SharePoint 2013 Features

Workflow in 2013

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.

Simple Sharepoint Workflow

Workflows TermsAs 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.

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

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.

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.

• 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

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.

Create List workflow Dialog box

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.

What is new in Sharepoint 2013?

Two SharePoint workflow platformsSharePoint Designer enhancementsWorkflow Manager capabilitiesWindows PowerShell cmdlets that

manage workflow

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.

Architectural Changes in Sharepoint 2013

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

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.

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

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.

• 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.

Thank You

Jagan.S