#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Presented By: Prashant G Bhoyar

SharePoint WorkflowsEverything You Need to Know

05 January 2013

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Who am I?

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

What Will We Cover Today?• Evaluating SharePoint Workflow Options

• OOTB SharePoint Workflows

• SharePoint Designer Workflows

• Visual Studio SharePoint Workflows

• Third Party SharePoint Workflow Products

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

WhyWorkflows?

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Important Concepts

Less

Co

mp

lexi

ty

Why Workflows in SharePoint?• Reliable -last machine reboots

• Visualize Workflows Graphically

• Reporting is supported

• Reusable Workflows

• Export Workflows into Visual Studio and Third Party Products

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

SharePoint Workflow Life Cycle

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

OOTB Workflows in SharePoint 2010

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

OOTB Workflows

List and Libraries:• Approval

• Collect Feedback

• Collect Signature

• Disposition Approval

Lists :• Three State (available in Foundation)

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

OOTB Workflows

Approval Workflows• Good for business processes requiring approvals

• Set up to a list, library, or content type

• Manual/Automatic (Creation/Change/Deletion)

• Stop/Terminate

• Tight Integration with Office

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

OOTB Workflows

Approval Order Serial/Parallel• Participants in serial order

• Participants in parallel order

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

DEMO

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

SharePoint Designer

Customize OOTB Workflows• Customize appearance, behavior and result of the workflow

• Two Methods of Edit

• Directly Edit – Not Recommended

• Copy and Edit

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

SharePoint Designer

Features• Edit OOTB Workflows

• Apply Business logic

• Save the custom workflow as template

• Publish workflows globally

• No Code Drop

• Export to Visual Studio

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

DEMO

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

EvaluatingWorkflow Forms

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Workflow Forms

Forms• Out of the Box

• InfoPath

• Custom .aspx pages

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

DEMO

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

EvaluatingVisual Studio Workflows

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Visual Studio Workflows

Features• Add SharePoint Designer Missing Action

• Add Custom Data or Action

• Use of Event Receivers and Timer Jobs

• Exposes full power of .NET

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Visual Studio Workflows

Two Types• Sequential Workflow

• State Machine Workflow

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Visual Studio Workflows

Warnings• Steep learning curve

• Deployment Risks

• Costly Bugs

• Management/Resourcing

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

DEMO

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Third Party Tools You Can Use

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Third Party Products

Two Major Players

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Third Party Tools

Rich Visual Designer

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Third Party Tools

Nintex• Small Installation Footprints

• Tightly Integrated in SharePoint

• Non tech/developers can create workflows

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

K2 Products

K2 BlackPearl and K2 BlackPoint

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

K2 Products

K2 Features• UI can be InfoPath or SharePoint Tasks Forms

• Reporting and Analysis

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

K2 Products

Short Comings (Personal Thoughts)• Steep Learning Curve

• Work Outside SharePoint

• Extensive Use of K2 Support

• K2 Experts are Rare Commodity

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

The Outcome

Factors to Consider• Limitations

• Requirements

• Life Cycle

• Functionality

• Budget/Resources

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

References

Appendix/ResourcesBuilding Solutions for SharePoint 2010 ( By: Sahil Malik)

SharePoint 2010 Enterprise Architect's GuidebookBy: Brian Wilson; Reza Alirezaei; Bill Baer; Martin Kearn

MSDN: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/default.aspx

‘SharePoint Designer Help’ for SharePoint 2010 (Office.com): http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-designer-help/

K2: http://www.k2.com

Nintex: http://www.nintex.com

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

#SPSVB @PGBhoyar

Questions? Feedback? Contact me:

Twitter: @PGBhoyar Blog: http://pgbhoyar.wordpress.com( limited contents) Email: pgbhoyar@gmail.com

Thank You Organizers, Sponsors and You for Making this Possible.