[newbie] direct connection to a database?

Hello

I'm evaluating the feasibility of a software solution based on Adobe Lifecycle and I will appreciate some explaination.

I'm sorry for lack of knowledge about that specific technology.

Through the use of a web platform I need to distribute (by download and/or emails) some flowable pdf modules. Final users insert data and images inside modules.

Then I need to have those data (structured inside a database) and the correspondents final printable PDFs.

Does Adobe Livecycle provide the direct connection to my input database?

I read the Adobe LC docs and I know that usually the final user re-send the PDF module via email and then it's uploaded inside the server to register data and images....but the reasons cause I want a direct connection to my database in realtime are:

1) I have not the warranty / certezza that final users will send back me the module.

2) I need to monitor the progress of works of all my users. The pdf is about 20-30 pages, so I need to know at which status of work each user is... and which fields they have edited and which not.

3) My user are not skilled in computer science so I don't exclude that they return me a wrong copy of PDF (this is a minor requirement).

In case it could be connect PDFs directly to database, ... could be a vulnerable solution because of the exposure of database on the web?

Otherwise... If is not possibile ... do exist alternative solutions that satisfy my needs?

N.B. I cannot ask to final user to make some tecnichal or specific system configuration of their desktop. The final user are not in my intranet and I don't know which operating system they use... Yes, I can put some "minimal system requirement" to use my service, but I cannot ask them not-usual or un-conventional system configurations. The users are not skilled in computer science, so the solution has to do as easy & smart as possible.

thank you very much I will appreciate all your contribute and suggestions.

Best regards

visert