Use a custom SQL provider to store form data

Version: 9.0

In the Web Forms for Marketers module, you can use your own SQL Server storage location, if, for example, you would like to store form data in a different, more secure location.

By default, the Experience Database (xDB) data provider stores and exports data from the xDB analyticsFormsDataProvider class. However, you can change the data provider to a custom SQL Server database data provider, or to a combined reporting and custom SQL Server database data provider.

Both data providers store and export data from a custom SQL Server database. However, in the Form Reports for a particular form, only the Custom SQL Server database data provider shows the number of forms that have been successfully submitted.

To change the database data provider:

  1. In the \Website\Data folder of your Sitecore instance, attach the Sitecore_Wffm.mdf database to the SQL Server, and add a connection string with the name “wffm” in the ConnectionStrings.config file, located in the \Website\App_Config folder.

    For example:

    RequestResponse
    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<connectionStrings>
  <!-- 
    Sitecore connection strings.
    All database connections for Sitecore are configured here.
  -->
  <add name="core" connectionString="Data Source=(local);Initial Catalog=instance_name_core;Integrated Security=False;User ID=sa;Password=12345" />
  <add name="master" connectionString="Data Source=(local);Initial Catalog=instance_name_master;Integrated Security=False;User ID=sa;Password=12345" />
  <add name="web" connectionString="Data Source=(local);Initial Catalog=instance_name_web;Integrated Security=False;User ID=sa;Password=12345" />
  <add name="analytics" connectionString="mongodb://localhost:27017/instance_name_analytics" />
  <add name="tracking.live" connectionString="mongodb://localhost:27017/instance_name_tracking_live" />
  <add name="tracking.history" connectionString="mongodb://localhost:27017/instance_name_tracking_history" />
  <add name="tracking.contact" connectionString="mongodb://localhost:27017/instance_name_tracking_contact" />
  <add name="reporting" connectionString="Data Source=(local);Initial Catalog=instance_name;Integrated Security=False;User ID=sa;Password=12345" />
<add name="wffm" connectionString="Data Source=(local);Initial Catalog=instance_name_wffmDB;Integrated Security=False;User ID=sa;Password=12345" 
</connectionStrings>

  2. In a text editor, in the Sitecore.WFFM.Dependencies.config file, find the /sitecore/wffm/analytics/formsDataProvider configuration node, and for the attribute reference, specify the relevant provider: sqlFormsDataProvider, or combinedFormsDataProvider.

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