SharePoint 2013 Workflow Fundamentals

SharePoint 2013 Designer has the ability to incorporate business workflow activities into the SharePoint application and enable users to mirror the behaviors required to process an activity. SharePoint 2013 uses Windows Workflow Foundation and Windows Communication Foundation to represent a SharePoint-driven business process.

The Windows Workflow Foundation is a collection of workflow activities (e.g. add start time, build a dictionary, do calculation, etc.) that comprise the individual components of a business process. For example, creating a Leave Request workflow within SharePoint 2013. There are four basic steps to setup this process using the SharePoint Designer: 1) add an application to SharePoint, 2) add multiple list columns to the app, 3) create an approval workflow, and 4) customize the Leave Request form.

The figure below is a high level depiction of the architecture of the SharePoint 2013 infrastructure, which now incorporates Microsoft Azure cloud capabilities and works with SharePoint 2010:

For more detailed information on SharePoint 2013 Workflow, please follow the link below:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj163181.aspx
This technical article, which is called SharePoint 2013 Workflow Fundamentals, covers the Platform Architecture, Workflow Subscriptions and Associations, SharePoint Workflow Interop, and includes Additional Sources for even more detailed information.

SharePoint Engine

For more information about SharePoint Server 2013 and how to incorporate Workflows into your business, or to discuss having us help you select which options are the best solution for your company, please contact SharePoint Engine.

SharePoint Engine is your leading provider for Microsoft SharePoint solutions. We provide a wide array of products to help improve the most important aspects of your business' functioning. All of our process-oriented solutions are customized to meet your precise objectives. Additionally, our team is made up of recognized industry experts who specialize in SharePoint and have been working with SharePoint since its release.

Feel free to contact our Sharepoint Consulting team here.