Windows Workflow Foundation business cases, evolution, architecture, .net core future

1. Windows Workflow Demystified
// overview, business cases
Andrei Oros
CTO @ Flowster Solutions GmbH
orosandrei@gmail.com | @orosandrei

3. Andrei Oros
Head of Software Development | CTO at Flowster Solutions GmbH
10+ years of experience in Software Engineering linkedin.com/in/orosandrei
Computer Science Engineer
Master Business Administration & Strategic Management
andreioros.com | github.com/orosandrei | @orosandrei | orosandrei@gmail.com

4. github.com/orosandrei

5. Agenda
Business cases
Evolution
Technology
Future
Demo

6. What is Windows
Workflow Foundation ?

7. • Human Workflows
• Application Workflows
• Enterprise Integration Workflows
• Data Integration Workflows
...
Windows Workflow Foundation (WWF)
.NET technology for defining,
designing, hosting & running
processes as workflows .NET 4.5
.NET 3.5
.NET 3
.NET 4.6
.NET 4
WF 3x
WF 4, interop 3x
major improvements
minor updates

8. Who uses it ?

9. Robotic Process Automation
Central European Startup Awards (CESA):
startup of the year & Best AI Startup
* cofounders: Daniel Dines (CEO) & Marius Tirca (CTO)

10. IT Automation

11. IT Automation

12. #InsurTech
#14 Insurtech Influencer
The InsTech Power 100
published by: Instech London
https://www.rise.global/instech/r/2526963
Kristian Feldborg

13. Microsoft
VSTS | TFS 2017 RTM | XAML builds
We introduced XAML build automation capabilities based on the Windows Workflow
Foundation in Team Foundation Server (TFS) 2010. We released another version of XAML
builds in TFS 2013.
After that we sought to expand beyond .NET and Windows and add support for other kinds of
apps that are based on operating systems such as macOS and Linux. It became clear that we
needed to switch to a more open, flexible, web-based foundation for our build automation
engine. In early 2015 in VSTS, and then in TFS 2015, we introduced a simpler task- and script-
driven cross-platform build system.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/vsts/build-release/actions/migrate-from-xaml-builds

14. Microsoft Runbooks in Azure
Automation:
Windows PowerShell
Workflows

15. When should we use WWF ?
Business cases
• 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 & Infrastructure
Management
...

16. Evolution
2006 - present

17. WWF vs BizTalk Server
Visual Studio
Windows Workflow
Foundation
.NET 3
WWF <-> .NET 3
BTS R2 - WWF & WCF
Interceptors
BTS Extensions WWF
SDK (2007)
btsSend & btsReceive
BizTalk Server 2006
Orchestration
Design Tools
Messaging
WF SDK & Interceptors
...

18. WF 4x, interop 3.5, 3
WF 3.5, 3
WF 3

19. .NET 4
• Re-Architecture of Core Model, Runtime,
Hosting, Integration, Tooling
• Great Performance improvements
• Designer rehosting made easier
• Limited Compatibility with WF 3x (Interop)
WWF 4x highlights
.NET 4.5
Designer improvements
• Usability - designing, navigation
• Annotations - activities, vars, args
• C# expressions support
New Activities
State Machine
Workflow Services
Versioning
• Workflow Identity
• Dynamic Update
.NET 4.6
• small update - resume timeout interval for
non-protocol bookmarks

20. Technology

21. Windows Workflow Foundation
Workflow
Runtime
Hosting
Tooling
Activity LibraryActivitiesWF Logic
Visual Studio Rehosted Designer PS Script Editors
Ext.TrackingPersistence
...
WorkflowServiceHost * WF ManagerWorkflowApplication
WF Invoker
Persistence
Definitions
Data Stores
Logs
WF App WF Svc
...

22. Workflow Types

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

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

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

26. Workflow
Authorship

27. Visual Studio

28. Rehosted Workflow Designer
Easy to Implement
• Designer
• Activities Toolbox
• Activity Properties
• Runtime
• Output
• Custom Tracking
...

