large library of controls
• Rules for Formating and validation
• Data connections
Form Filler
• Desktop client
• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)
• Mobile Support
• Offline usage
Form Publishing
• SharePoint List / DocLib
• File (xml) / email
• Database (Access / SQL)
• Webservice
Specials
Task Integration
Custom code
GREEN 8
RED 1

30. And many more (combined) SaaS services could
help you build forms that post to SharePoint!
Think IFTTT for business services
Online Services
Online Services
Form Designer
• WYSIWHG Form designer
• Drag and drop interface
• Large library of controls
• Rules for Formating and validation
• Data connections
Form Filler
• Desktop client
• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)
• Mobile Support
• Offline usage
Form Publishing
• SharePoint List / DocLib
• File (xml) / email
• Database (Access / SQL)
• Webservice
Specials
Task Integration
Custom code
GREEN 8
RED 2

31. PowerApps
PowerApps
Form Designer
• WYSIWHG Form designer
• Drag and drop interface
• Large library of controls
• Rules for Formating and validation
• Data connections
Form Filler
• Desktop client
• Embeded in sharePoint (Online)
• Mobile Support
• Offline usage
Form Publishing
• SharePoint List / DocLib
• File (xml) / email
• Database (Access / SQL)
• Webservice
Specials
Task Integration
Custom code
GREEN 11 !
RED 0

33. PowerApps!

34. What is it?
• No InfoPath replacement accoring to Microsoft, but..
• Most core InfoPath features are supported
• Most important missing: No Web Forms (to embed in SharePoint)
• Only Native apps in current preview
• Windows 8
• Windows 10,
• iOS (iPad and iPhone)
• Android (coming later)
• Webforms are in the Roadmap (currently in development)
• All forms are based on HTML5/JavaScript/CSS

35. Datasources?!
• Excel file
• SQL Server
• SharePoint lists/libraries
• OneDrive
• Dropbox
• Google Docs
• SendGrid
• SAP
• Oracle
• Safesforce.com
• Dynamic CRM
• Twitter
• Bing

52. Schedule

54. The future?
Now hoping for a Spring 2016 release

55. Office 365 Roadmap
The office roadmap said:
"The ability to create custom SharePoint List forms is an
important scenario. We are refining our plans in this
space as part of a more comprehensive set of forms
investments. We will update the roadmap when we
have more information to share.“
Now hoping for a Spring 2016 release

56. What I learned at Ignite 2015
The ‘Forms Session’ was te only session scraped from the
Ignite conference.
Team is working on something but was not ready to launch.
When the solution is there, tools will be supplied to migrate
InfoPath forms to the new ‘Forms vNext’.

57. Thanks.
That was it!
www.slideshare.net/mvisser