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1. Welcome to the Minnesota SharePoint User Group May 13th, 2009 SharePoint Workflow and a Best Buy Case Study Neil Iversen Sarah Haase Meeting # 55 http://www.sharepointmn.com

2. Agenda • Introductions • Workflow in SharePoint • Break • Best Buy Case Study • Q&A • Drawings !! http://www.sharepointmn.com

3. User Group Goal / Objectives Develop and support a local community focused on Microsoft SharePoint Technologies Educate user group members about SharePoint Technologies Transfer knowledge within the community Communicate best practices Introduce new products / solutions http://www.sharepointmn.com

4. Introductions – MNSPUG Sponsors Inetium (www.inetium.com) Technology consulting company Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Practice area focused on SharePoint New Horizons – Minnesota (www.newhorizonsmn.com) Microsoft Gold Certified Partner Training on many technologies Microsoft (www.microsoft.com) http://www.sharepointmn.com

5. www.sharepointmn.com Website for user group SharePoint resource documents SharePoint resource links RSS Feeds Meeting Schedule Past User Group Presentations info@sharepointmn.com www.sharepointmn.com http://www.sharepointmn.com

6. Upcoming Schedule Next Meeting June 10th 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM Topics – Check www.sharepointmn.com for updates!: Unification of Business Data and Documents Ongoing Schedule 2nd Wednesday of every month 9:00 to 11:30 am Microsoft’s Bloomington Office http://www.sharepointmn.com

7. Happy Anniversary! May 2004 – May 2009

8. Announcements Service Pack 2 for WSS 3.0 and MOSS 2007http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/04/28/announcing-service-pack-2-for-office-sharepoint-server-2007-and-windows-sharepoint-services-3-0.aspx April Cumulative Updates – Released this morning!http://blogs.msdn.com/sharepoint/archive/2009/05/13/april-cumulative-update-packages-ready-for-download.aspx SharePoint vNext / O14 / 2010… Named: SharePoint Server 2010 Preliminary Server Requirements – SharePoint Team Blog Microsoft SharePoint Designer – Training and Resources at www.LearnSPD.comhttp://www.LearnSPD.com Social Networking!Find MNSPUG on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn http://www.sharepointmn.com

9. Conferences • SharePoint Conference 2009 – October 19-22, 2009http://www.mssharepointconference.comLas Vegas, NV Local Events • Minneapolis Office Developer Interest Group - July • http://www.sharepointmn.com/MODIG • Topic: TBD http://www.sharepointmn.com

10. Presentation More Discussion

11. Outline Workflow Overview MOSS OOB Workflows SharePoint Designer Workflows Advanced Workflow Options

12. What is Workflow? • In the Abstract: • Moving something from one state to another • In Practice: • Telling someone to do something

13. Workflow

14. We’ve collected all this data…now what? • Workflow! • SharePoint 2007 • Perform actions against the collected data • Gather additional data • Workflow requires a List Item work against • Lists • Document, Form, Page and Report Libraries • …

15. Basic Workflow Capabilities • Ability to start a workflow • Workflows can be started automatically as well • Visibility into running workflows • Collection of historical workflow data • Status of approval, errors,… • Stop (or Terminate) a running workflow • Tight integration with Office 2007

16. Workflow Lifecycle: The Cheat sheet

17. When a workflow is associated with a list • Data can be associated with the workflow

18. When the workflow is first started on a list item • Data can be associated with the instance of the workflow

19. Status page reflects state of the workflow • User primarily interacts via Tasks

20. End an instance of workflow • Finish Naturally • Approve/Deny • Finish Unnaturally • Manual Termination • Error

21. No New Instances • No New Workflow Instances • Currently running ones are left alone • Workflow isn’t actually ‘removed’ from the list • A more graceful exit until Remove can be used • Remove • No longer able to be run against the List or Content Type • Running Instances Terminated • Column Removed from List

22. Where do I Associate the Workflow?

23. LOB Integration (BizTalk) Visual Studio and Workflow SDK Purchase Order Processing Custom Tracking Apps Service Requests Asset Tracking SharePoint Designer Workflows Document Processes Spec Review Weekly Status Report Structured Ad Hoc Custom Form Actions Email Notification Exception Handling Server Features List Moderation Publishing Process Document Expiration Translation Process Document Review (parallel) Out-of-the-Box Solutions (with customization) Ringi (eApproval) Task & Issue Tracking (WSS, Access, & Project) Document Approval (serial) Custom Routing Signature Collection

24. Workflows – Out of the Box (MOSS) • Lists and Libraries • Approval • Collect Feedback • Collect Signatures • Disposition Approval • List – All above and • Three State (formerly Issue Tracking) • Translation Management

25. Demo: Our First Workflow

26. OOB Workflows – Main Limitations • Limited options to change • Very powerful and well designed, but only if you need a similar scenario • Dynamic User Assignment is difficult • Hard to use if different instances need different ‘approvers’

