Question

Help understanding SQL data and relationship with Forms?

Laserfiche Forms

Updated April 28, 2016

asked on April 26, 2016 • Show version history

Firstly, apologies for any misuse of technical terms and features, as I am a relatively novice IT technician when it comes to subjects like the above; I am using LF to develop an aspect of our company.

A little background before I start;

We are using LF and LF Forms predominantly to revisit a long standing paper based system to send and retrieve documents previously done using pen and paper, scanning, emailing etc. within the Maritime industry. A fleet of vessels under our management must complete paper based tasks/forms numerous times a week/month.

Now I have transformed our paper based system into an electronic one using the many aspects of Laserfiche, I am now trying to tackle information population with regards to forms we have.

I would like to hear/read/see all suggestions regarding data input/auto population when it comes to different vessels with different crew and the best way to do this? Is this what SQL is? How do I use SQL data efficiently for my forms.

A basic feature I am thinking of is, when the Captain initiates a form, his name auto populates where it is required and possibly other information rank, address, DOB, Signature (?).

Any help on how to address the above desires, any similar experiences and any reading available would be massively appreciated!

Thanks

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replied on April 27, 2016 • Show version history

Hi Christian,

SQL helps Laserfiche do two primary things, the first is keep system information that is important to system's general functions. These tables are automatically built when you first install Laserfiche. The second is keep a set of tables in External Tables that help you hold information you can reference throughout your Laserfiche Business Processes. The link talks about External Tables for dynamic metadata fields but the idea is generally the same when it comes to Laserfiche Forms information look ups.

"A basic feature I am thinking of is, when the Captain initiates a form, his name auto populates where it is required and possibly other information rank, address, DOB, Signature (?)."

In your example, without getting into too much details, here are some general suggestions.

Name
- This wouldn't require the use of a SQL table lookup if each Captain is a Forms User, you can have the field auto-populate based on the person that is logged on dynamically with the current user variable.
information rank and address and DOB.
- This information is perfect for SQL tables. You can have an External Table that has the following columns "Captain, Rank, Address, DOB", then anytime the Captain's name is populated, these values are automatically filled in with a Forms look up rule.
- Look up rules work by going to a SQL Table and checking a certain column for a piece of information that is known such as the Captain's name. Then once a match is made, the other values in that specific Captain's row will be returned such as Rank, Address, DOB
- Additionally, the tables can be populated with other processes prior such as Captain Registration as an example which would be information that is automatically fed into the current process through look ups.
- Finally, Laserfiche is ODBC compliant so tables from other systems that are ODBC compliant can be made available to Laserfiche for auto-information population.

There are many different ways you can accomplish, this is only one suggestion. I hope this helps point you in the right direction.

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replied on April 28, 2016

Wesley,

Thank you! A great breakdown and on a level I can really understand given my skills.

I will communicate now with my VAR but your answer and information within has be extremely valuable.

Thanks again! :)

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Help understanding SQL data and relationship with Forms?

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