Regarding the pre-populating of form data:

One Stop has tons of paper / pdf forms that need automation. Most of them
include sensitive information. After a pretty detailed analysis Academic
Support Resources determined that the type of software we needed to solve
the "forms" quandary was generically called "workflow" software— automating
the form is fairly trivial, but routing the data and doing the work was
difficult to solve securely. The Graduate School and Disability Services,
with a SPIF grant, had purchased a tool called "Workflow Gen", and after
comparing it with some business criteria, we determined it was worth giving
it a try, so we've been piloting it this year.  It is not an "Enterprise"
tool at this time, so each unit that participates is sharing the costs.

WorkflowGen provides a web-based process management interface that plugs
into a .net form.  You have to build the .net form in Visual Studio, so hold
your nose if you're a MS hater. MS antipathy aside, we have found that the
tool is pretty efficient and opens the door to real service and process
improvement.

   - Form authentication is via the CAH hub.
   - We are pre-populating the forms with appropriate data from the DW,
   providing students the opportunity to vett their PeopleSoft information, and
   linking to the "personal information" application if they see something out
   of date.
   - We can pull in data from the DW that is not visible on the form, and
   use that for routing logic.
   - Someone with a "business analyst" skill-set can plot out the routing of
   a form with conditional logic and notifications via a point and click
   interface.
   - Someone with a "junior-developer" skill-set can build the form in .net
   and template the email responses.

There is a collaborative consortium / user group on campus funding and using
this tool, but based on our brief pilot experience, we are advocating for
this tool, or some sort of generic workflow tool like it, to be adopted as a
common good for the enterprise.

If you want to find out more about the tool, send an email to our User Group
listserve:  [log in to unmask] We have tons of documentation if
you want to hear more.

Sorry I missed the meeting. Sounds very interesting!

Santiago

-- 
Santiago Fernández-Giménez
information architect / web project manager
Academic Support Resources
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

[log in to unmask]
612-625-6423


On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 7:26 AM, Peter Wiringa <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Here are a few notes from my end and some questions for the group.
>
> It sounded liked there was interest in a central repository of form
> information and including some basic form styles and elements in the
> templates would be useful. A general feedback form seems like a good
> starting point. What other types of form or multi-element form parts (i.e.
> EFS) might be good to include and would serve a broad audience?
>
> For those of you using a tool to help generate forms and client-side or
> server-side validation, what tools are you using? Web Form Factory may be
> generating again and provides a solid start for simple forms, as a I recall
> (PHP only).
>
> http://www.webformfactory.com/
>
> On utilizing central authentication and LDAP to improve the UX of form by
> pre-populating info, it doesn't seem like we landed on anything with regard
> to security considerations. If someone is signed in, and would be forced to
> sign in if they weren't, what are the issues with pre-populating fields
> using information about the user that's publicly available in LDAP? Here's
> an example of what might be returned.
>
> http://ur-test.umn.edu/pete/cssdev/ldap-returns.html
>
> Anyone from OIT Security on the list who can shed some light on this?
>
> As Chris suggested, you could attempt to pre-populate fields for logged in
> users, but not requiring people to login. Switch to HTTPS, get their
> cookieauth cookie, run it up against the central auth hub to get their
> Internet ID, and then query that. Are there different security implications
> for pre-populating fields in this case?
>
> Of course, directory-suppressed students won't be found in public searches
> of LDAP.
>
> Central auth info
> http://www1.umn.edu/is/cookieauth/
>
> Accessible anti-spam techniques
> http://webaim.org/blog/spam_free_accessible_forms/
>
> Good read on validation
>
> http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/07/07/web-form-validation-best-practices-and-tutorials/
>
>
> --
> Peter Wiringa
> Electronic Communications
> University Relations
> University of Minnesota
> (612) 625-3252
> [log in to unmask]
>
> "I gotta hold on to my angst. I preserve it because I need it. It keeps me
> sharp, on the edge, where I gotta be." - V. Hanna
>