27. LOB Integration (BizTalk) Visual Studio and Workflow SDK Purchase Order Processing Custom Tracking Apps Service Requests Asset Tracking SharePoint Designer Workflows Document Processes Spec Review Weekly Status Report Structured Ad Hoc Custom Form Actions Email Notification Exception Handling Server Features List Moderation Publishing Process Document Expiration Translation Process Document Review (parallel) Out-of-the-Box Solutions (with customization) Ringi (eApproval) Task & Issue Tracking (WSS, Access, & Project) Document Approval (serial) Custom Routing Signature Collection

28. One Quick Form-Related DetourFinding your Manager (In InfoPath) • Add a Secondary Data Connection • http://myserver/_vti_bin/UserProfileService.asmx • Call GetUserProfileByName • Pass in nothing as the AccountName • Select Default Value on your Textbox • Select the Values from the Secondary Data Source • Click ‘Filter Data’ • Create a condition where Name is equal to ‘Manager’ (or desired property) • Enjoy!

29. SharePoint Designer 2007 Formerly Front Page 2003 Designed with SharePoint in mind Allows users to create new workflows Associate workflow to a list or library

30. Workflow Steps Group similar tasks together Defines where the workflow ‘waits’ Label for easier maintenance

31. Demo: SharePoint Designer

32. Collecting Workflow FeedbackThe Interactive Cheat sheet Task list where the data is Field with the information you want ID field in the Tasks list Workflow variable that contains the ID (by default collect1) • Define the data to be collected • Use names you’ll be able to find • Avoid common names like Type, Modified, etc • Getting the Result • Select the Tasks list and Field • Find the item from the ‘Tasks:ID’ • Saving it for the future • Use a Workflow Variable

33. Demo: SharePoint Designer

34. SharePoint Designer Workflow – Main Limitations • Limited set of actions • New actions can be added, but not UI elements • Not (easily) Redeployable • Locked to the list instance they were created on

35. LOB Integration (BizTalk) Visual Studio and Workflow SDK Purchase Order Processing 3rd Party Options Custom Tracking Apps Service Requests Asset Tracking SharePoint Designer Workflows Document Processes Spec Review Weekly Status Report Structured Ad Hoc Custom Form Actions Email Notification Exception Handling Server Features List Moderation Publishing Process Document Expiration Translation Process Document Review (parallel) Out-of-the-Box Solutions (with customization) Ringi (eApproval) Task & Issue Tracking (WSS, Access, & Project) Document Approval (serial) Custom Routing Signature Collection

36. Making a New Option • Custom SharePoint Designer Actions • CodePlex SPDActivities1 • Last Month’s MODIG 2,3 • 3rd Party Workflow Offerings • Have more actions • Better UI • Additional reporting options • Examples: Nintex, K2, … 1 http://spdactivities.codeplex.com/ 2 http://www.sharepointmn.com/modig/User%20Group%20Presentations/MODIG%202009-04.pptx http://www.sharepointmn.com/modig/User%20Group%20Presentations/MODIG%202009-04-Code.zip

37. Demo: Nintex Workflow

38. LOB Integration (BizTalk) Visual Studio and Workflow SDK Purchase Order Processing Custom Tracking Apps Service Requests Asset Tracking SharePoint Designer Workflows Document Processes Spec Review Weekly Status Report Structured Ad Hoc Custom Form Actions Email Notification Exception Handling Server Features List Moderation Publishing Process Document Expiration Translation Process Document Review (parallel) Out-of-the-Box Solutions (with customization) Ringi (eApproval) Task & Issue Tracking (WSS, Access, & Project) Document Approval (serial) Custom Routing Signature Collection

39. Custom .NET Workflow • Bring in the Reinforcements! • You are here because: • Default Flows might lack specific feature • SharePoint designer missing action • Custom data or actions needed • Existing Windows Workflow investment • State Machine workflow requirement • Expose the full power of .NET • Word of Warning – There is a steep learning curve

40. Custom .NET Workflow – The Platform • Windows Workflow Foundation • Its not just a SharePoint Platform • Built into .NET 3.0

41. Workflow – Platform Implications • Workflow now a core .NET feature • Workflow can be ‘hosted’ anywhere • SharePoint was Microsoft’s first host (CRM 4 uses it now too) • Custom applications can host it as well • Standardized Format • XML based file format (XOML) • Widespread Availability

42. Review • Workflow Overview • In 5 easy steps! • MOSS OOB Workflows • What they can/can’t do • SharePoint Designer Workflows • Good middle option for Workflow Development • Advanced Workflow Options • 3rd Party • Code it up!

43. Questions?

44. Break More Discussion

45. Presentation More Discussion

46. Drawings http://www.sharepointmn.com

47. Thanks for coming! http://www.sharepointmn.com