SharePoint Server 2013 Preview brings a major advancement to workflow: enterprise features such as fully declarative authoring, REST and Service Bus messaging, elastic scalability, and managed service reliability.
SharePoint Server 2013 Preview can use a new workflow service built on the Windows Workflow Foundation components of the .NET Framework 4.5. This new service is called Windows Azure Workflow and it is designed to play a central role in the enterprise. Processes are central to any organization and workflow is the orchestrator of processes.
Two SharePoint workflow platforms
The SharePoint 2010 Workflow platform has been carried forward to SharePoint Server 2013 Preview. All of your workflows that were built by using SharePoint Server 2010 will continue to work in SharePoint Server 2013 Preview.
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 Preview. If you simply install SharePoint Server 2013 Preview and do not install and configure Windows Azure Workflow then you will have a nearly identical experience with building workflows as you did in SharePoint Server 2010.
The SharePoint 2013 Workflow platform only becomes available to you, and your tools, after you download and install the new Windows Azure Workflow service and configure it to communicate with your SharePoint Server 2013 Preview farm.
SharePoint Designer enhancements
SharePoint Designer 2013 Preview includes new functionality designed specifically for Windows Azure Workflow. In SharePoint Designer 2013 Preview this new platform is known as the SharePoint 2013 Workflow platform. These new features include:
- A visual workflow development experience that uses a Visio 2013 Preview 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 Preview, you have the option of choosing the platform on which you wish to build a workflow in the workflow creation dialog
Windows Azure Workflow capabilities
Windows Azure Workflow brings a new class of workflow to SharePoint Server 2013 Preview. Workflows built by using Windows Azure Workflow 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 PowerShell cmdlets that manage workflow
As a SharePoint Server 2013 Preview workflow administrator you should be familiar with Windows PowerShell. After you have installed the Windows Azure Workflow service you will need to configure it to communicate with your SharePoint Server 2013 Preview farm. This pairing is accomplished by using Windows PowerShell cmdlets. Windows PowerShell is used exclusively when you manage and monitor Windows Azure Workflow.
SharePoint Server 2013 Preview can use a new workflow service built on the Windows Workflow Foundation components of the .NET Framework 4.5. This new service is called Windows Azure Workflow and it is designed to play a central role in the enterprise. Processes are central to any organization and workflow is the orchestrator of processes.
Two SharePoint workflow platforms
The SharePoint 2010 Workflow platform has been carried forward to SharePoint Server 2013 Preview. All of your workflows that were built by using SharePoint Server 2010 will continue to work in SharePoint Server 2013 Preview.
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 Preview. If you simply install SharePoint Server 2013 Preview and do not install and configure Windows Azure Workflow then you will have a nearly identical experience with building workflows as you did in SharePoint Server 2010.
The SharePoint 2013 Workflow platform only becomes available to you, and your tools, after you download and install the new Windows Azure Workflow service and configure it to communicate with your SharePoint Server 2013 Preview farm.
SharePoint Designer enhancements
SharePoint Designer 2013 Preview includes new functionality designed specifically for Windows Azure Workflow. In SharePoint Designer 2013 Preview this new platform is known as the SharePoint 2013 Workflow platform. These new features include:
- A visual workflow development experience that uses a Visio 2013 Preview 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 Preview, you have the option of choosing the platform on which you wish to build a workflow in the workflow creation dialog
Windows Azure Workflow capabilities
Windows Azure Workflow brings a new class of workflow to SharePoint Server 2013 Preview. Workflows built by using Windows Azure Workflow 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 PowerShell cmdlets that manage workflow
As a SharePoint Server 2013 Preview workflow administrator you should be familiar with Windows PowerShell. After you have installed the Windows Azure Workflow service you will need to configure it to communicate with your SharePoint Server 2013 Preview farm. This pairing is accomplished by using Windows PowerShell cmdlets. Windows PowerShell is used exclusively when you manage and monitor Windows Azure Workflow.
