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DocumentationAEM as a Cloud ServiceUser Guide

Integrate Forms with Form Data Model (FDM)

Last update: Mon Aug 11 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
  • Applies to:
  • Experience Manager as a Cloud Service

CREATED FOR:

  • Admin
  • User

Connect your forms to backend data sources using FDM to enable data binding, validation, and submission workflows.

Prerequisites

Complete these steps before integrating FDM with your forms:

  1. Configure Data Source: Set up backend connections
  2. Create Form Data Model: Define data structure and services
  3. Configure Data Model Objects: Map data relationships

Considerations

If you do not see the Data Sources icon in your Universal Editor interface or Bind Reference property in the right property panel, enable the Data source extension in the Extension Manager.

Screenshot of the Universal Editor Extension Manager interface showing available extensions including the Data Sources extension that can be enabled for form integration

Refer to the article to learn how to enable and disable extensions in the Universal Editor.

Choose Your Form Type

Universal Editor supports two form creation approaches:

Aspect
Schema-Based Form
Non-Schema-Based Form
Setup Complexity
Simple (automatic binding)
Manual (field-by-field binding)
Use Case
New forms with defined data structure
Existing forms or flexible requirements
Data Source
Required during creation
Can be added later
Binding
Automatic field binding
Manual binding per field

Types of Form in Universal Editor {align="center" width="50%"}

Schema-Based Form

Schema-based forms automatically configure data sources and bind form fields to data. This approach is ideal for new forms with well-defined data structures.

Create Schema-Based Form

  1. Access Forms Console

    • Log in to your Experience Manager Forms Author instance
    • Navigate to ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Experience Manager > Forms > Forms & Documents

  2. Start Form Creation

    • Select Create > Adaptive Forms
    • Choose an Edge Delivery Services template
    • Click Create when enabled

    Edge Delivery Services template

  3. Configure Data Model

    • Go to the Data tab
    • Select Form Data Model (FDM) for multiple data sources or JSON Schema for single backend system
    • Choose your created FDM (e.g., Pet Form Data Model)

    Select Form Data Model

  4. Complete Form Setup

    • Enter Name and Title
    • Specify GitHub URL (e.g., https://github.com/wkndforms/edsforms)
    • Click Create

    Create schema based form

Verify Schema-Based Form

The form opens in Universal Editor with pre-configured data binding:

Screenshot of the Universal Editor showing a schema-based form with pre-populated form fields and the Content Browser displaying available data source elements

Automatic Data Binding

Non-Schema-Based Form

Non-schema forms require manual data source configuration and field binding. This approach offers flexibility for existing forms or complex requirements.

Create Non-Schema-Based Form

  1. Access Form Properties

    • Log in to your Experience Manager Forms Author instance
    • Navigate to ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓƵ Experience Manager > Forms > Forms & Documents
    • Select your form and click Properties

    Open form properties

  2. Configure Form Model

    • Open the Form Model tab
    • Select Form Data Model (FDM) from the Select From dropdown
    • Choose your FDM from the list

    Select Form Model tab

    Select FDM

  3. Confirm Configuration

    • Click OK in the warning dialog
    • Click Save & Close

    Form Model Wizard

Add Data Elements

  1. Open Form for Editing

    • The form opens in Universal Editor

    Non-schema-based form authoring

  2. Access Data Source Elements

    • Go to the Datasource tab in the Content Browser
    • View available data elements from your FDM

    Form Data Source

  3. Add Elements to Form

    • Select data elements and click Add
    • Or drag-drop elements to build your form

    Add data elements

    Screenshot showing the Universal Editor with a non-schema form being built by dragging and dropping data elements from the Data Source tab into the form structure

Add Manual Data Binding

For existing form fields, add data binding through the Bind Reference property:

  1. Open Field Properties

    • Select the form field for binding
    • Open its properties panel

  2. Configure Bind Reference

    • Go to the Bind Reference property
    • Click the Browse icon

    Manually add data dinding for a form field

  3. Select Data Element

    • Choose from the data source tree in the Select a Bind Reference wizard
    • Select the desired data element and click Select

    select data bind refernce

    select data element

  4. Verify Binding

    • The form field now binds to the data element
    • The binding appears in the Bind Reference property

    Automatic Data Binding

Verify Integration

After completing the integration:

  1. Test data binding: Verify form fields display correct data
  2. Validate submissions: Ensure data saves to configured sources
  3. Check error handling: Test with invalid data scenarios

Next Steps

Configure submit actions to complete your form workflow.

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