The document discusses new features of workflows in SharePoint 2013. Key points include:
1) SharePoint 2013 introduces two workflow platforms - the existing SharePoint 2010 platform which continues to support existing workflows, and a new SharePoint 2013 platform which utilizes Workflow Manager and provides enhanced capabilities like scalability and web service integration.
2) The new SharePoint 2013 workflow platform can be accessed through both SharePoint Designer 2013 and Visio and provides new actions, stages, loops, and the ability to call web services.
3) Workflow Manager is configured through Windows PowerShell and provides enterprise-level features like reliability, scalability, and monitoring capabilities.
2. What is the Workflow?
• Workflow represents a sequence of activities as in a Flow
Chart and a runtime that executes these activities.
• A workflow is an ordered sequence of steps that
accomplish a pre-defined goal according to a set of
business rules.
• SharePoint, this concept is usually extended so that the
some of the steps are performed by different SharePoint
users.
• Frequently, a workflow is bound to a particular piece of
content, and it is this content that is taken through the
business process that is implemented by the workflow.
4. Workflows Terms
As with most technologies, workflow has its own terminology that makes
discussing their operations and implementations more succinct. Particular
terms used in workflow include:
• Route - the act of launching a document on a workflow
• Sequence – a set of workflow steps that may be performed
either serially or in parallel
• Task – a workflow step that is performed by a user
• Workflow Owner - the user who initiated or launched the
workflow
• Task Owner – the user who has been assigned a particular
workflow task
• Escalation – the condition when expected outcomes have not
been achieved. For example, a task has not been completed by
its due date.
5. How to Create Workflow in 2010?
We can create workflow using share point designer ,
viso & visual studio
workflow create in two ways Microsoft share point
design :
1.List workflow,
2.Reusable workflow,
3.Site workflow
workflow using visual studio 2010
1.Sequentialworkflow
2.Statemachineworkflow
6. SharePoint Workflows
Approval Workflow – where a document is routed to a designated set of
reviewers for both approval/rejection and also comments. If all reviewers
agree to approve the document then its status is updated to ‘approved’.
Feedback Workflow – where a document is routed to a designated set of
reviewers for feedback. The reviewers may perform the review themselves,
or delegate the task to another user. The feedback is collected and returned
to the originator of the workflow.
Signatures Workflow – where a document is routed to a designated set of
signatories for signature. Each signatory may request modifications to the
document as part of the workflow.
Three-phase Workflow – where the workflow item is taken through a
three-phase process, where its current phase is held in a choice column for
the item. This workflow is useful for managing items in the SharePoint
Issues List.
Disposition Workflow – which manages content that has one or more
expiration policies applied.
7. SharePoint 2013 Workflow platform
The SharePoint 2013 Workflow platform uses the new Workflow Manager
service. Workflow Manager is built on top of Windows Workflow
Foundation. Windows Workflow Foundation is part of the .NET
Framework 4.5.
8. • Stability and scalability with the new workflows in SharePoint Designer
2013. This is not the same old workflow engine. SharePoint 2013 workflows
run on the Azure workflow engine, which can be installed on a separate
server from SharePoint. Besides the new engine and architectural changes,
there are a lot of enhancements to the workflow design interface and
experience.
• These new features include a visual workflow that uses a Visio 2013
Preview add-in, the ability to enable no-code web service calls from inside a
workflow, new actions for the task process, the ability to start a workflow
built on SharePoint 2010 from a workflow built on SharePoint 2013, and
new workflow building blocks called Stage, Loop, and App Step.
• Workflow in SharePoint 2013, you must use Windows PowerShell.
• Another great addition is that true stages have been introduced, which means
that the workflow does not have to run only top to bottom anymore. Loops
can be created and GoTo actions have been added, which can take the
running workflow to any other stage. The loops can even be set to run a
certain number of times, or with certain conditions and expressions.
• One more very useful and time saving bonus with workflows is that there
are now copy and paste options available
9. SharePoint 2013 Workflow Platform
Click the List Workflow drop-down in the New section of the ribbon, as
shown in the figure.
