Comparison of SharePoint workflow with Microsoft Flow and Azure Logic Apps

1. An Insight company
Rationalizing the Workflow Options in SharePoint Online
Going with the Flow

2. Agenda
• 3 Engines – dev experiences, architectures
• Key Scenarios
• Elevating Permissions
• Extending Workflow
• Maintainability and Lifecycle Management
• Choosing the Right Tool for the Job

3. Customization Continuum
Configure Customize Extend Custom
Difficult to test outside of
production
Source control is a challenge
Lends itself to full ALM, even
continuous integration/deployment
Source control is easy
Power Users Light Dev Full Dev Full Dev
with thanks to Dave Feldman and D’arce Hess
Configure Customize Extend Custom

4. Microsoft Workflow Engines
SharePoint 2010 Engine
Workflow Foundation 3.5
SharePoint 2013 Engine
Workflow Manager 1.0
Microsoft Flow
Azure Logic Apps

5. SharePoint 2010 Workflows
Configure Customize Extend Custom
Configure Customize Extend Custom
Configure Customize Extend Custom

6. SharePoint 2010 Workflows
Windows Workflow Foundation
WF Runtime Engine
Base Host Providers
messaging, notifications, persistence,
roles, tracking, transactions
SP Workflow Object Model
Custom
Activities
Built-in
Triggers
and
Activities
XAML
workflow
definition

7. SharePoint 2013 Workflows
Configure Customize Extend Custom
Configure Customize Extend Custom

8. SharePoint 2013 Workflows
Workflow Definition
XOML
Workflow Manager
Workflow Manager
Windows Workflow
Foundation 4.5
SP Workflow
Object Model
SQL
Custom
Activities
Built-in
Triggers
and
Activities
XAML
workflow
definition
REST services

9. Microsoft Flow
Configure Customize Extend Custom

10. Dynamics 365 Common
Application Platform
• Common connector model
• Common gateway model
• Common database shared by
Dynamics ERP, CRM, and Office
365
• Driven by PowerApps, Flow, and
Power BI

11. demo
Connectors and Gateways
Using Connectors
Connecting On-Premises

12. demo
Workflow Identities
Acting as the user
Elevating permissions

13. What do you do
when you hit a
brick wall?

14. 1. Not all column types supported
(e.g. person field)
2. Person field w/multiple selections
3. Multiple lines of text in email
4. Outlook approval email formatting
5. Capturing information from an
Approval email
6. Moving a flow (to a new site/list)
7. Deployment requires re-creating the
whole Flow
http://link.bobg.tv/Flow-7Probs

15. demo
Extending Workflow
Extending SharePoint 2013 workflow with web services
Extending Flow with Azure functions

16. demo
From Flow to Logic Apps

17. Workflow Comparison
SP2007/2010 SP2013 Flow Logic Apps
Out of the box
Content linked approvals
Rich set of actions within a site
Cross-site collection
Work outside of SharePoint
Act on behalf of initiating user
Elevate Permissions
Extend with custom actions
Complex logic
Personal solution
Manageable enterprise
solution
FUTURE

18. Reality Check
Microsoft is moving to Flow and Logic
Apps
• Continued investment is likely to fix current
issues
• No further investment in SP workflows is likely
• Old workflows are buried in the modern UI
The cloud is a given
• Flow and Logic Apps will always run in the cloud
• Use On-Premises Data Gateway to reach on
premises

19. Resources
Video Tutorial (Laura Rogers)
•http://link.bobg.tv/FlowWebcast
(scroll to “Automating your work with Microsoft Flow”)
Getting Started with Azure Functions
•http://link.bobg.tv/AzFunctions
Using Azure Functions with Flow
•http://link.bobg.tv/AzFuncFlow
On-Premises Data Gateway
•http://link.bobg.tv/OnPremGateway
Azure Logic Apps
•http://link.bobg.tv/AzLogic
Azure Logic Apps w/Visual Studio
•http://link.bobg.tv/AzLogicVS
Get Educated
•http://link.bobg.tv/LearnFlow

20. An Insight company
Thank you.