29. Code

30. Declarative XAML
System.Activities.XamlIntegration
contains classes that provide
support for the serialization of
activities into XAML

31. Declarative XAML <-> Code

32. Powershell WF
PS v3
Workflow
Parallel
Foreach –parallel
Sequence
InlineScript
Checkpoint-workflow
Suspend-workflow

33. Powershell WF - Azure Automation
Runbooks - SMA
Powershell Workflow Windows PS Workflow text runbook
Graphical
Powershell Workflow based - managed
exclusively in Azure Portal GUI.
Powershell Windows PS Script text runbook
TechNet Gallery 130+ examples

34. Workflow Activities
& Activity Libraries

35. WWF Activity Libraries
Custom
Activity base class
CodeActivity execute, tracking, variables & args
NativeActivity + abort/cancel exec, bookmarks, ..
DynamicActivity DOM like - IcustomTypeDescriptor

36. WWF Custom Activity

37. WF Runtime & Hosting
Workflow Manager
*nix

38. Workflow Runtime & Hosting
WorkflowInvoker WorkflowApplication WorkflowServices
Simple Scenarios
No Hosting
Short Lived WFs
No Instance Control
No Persistence
No Bookmarks
Long Running WFs
Single Instance
Hosting
Instance Control
Persistence
Bookmarks
(Un)Loading
Long Running WFs
Multiple Instances
WorkflowServiceHost
Instance Control
Persistence
Bookmarks
Service Messaging
.NET
Framework

39. Workflow Execution Logs & Output
Tracking Records
Custom tracking participant
Result - Output(s)

40. Workflow Persistency
Data Stores
WorkflowIdentity
Definition <-> Instance
Scalability
Vertical
Horizontal
*Persistence

41. 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
SharePoint Server Workflow Manager
Windows Workflow Foundation
.NET Framework (full)
Workflow Manager

42. What about *nix ?
OLIVE experimental module
WF 3.5 inactive | WF4 no timeline
HostRuntimeWorkflowActivity
SSH SVC
CoreWF
WF runtime
ETW tracking provider
* ported to .net core

43. Future

44. Workflow Manager
WF .NET Framework (full)
“For the next version of .NET, we're adding some
accessibility items to the Designer. Most of our
work is going into Workflow Manager right now”
https://github.com/dotnet/corefx/issues/2394#issuecomment-171471805
Powershell Workflow
automation runbooks
Azure
Dustin Metzgar
PM of Windows Workflow Foundation
@dustinmetzgar
//September 2017

45. https://github.com/dotnet/corefx/issues/2394
Dustin Metzgar
PM of Windows Workflow Foundation
@dustinmetzgar
…

46. CoreWF WF Runtime & ETW Tracking Provider ported to .net core https://github.com/dmetzgar/corewf
Dustin Metzgar
PM of Windows Workflow Foundation
@dustinmetzgar

47. Demo. Rehosted Workflow Designer

48. https://github.com/orosandrei/Rehosted-Workflow-Designer

50. Conclusions

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

52. Reference / Links
Windows Workflow Foundation
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/vstudio/jj684582.aspx
What's new in WF 4.5
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh305677.aspx
A Developer's Introduction to WWF
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee342461.aspx
Workflow Manager
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj193504(v=azure.10).aspx
Powershell Workflows & Azure Automation
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/articles/automation-graphical-authoring-intro/
WF 4x Code Samples
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=21459
WF runtime ported to work on .NET Core
https://github.com/dmetzgar/corewf
Rehosting the Workflow Designer
https://github.com/orosandrei/Rehosted-Workflow-Designer

53. Thank you.
Andrei Oros
orosandrei@gmail.com
@orosandrei
linkedin.com/in/orosandrei
github.com/orosandrei
andreioros.com