Select the list that you want to associate with the new workflow.
On the Create List Workflow dialog box, enter a name and description for
the workflow and then make sure that the Platform Type is set to
SharePoint 2013 Workflow, as shown in the figure.
11. Sharepoint 2013 Workflow Platform
The workflow is created, you can add Actions, Conditions, Stages, Steps,
and Loops to build your workflow. These workflow components are
available in the ribbon of SharePoint Designer 2013, as shown in the
figure.
12. What is new in Sharepoint 2013?
Two SharePoint workflow platforms
SharePoint Designer enhancements
Workflow Manager capabilities
Windows PowerShell cmdlets that
manage workflow
13. Two SharePoint workflow platforms
• The SharePoint 2010 Workflow platform has been
carried forward to SharePoint Server 2013. All of your
workflows that were built by using SharePoint Server
2010 will continue to work in SharePoint Server 2013.
• In SharePoint Server 2010 the workflow engine
installed automatically with the product. This continues
to be the case with the SharePoint 2010 Workflow
platform in SharePoint Server 2013. If you simply
install SharePoint Server 2013 and do not install and
configure Workflow Manager then you will have a
nearly identical experience with building workflows as
you did in SharePoint Server 2010.
15. SharePoint Designer enhancements
• SharePoint Designer 2013 includes new functionality designed
specifically for Workflow Manager. In SharePoint Designer 2013
this new platform is known as the SharePoint 2013 Workflow
platform.
• A visual workflow development experience that uses a Visio 2013
add-in
• A new action that enables no-code web service calls from within a
workflow
• New actions for creating a task and starting a task process
• New coordination actions that let you start a workflow built on the
SharePoint 2010 Workflow platform from a workflow built on the
SharePoint 2013 Workflow platform
• A new Dictionary type
• New workflow building blocks such as Stage, Loop, and App Step
16. When you create a workflow in SharePoint Designer 2013, you have the
option of choosing the platform on which you wish to build a workflow in the
workflow creation dialog as shown in the figure.
17. Workflow Manager capabilities
• Workflow Manager brings a new class of workflow to
SharePoint Server 2013. Workflows built by using
Workflow Manager can take advantage of several new
capabilities. These include enterprise features such as:
• High Density and Multi-Tenancy
• Elastic Scale
• Activity / Workflow Artifact Management
• Tracking and Monitoring
• Instance Management
• Fully Declarative Authoring
• REST and Service Bus Messaging
• Managed Service Reliability
18. Windows Power Shell cmdlets that manage workflow
• As a SharePoint Server 2013 workflow
administrator you should be familiar with
Windows Powershell.
• After you have installed the Workflow Manager
service you will need to configure it to
communicate with your SharePoint Server 2013
farm.
• This pairing is accomplished by using Windows
Powershell cmdlets. Windows Powershell is used
exclusively when you manage and monitor
Workflow Manager.
19. • SharePoint 2013 with SharePoint 2010 workflows, which is enabled by using the
SharePoint workflow interop .
• Enhanced authoring expressiveness by using SharePoint events and action, web
services, and classic programming structures, all in a declarative, no-code
environment.
• Scalability and robustness that is consistent with requirements for Office 365 and
the Cloud App Model.
• Enhanced connectivity to promote highly functional integrated systems. You can
call and control your workflows from any external system. Additionally, your
workflow can make web service calls to any stream or data source using common
protocols like HTTP, SOAP, the Open Data protocol (OData), and Representational
State Transfer (REST).
• Enhanced authoring capabilities for the non-developer in SharePoint Designer
2013, and the ability to compose workflow logic in Visio.
• Enhanced, and yet simplified, workflow development in Visual Studio, including
support for custom workflow actions, rapid development in a declarative
environment, single-step deployment, and support for developing apps for
SharePoint.
• Full support for workflow-powered apps for SharePoint, where workflows function
as the middle tier for business process management.