Write workflows to automate business processes

Article
06/29/2017

Applies To: Dynamics CRM 2013

Business processes are an integral part of any enterprise software application. A business process can be of two types: automated processes that rely solely on communication among applications based on a set of rules, and interactive processes that also rely on people to initiate and run the process, and to make the appropriate decisions during the running of the process.

In Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 and Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, a process enables you to create and manage your automated and interactive business processes. While the name has been changed from workflow to process, the entity that is used to implement a process is still called workflow. A Microsoft Dynamics CRM process provides many out-of-the-box components that business users and administrators can use to model their business processes. Microsoft Dynamics CRM also offers developers a mechanism to extend and customize the standard behavior of processes to achieve the functionality that their business applications require by allowing them to develop custom components.

A Microsoft Dynamics CRM process is based on the Windows Workflow Foundation programming model. Windows Workflow Foundation provides a runtime engine, a framework, a base library of activities, and default implementations of the runtime services. The Windows Workflow Foundation runtime engine manages process execution, and supports processes that can remain active for extended periods of time. It preserves the state of process execution during computer shutdown and restart.