SharePoint Saturday San Diego 2012 - This presentation was given during a session titled SharePoint Designer Workflow - Should I, Should I Not. The session provides an overview of SharePoint Designer 2010, specifically the workflow components. The session references a specific project that I worked on to automate a business process around purchases made by an IT division. We review the project from the discovery process through the evaluation of SharePoint Designer 2010 as the tool to design and implement the workflows.

1. June 30, 2012
San Diego Convention Center
SHAREPOINT DESIGNER
2010 & WORKFLOW
Should I, Should I Not
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2. About Me
SharePoint Lead at Brandes Investment Partners
Originally from Texas
Proud Father and Husband
13 Years in IT
Hardware Background
MCTS, SharePoint 2010 Configuration
Blog – http://keeneonsharepoint.com
Email – keeneonsharepoint@live.com
@sdkeene
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3. Agenda
Out of Box Opportunities
SharePoint Designer Workflow Components
Creating Custom Workflows in Designer
Demo
Real World Discussion
Designer Limitations and Workarounds
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4. Poll
What SharePoint role do you play at
your enterprise?
How many of you use content types?
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5. What Is SharePoint Designer
Free Tool For Advanced Users and Developers
Revamp the User Interface
Connect with External Data
Create Custom Actions
Interoperability with Visual Studio 2010
Import/Export Visio Process Diagrams
Workflow Designer
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6. What is a Workflow
MSDN Definition
Fundamentally, it consists of two things: the forms a
workflow uses to interact with its users and the logic that
defines the workflow’s behavior.
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7. SharePoint Out of Box Workflows
Approval • Routes for Approval
Collect Feedback • Like Approval But Collects Feedback
Collect Signatures • Collects Digital Signatures
Publishing • Routes for Approval in Publishing Sites
Three-State • Tracks the Status of an Issue
Disposition Approval • Tracks Content That has Expired
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8. Customize Workflows
Declarative Workflows
• Approval
• Collect Feedback
• Collect Signatures
• Publishing Approval
Non-Declarative Workflows
• Three State
• Disposition
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9. SharePoint Designer Workflow Types
List
• Types that were available in SharePoint 2007
• Cannot be made available to other lists
Reusable List
• Created at the top-level site
• Associated with any list, library or content type
• Can be exported and imported
• Best when associated with a content type
Site
• Used when you don’t need to associate with a list, library or content
type
• Example may be site feedback
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10. Workflow Building Blocks
• Item is Created
• Item is Changed
Events • Participant Manually
Starts
• Groups Actions and
Steps Conditions
• Most Basic Unit of
Work in a Workflow
Actions • Can Surface Events
• System and Human
Participation
• Rules Establish
Conditions
Conditions • Associated to n
Actions
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11. Workflow Forms
• Initiation
Form • Custom Task
Types
• Association
Form • ASP.NET
Technology • InfoPath
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12. Demo
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13. Key Steps in Designing a Workflow
• Conduct
Identify key Interviews
stakeholders. and collect
data.
What is the
problem the • Define the
business use
business needs case.
to solve?
• Create a
Analyze
strategy
Responses
statement
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14. Real World Example
Procurement Process
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15. Common Issues Expressed During
Interviews
How do I buy something?
I made a request and I don't know where that request is at?
I need to approve a request but I don't know where the request is. In fact I
don't know where the supporting information is.
People are saying they're waiting on my approval but I've already approved
the request.
I approved this request and now I'm being asked to approve the invoice for
the same request. Why?
I need to approve an invoice but I don't know if I should because I can't find
the agreement that states how much I'll be charged.
My software is no longer under support because I didn't renew the
agreement. I didn't know the agreement was up for renewal.
