In this session using Visio 2010 and SharePoint Designer, Penny explores the options available when automating business process in the cloud with SharePoint Online (Office 365), and how such processes can be extended using Visual Studio 2010.

1. #SPSBE
Automating Business Processes
Using SharePoint Online
#SPSBE31
Penny Coventry

2. About me
• Independent Consultant
• Author/Co-author 10 SharePoint Books
• Trainer
• Worked with SharePoint since 2001
• Based in UK, work Europe & US
• Microsoft MVP SharePoint Server
• Blogs/Web Site
• http://www.sharepointdesignerstepbystep.com/
• Twitter: @pjcov

3. A big thanks to our sponsors
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4. CONTENT
• Office 365 / SharePoint Online Overview
• SharePoint Online Workflows
• Creating Declarative Workflows with SharePoint
Designer 2010
• Extending workflow with Visual Studio 2010
• Summary
• Resources

5. OFFICE 365 / SHAREPOINT ONLINE OVERVIEW
• Office 365 – Cloud based subscription service
• SharePoint Online
• Hosted in Cloud (Software as a Service – SaaS)
• Hosted in multiple Microsoft datacentres
• Financially backed - 99.9 % Guaranteed Uptime

6. SHAREPOINT ONLINE &
SHAREPOINT SERVER
Sites & Content Search Business
Communities Management Intelligence &
Composite
Applications

7. P AND E PLANS
• Office 365 Service Updates
• community.office365.com/en-
us/w/office_365_service_updates/default.aspx
• SharePoint Online Developer Feature Availability
Matrix
• msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg271151.aspx

8. WORKFLOW DISCOVERY
• Based on SharePoint Server 2010
• Activated by Site Collection Features
• Site Settings – Site Administration - Workflow

9. P PLAN WORKFLOWS (APRIL 2012)
• One Site Collection
• Built-in workflows & customization through
SharePoint Designer - Subsites Only
• Only Three-State Workflow Activated
• Can See Other Workflow Templates
• No Site Collection Features to Activate them
• Not all Actions/Conditions can be used in SPD –
Feature not activated

10. E3 PLAN (APRIL 2012)
• Multiple Site Collections
• Private
• Public
• Workflows
• Workflow Templates Activated
• Depends on Site Template
• Site Collection Features
• Workflow
• SharePoint 2007 Workflows
• Publishing approval Workflow

11. Demo
Discovery Workflows in SharePoint Online

12. SHAREPOINT DESIGNER ONLINE WORKFLOWS
• Same as on-premise installations
• Create workflows in Visio 2010 Premium
• Use SharePoint Workflow Template
• Flowchart shapes hard-code into Visio
• Export to SharePoint Designer 2010
• Complete Workflow Definition in SharePoint Designer 2010
• List, Site, Reusable, Globally Reusable workflows
• Initiation and Association Forms – InfoPath Services
• Need InfoPath 2010 Designer to customize forms

13. CHANGE MANAGEMENT
• Change Request
• Technical Review
• Change Control Board
• Research Needed

14. Demo
Reusing Workflows

15. EXTENDING WORKFLOWS IN SPO
• User Defined / Declarative Workflow
• Sandbox Solutions

16. LIMITATIONS OF USER DEFINED / DECLARATIVE
WORKFLOWS
• Can be created using SPD & Visual Studio
• Non Compiled Initially
• Performance impact on First Run – Thereafter
non existence
• Harder to program if not generated by tool
• State workflow limited to Task related actions
• Workflows can be developed and tested rapidly

17. KEY SANDBOX LIMITATIONS
• No access to the file system
• Code restrictions:
• GAC deployment prohibited
• Restricted set of allowed assemblies
• No server side external calls
• No Web Application/Farm scoped functions
• No full-trust proxy allowed SPO standard
• http://www.wictorwilen.se/Post/Understanding-the-SharePoint-
2010-Sandbox-limitations.aspx
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff798382.aspx

18. SANDBOX RESOURCE QUOTA
• Processor Cycles
• Database Queries
• Other Resource Usage
• Solution Blocked
• Unhandled Exceptions
• Long-running processes

19. SANDBOXED WORKFLOW SOLUTION
IMPLICATIONS
• Declarative Workflows
• Sandboxed Custom Actions
• Site / Web Scoped Features
• Offload logic to External System
• http://blogs.msdn.com/b/steve_fox/archive/2011/11/1
2/leveraging-wcf-services-to-connect-bcs-with-
sharepoint-online.aspx

20. SANDBOX SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT
• Create / Test on-prem
• Create SPO Test Site
Collection (E Plan)
• Deploy / Activate
Solution Gallery

21. DEMO
Visual Studio Custom Workflow Actions
Creating Sandbox Solution and Deploying in SPO

22. SUMMARY
• Prototype in Visio 2010 Premium
• Create and Test in SPD 2010 in Development
(on-premise) environment
• Develop Custom Actions in VS 2010
• Save Reusable Workflows as Templates
• SPO Upload .wsp into Solutions Gallery

23. RESOURCES
• Office 365 Trial
• http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/office365/online-software.aspx
• SharePoint Online General Reference
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg271151.aspx
• Office Online for Office 365 Developer Guide
• http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=17069
• Office 365 Developer Training
• Additional Resources – Training Courses
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg271151.aspx
• Kit - June 2011 Update http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=14889
• Visual Studio 2010 SharePoint Power Tools
• http://visualstudiogallery.msdn.microsoft.com/8e602a8c-6714-4549-9e95-
f3700344b0d9
• Office 365 Sandbox FxCop Rules http://o365fxcoprules.codeplex.com/

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