PDF form info into a database

[AEMIKEA]

What is the easiest way to get PDF form info into a database? I want to be able to receive the form from a customer and upload it to the database to query data. Right now I have it collecting into the "response" pdf, which I love that I have the form so I can print a hard copy, but need get totals at the end of the year for each category. I checked out this link, but did not see the solution, this seems like what I am looking for.

http://forums.adobe.com/message/1356722#1356722

Thanks

Mike

[Former Community Member]

Mike,

There are a variety of ways to get data collected in a PDF interactive form into a database. It really depends upon your skill set, the tools and IT infrastructure you have at your disposal, consideration of development and maintenance costs, your preference for standards versus non-standards based solutions, and perhaps most importantly, the path of least resistance.

There is an alphabet soup of client-side, client-server, and server-side options, including:

1. ADBC - the Adobe database connectivity option you refer to

2. HTTP - submit the form data in traditional HTTP POST, submit the PDF, the XDP + XML, or the XML from the client

3. Web Services

4. Barcoded forms - put a Designer PaperFormsBarcode 2D barcode on the form to enable both paper and electronic submission

5. Acrobat automation

6. OCR

This probably isn't helping you much.... ;^)

Steve

[AEMIKEA]

Thanks for the response Steve, I want to do it very simple, Customer fills out form, emails it to me, I add it to an Excel spread sheet. All manual is fine, we send out and receive very few workorders.

Mike

[Former Community Member]

Acrobat has tools for exporting data, including XML and .csv formats. See the toolbar Forms > Manage Form Data > Export Data. MS Excel and MS Access have tools that could then be used to import the XML or .csv files.

[AEMIKEA]

Thanks Steve!

Mike