Can Acrobat.com Replace Forms Central for Collecting Form Responses?
Question details
Users need to know if Acrobat.com can serve as a viable alternative for collecting responses and consolidating data after the discontinuation of Forms Central.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat / Forms Central
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Migrating PDF form workflows from the discontinued Forms Central service to a new platform for response collection.
- Observed behavior
- Acrobat.com does not perfectly replicate all advanced tracking and data consolidation features previously available in Forms Central.
Before attempting to migrate your entire workflow, list your specific requirements for form distribution, data consolidation, and export formats to ensure the new tool meets your business needs.
Evaluate Acrobat.com as a Forms Central Alternative
Assess the capabilities of Acrobat.com to determine if its form distribution and response tracking features are sufficient for your workflow.
Acrobat.com offers basic form distribution and response tracking, but it does not fully replicate the centralized data consolidation and web-based collection of Forms Central. You will need to manually verify if its export functions align with how you previously consolidated submitted data.
Open Adobe Acrobat and use the 'Prepare Form' tool to check if it supports all the interactive fields, dropdowns, and validation rules you previously utilized in Forms Central.
Distribute a test PDF form to a small group using Acrobat's built-in distribution feature. Monitor the tracker to see how incoming responses are gathered.
Attempt to export the collected test data. Verify that the output format (such as CSV or XML) can be easily imported into your spreadsheet software for final consolidation.
Use WPS Office to Fill and Manage PDF Forms
WPS Office provides a comprehensive PDF toolkit that allows you to effortlessly view, fill out, and manage interactive PDF forms while enabling easy data extraction to spreadsheets.
- 1. Open Your PDF Form: Launch WPS Office and open your interactive PDF form using the built-in WPS PDF tool.
- 2. Fill Out the Fields: Click directly into the text fields, checkboxes, or dropdown menus to input your data without needing a premium subscription.
- 3. Extract Data to Excel: Use the 'PDF to Excel' conversion feature in the 'Tools' tab to extract the form's text and data into a spreadsheet for easy consolidation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Adobe discontinue Forms Central?
Adobe retired Forms Central to focus on developing its core Document Cloud and Adobe Sign services, integrating basic form distribution features directly into Acrobat DC instead of maintaining a standalone web service.
Can I export PDF form data to an Excel spreadsheet?
Yes, most professional PDF editors allow you to export form responses. Using tools like WPS Office, you can convert completed PDF forms directly into Excel format to consolidate your collected data.
What are the best alternatives to Adobe Forms Central?
For web-based data collection, tools like Google Forms, JotForm, and SurveyMonkey are excellent alternatives. For offline, fillable PDF documents, lightweight desktop software like WPS PDF provides strong form filling and management features.
