Introduction to Windows Workflow FoundationAndrei Oros

Andrei OrosCTO - Flowster Solutions GmbHandrei.oros@flowster.de

Computer Science EngineerMaster - Strategic Management

Agenda

OverviewScenariosTechnologyDemo

What is Windows Workflow Foundation ?

• Human Workflows• Application Workflows• Enterprise Integration Work-

flows• Data Integration Workflows...

Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF).NET technology for defining, designing, host-ing & running processes as workflows

.NET 4.5

.NET 3.5

.NET 3

.NET 4.6

.NET 4

WF 3x

WF 4, interop 3x

major improve-ments

minor updates

.NET 4• Re-Architecture of Core Model,

Runtime, Hosting, Integration, Tool-ing

• Great Performance improvements• Designer rehosting made easier• Limited Compatibility with WF 3x

(Interop)

WWF 4x highlights.NET 4.5Designer improvements • Usability - designing, naviga-

tion• Annotations - activities, vars,

args• C# expressions supportNew ActivitiesState MachineWorkflow ServicesVersioning• Workflow Identity• Dynamic Update

.NET 4.6• small update - resume timeout in-

terval for non-protocol bookmarks

History2006 - present

WWF vs BizTalk ServerVisual Studio

Windows WorkflowFoundation

.NET 3

WWF <-> .NET 3

BTS R2 - WWF & WCFInterceptors

BTS Extensions WWF SDK (2007)btsSend & btsRe-ceive

BizTalk Server 2006

Orchestration

Design Tools

Messaging

WF SDK & Intercep-tors

...

WF 4x, interop 3.5, 3

WF 3.5, 3

WF 3

When should we use WWF ?Scenarios• Long Running Business Logic• Stateful Processes• Often Changing Logic• Transparency of Process & Execution• Business Process Management Engines• Integration - Middleware Layer• Automation *...

Examples• Banking - credit req. • HR - on/off boarding• Purchasing - Orders• Document Management• IT Operations & Infrastruc-

ture Management...

Technology

Windows Workflow FoundationWorkflow

Runtime

Hosting

Tooling

Activity LibraryActivi-tiesWF Logic

Visual Studio Rehosted Designer PS Script Editors

Ext.TrackingPersis-

tence

...

WorkflowService-Host

* WF Man-ager

WorkflowApplica-tion

WF In-vokerPersistence

Definitions

Data Stores

Logs

WF App WF Svc

...

Workflow Types

Sequential Workflow• intuitive• linear logic• loops (while, foreach)• no "goto"

Flowchart Workflow• very intuitive• flow chart logic• loops• "goto" possible

State Machine Workflow• easy to model• state transitions + events • triggers

Workflow Authorship

Visual Studio

Rehosted Workflow DesignerEasy to Implement

• Designer• Activities Toolbox• Activity Properties• Runtime• Output• Custom Tracking...

Code

Declarative XAMLSystem.Activities.XamlInte-gration

contains classes that provide support for the serialization of activities into XAML

Declarative XAML <-> Code

Powershell WFPS v3Workflow

Parallel

Foreach –parallel

Sequence

InlineScript

Checkpoint-workflow

Suspend-workflow

Powershell WF - Azure AutomationRunbooks - SMA

Powershell Workflow Windows PS Workflow text runbook

GraphicalPowershell Workflow based - managed exclusively in Azure Portal GUI.

Powershell Windows PS Script text runbook

TechNet Gallery 130+ ex-amples

Workflow Activities & Activity Libraries

WWF Activity LibrariesCustom

Activity base classCodeActivity execute, tracking, variables &

argsNativeActivity + abort/cancel exec, bookmarks,

..DynamicActivity DOM like -

IcustomTypeDescriptor

WWF Custom Activity

WF Runtime & HostingWorkflow ManagerAzure Logic Apps*nix

Workflow Runtime & HostingWorkflowIn-

vokerWorkflowAppli-

cationWorkflowSer-

vicesSimple ScenariosNo HostingShort Lived WFs

No Instance Con-trolNo PersistenceNo Bookmarks

Long Running WFsSingle InstanceHosting

Instance ControlPersistenceBookmarks(Un)Loading

Long Running WFsMultiple InstancesWorkflowService-Host

Instance ControlPersistenceBookmarksService Messaging

.NETFrame-

work

Workflow Execution Logs & Output

Tracking RecordsCustom tracking participant Result - Output(s)

Workflow PersistencyData Stores

WorkflowIdentityDefinition <-> In-stance

ScalabilityVerticalHorizontal*Persistence

Workflow Manager Authoring, Hosting & Management• Azure & On Premise• REST Endpoint & Client API• Multi-tenancy (Scopes) & Scaling• Management (DB Stores)• Tracking and Monitoring• Instance Management• Fully Declarative Authoring

Custom Solution

WWF & Azure Logic Apps• 2015 Q1• JSON Definition

Language• Visual Designer

in Web Browser• Azure only, no

On-Premise version

What about *nix ?

OLIVE - experimental / incubation moduleWF 3.5 - inactive | WF4 - no timeline

HostRuntimeWorkflowActivity

SSH SVC

Demo. Rehosted Workflow Designer

Conclusions

* Powerful Workflow Platform* Enterprise Level* Full Featured, Flexible* Easy to Integrate & Extend* Supported

Questions ?

Reference / LinksWindows Workflow Foundationhttps://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/jj684582.aspx

What's new in WF 4.5https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh305677.aspx

A Developer's Introduction to WWFhttps://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee342461.aspx

Workflow Managerhttps://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj193504(v=azure.10).aspx

Powershell Workflows & Azure Automationhttps://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/automation-graphical-authoring-intro/

WF 4x Code Sampleshttp://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=21459

Rehosting the Workflow Designerhttps://github.com/orosandrei/Rehosted-Workflow-Designer

Thank you.Andrei Oros

hello@andreioros.comlinkedin.com/in/orosandrei@orosandrei