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16. The Problem
No Defined Process
No Ability to See a Status
No Ability to Find Tasks
No Ability to Find Documentation
No Common Way of Requesting to Purchase
Something
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17. The Strategy – Procurement Concept
The Procurement Concept
Provides:
Process Container Status Tasks
• It maps directly • A place to put • A place to • An
to a defined all of the discover status administrative
business documentation layer for tasks
process
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18. Approval Process Ideas
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19. Approval Process
Create Procurement
Prepare Procurement
Department Manager Approval
CIO Approval
COO Approval
Legal Approval
Purchase
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20. The Strategy – Procurement Concept
The Procurement Concept
Provides:
Process Container Status Tasks
• It maps directly • A place to put • A place to • An
to a defined all of the discover status administrative
business documentation layer for tasks
process
#SPSSAN

21. Document Management Strategy
System1
PK ID
Folder1
Item1
PK ID
PK ID
Title
Title
Name
Document1 Document Set1
PK ID PK ID
Procurement Item1
Name Title
Title Name
Enterprise Document Set1
PK ID
Title
Name
Enterprise Document1
PK ID
Procurement Document Set1
Name
Title
Company Key
Offering
Procurement Type
Total Amount
Description
Procurement Owner
Procurement Status
Procurement Aggrement Status
Procurement Purchasing Status
Procurement Request Status
Total Amount
Request Workflow Required
Agreeement Workflow Required
Purchase Workflow Required
Approval Type
Cost Center
Expense Category
Sub-Expense Type
Procurement Document1
DMT Procurement1 Technology Procurement1 Office Procurement1
Company Name
Offering
Document Date
Document Description
Document Owners
Document Reviewers
Reviewed Date
Total Amount
Cost Center
Expense Category
Sub-Expense Type
Miscellaneous Procurement Document1 Procurement Request1 Procurement Agreement1 Procurement Accounts Payable1
Contract End Date
Contract Length
Contract Opt Out End Date
Contract Opt Out Length
Contract Opt Out Start Date
Contract Scope
Contract Start Date
Contract Term
Initial Amount
Procurement Quote1 Procurement Rationale1 Ongoing Amount
Ongoing Amount (Annualized)
Ongoing Period
Ongoing Type
DMT Rationale1 Systems Rationale1
Procurement Contract1 Procurement Contract Addendum1 Procurement Statement of Work1
Procurement Invoice1 Procurement Purchase Order1
Paid Date PO Number
DMT New Rationale1 DMT Existing Rationale1 Invoice Number
Invoice Amount
Invoice Date
Invoice Period
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23. Designer Limitations and Workarounds
Problem Start a Workflow on Solution
a content type in a
document set from
Custom Action
a Workflow running
on the document
set.
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24. Code Sample
<Action Name="Start Procurement Document Workflow"
ClassName="SPDActivities.StartRequestWorkflow"
<RuleDesigner Sentence="Start Procurement Document Workflow named %1 on document
referenced in lookup field named %2 ">
<FieldBind Field="WorkflowName" Text="workflow name" Id="1"
DesignerType="StringBuilder" />
<FieldBind Field="RequestDocument" Text="lookup field" Id="2"
DesignerType="FieldNames" />
</RuleDesigner>
</Action>
<Action Name="Set Workflow Complete Flag"
ClassName="SPDActivities.SetWorkflowCompleteFlagOnDocumentSet"
<RuleDesigner Sentence="Set Workflow Complete flag: %1">
<FieldBind Field="CompleteFlag" Text="lookup field" Id="1"
DesignerType="FieldNames" />
</RuleDesigner>
</Action>
<Action Name="Set Procurement Document Reference"
ClassName="SPDActivities.SetProcurementDocumentReferenceOnDocumentSet"
<RuleDesigner Sentence="Set Procurement Document Reference %1 for content type %2">
<FieldBind Field="DocumentReference" Text="lookup field" Id="1"
DesignerType="FieldNames" />
<FieldBind Field="DocumentReferenceContentType" Text="lookup field" Id="2"
DesignerType="Test" />
</RuleDesigner>
</Action>
<Action Name="Set Procurement Status"
ClassName="SPDActivities.SetProcurementStatusColumn"
<RuleDesigner Sentence="Set Procurement Document Status column %1 to status %2">
<FieldBind Field="StatusColumn" Text="lookup field" Id="1"
DesignerType="FieldNames" />
<FieldBind Field="Status" Text="current status" Id="2" DesignerType="Test" />
</RuleDesigner>
</Action>
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25. Designer Limitations
SharePoint Designer
Cannot Loop
No State Machine
Workflows
Complex Lookups
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26. Final Procurement Workflow
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27. Workarounds
Visual Studio
Custom Actions
Nonobvious Techniques
3rd Party Solutions
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28. Pros and Cons
Pros Cons
Advanced User Toolset No Looping
Import/Export Visio
Process Diagrams No State Machine
Workflows
Declarative Workflows
Reusable Workflows Nonobvious Techniques
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29. Summary
SharePoint Designer is Free
Good for User Community
Can Provide Quick Solutions
Evaluate Limitations and Design Accordingly
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30. The After-Party: SharePint
Karl Strauss Brewing Company
1157 Columbia Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-234-2739
Immediately following event closing & prize drawings (@6:30 pm)
Directions (.9 miles):
1. Head northeast on 1st Ave
2. Turn left onto W B St
3. Turn left onto Columbia St
Karl Strauss will be on the left
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31. June 30, 2012
San Diego Convention Center
THANK OUR SPONSORS
Please be sure to fill out your session evaluation!
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