Workflow in SharePoint 2010
Elaine van BergenArchitectOBS
The Connected EnterpriseWhere workflow fits in
• Collaboration happens in SharePoint People at work Data they make and use
• Workflows to manage it• Two flavours
System – move data inand out of SharePoint
Human – support peoplewith long-running processes
People
Content
Human Workflow Examples
• Managing how people work Document approval & feedback Collaborative reviews & discussions Gathering signatures
• Business logic in action Rules for SharePoint content Applied automatically or on demand “Glue” used to build common business apps
"Whats New" for SharePoint 2010• For the end-user
New targets to run a workflow Visio visualization
• For the power-user Improved nested logic New Task Process designer Customizable OOB workflows
• For the developer Visual Studio 2010 SharePoint tools Workflow Events Pluggable External Data Exchange Services
Windows Workflow Foundation• Workflow engine shipped as part of
the .NET 3.0 Framework
• Model workflows as state machines or sequential steps
• Long-running and stateful
WorkflowRuntime
Workflow
Windows Workflow Foundation
Workflow Services
Scheduler Persistence Tracking Batching
SharePointCRMLOB
Workflow Workflow
Workflow Solution Spectrum
Out-of-Box Workflows
• Ready to use• Common
approval scenarios
Out-of-Box Customization
• Association and initiation settings
• Modify logic in SharePoint Designer
• Design forms in InfoPath
Custom Declarative
• Start from scratch or from existing
• New actions• Task process
framework• More types of
workflows
Custom Activities
• Encapsulate custom code in new action
• Deploy in full or partial trust (as user code)
Custom Non-Declarative
• Import solution into Visual Studio
• Advanced modeling
• Hook up workflow to events
Incr
easi
ng F
uncti
onal
ity
Browser Visual StudioSharePoint Designer
Prototype, Design and DevelopSharePoint 2010 offers new development process
Envision workflows in Visio Import into SharePoint Designer
• Parameterize– Export to Visual Studio 2010
Add code
Visio SPD VS10
Declarative vs. Code-Based Workflows
• Developed with .NET code• Compiled to template assemblies• Packaged as features• Deployed via WSP packages• Added to feature galleries• Activated per-site collection• Versioned like code• Can do all of the work in internal code • and/or call activities
Code-Based Workflows Declarative Workflows• Developed as XOML (eXtensible
Orchestration Markup Language)• JIT compiled and run by a
template assembly provided by SharePoint
• Published to containers (lists, libraries, etc.)
• Versionable like documents (with help)
• Connect activities together, but the activities do the work
A Gartner 2008 survey showed that:• 67% of companies that are "doing BPM" changed
some of their business processes at least twice a year. • 18% needed to make changes on a monthly basis• 10% on a weekly basis and • 4% on a daily basis
Visio to DesignerLive Demonstration
Tool Enhancements
• SharePoint Designer 2010 Big design interface improvements Full screen, more available context data, import/export,
nested logic It’s what we’ve been using for all of the demos so far
• Visio 2010 Allow business analysts to design workflows Provide graphical workflow status (Visio Services)
Declarative workflows• Performance improvements*• InfoPath forms for association, activation, tasks• Reusable workflows
Content types Association columns Promotable to “globally” reusable Out-of-box workflows work this way now
• Site workflows*• Workflows on document sets*• Impersonation steps*• Export to Visual Studio*not just for declarative workflows; also for code-based workflows
Reusable Workflows
• Not tightly coupled to specific lists• Associated with lists or content types• Association columns• Promotable to “globally” reusable• Out-of-box workflows work this way now
SharePoint 2010 Workflow Targets
Site List Item
Site Workflows• Bound to site, not to a list or content type
• Started manually
• Accessible from Site Actions menu Go to View All Site Content to see them
• Perfect for workflows that: Work on groups of content Work mostly on non-SharePoint content
Custom activities• Plug in your own custom activities
Fully trusted deployment model Sandboxed code in the user solution gallery
• Build on top of existing activities OfficeTask exposed in Visual Studio
• Flexibility of custom code, reusable in code-based and declarative workflows alike
New and improved out-of-the-box actions• User profile lookups• Document sets• Declare record• Set permissions• Read/write to external lists• Utility actions• Task Processes
e.g., Office Task Composite activities Design dialogs
How It Works: The “OfficeTask”
Workflow activity Workflow activity
Approval start behavior
Approval in progress
Approval end behavior
Task start behavior Task in progress Task end behavior
For each task… Exit conditions
Example: Expense Reporting
Workflow activity Workflow activity
Check metadata on uploaded
report
Approval in progress
Set status to either Approved or Rejected, and notify submitter
Task start behaviorSend daily
reminders when due date passes
Task end behavior
If anyone rejects, cancel the approval
DesignerLive Demonstration
What’s new in Visual Studio 2010
• Site Workflows• ASP.NET Form Templates• New events• External Data Exchange
Developing Site Level Workflows
• Site Workflows List / Item properties are null No auto-start
Creating ASP.NET Workflow Forms
• Generates the required code
• Updates the elements.xml file
• Available: Association Initiation
Workflow Events
• Events fired during workflow lifetime Started, Completed…
• Scenarios Call sub-workflows and wait for completion Provide more elaborate error handling
• Familiar model for developers
SPWorklowEventReceiver
• Base class for handling workflow events
Register on site / list / content type
public class MyWorkflowEventReceiver : SPWorkflowEventReceiver{ public override void WorkflowStarting( SPWorkflowEventProperties properties) { // your code here base.WorkflowStarting(properties); }}
External Data in SharePoint 2007
SharePoint Data
External Data
Correlated Events
Pluggable EDE Services• Interact with LOB systems
by using custom External Data Exchange services
• Requires low-level understanding of WF layer
• You can write your own events No partial trust
Flow of EventsWorkflo
w
EDE Service
External System
Subscriptions
WorkflowRuntime
Call External Method
Raise Event
WCF Service
External System
Or
Visual StudioLive Demonstration
Feedback details
• Connect to the “GUEST” wireless network• Browse to the URL http://10.2.70.199 • At the Cliftons log on screen use these credentials
– User: CSC– Password: 9A4F
• Select “forms authentication” and then log on with the details you were emailed during the week
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