Unlike history, which can store arbitrary data in history events, iCM objects provide a defined structure (an Object Type Definition) your services can write data to. The data stored in objects can be updated.
Object data can also be indexed into the search collection. When you design a form or create a new type definition, you can mark the fields/properties as "searchable" if you want their values to be indexed.
Saved Form Data
The iCM Forms Designer includes a Database Save Action field. This field saves form data (ie the complete form submission) to the iCM database. A form's data is saved as an iCM Object.
Forms can define the structure of an object (an object type definition) when they are published, or use the structure of an existing type (known as an external type). There's a more detailed look at objects, forms and external types in the Forms and External Type Definitions reference article.
Form data saved in this way provides a quick way to store a form submission. The data can then be searched for and exported from within iCM. However, this sort of stored data has limited use when it comes to handing the form submission, integrating with workflow processes, or being used in dashboards and reports.
Saved form data is not subject to data retention policies. Searching for and deleting form submissions is a manual task.
Object Data
The iCM API worker can be used to work with objects directly. This is an advanced feature and is generally not used by the products and services we develop.
Form Data in History
Form data can also be saved to history. This is not the same as the form data described above. See the History Service section for more information.
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