[Applies to: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0]

Workflow Lifecycle

If you want to use workflows Sets of logical rules that define the steps necessary to automate specific business processes, tasks, or sets of actions to be performed on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online records. to automate your business processes, it is important to understand the lifecycle of a workflow, from creation and publication through monitoring the workflow jobs Types of system jobs that perform the actions defined in a workflow on a specific record. created by the workflow.

Creating workflows

There are four basic steps to creating a workflow by using the Web application The version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online that works in Microsoft Internet Explorer.:

1. Create an empty workflow or use a workflow template A type of workflow that serves exclusively as the basis for creating other workflows. Workflow templates cannot start workflow jobs. to create the workflow.
2. Specify the workflow properties The basic details of a workflow, including its name and the primary entity that it acts on (such as Lead or Case)..
3. Add conditions Elements of workflow logic that define specific situations and any actions that should be taken when the situations occur. A logical "if-then" statement in a workflow., workflow actions Elements of workflow logic that specify the actions that should be performed by workflow jobs when conditions defined in the workflow have been met., and other elements that define your workflow logic All of the conditions, actions, and other logical elements that define when and how a particular workflow takes action on Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online records..
4. Publish the workflow.

More information:

• Work with Workflows
• Workflow Structure

Publishing workflows

Before you can use the workflow you have created, you must publish it. Publishing a workflow changes its status from Draft to Published. Depending on the type of workflow you created, publishing a workflow also makes it available for use in various contexts:

• If you have created an automatic workflow A type of workflow that runs as soon as the conditions defined in the workflow logic are met. No user action is required to start the workflow., the workflow starts to run when the criteria defined in its conditions are met.
• If you have created an on-demand workflow A type of workflow that only runs when a user chooses to apply it to records from a toolbar or menu in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online., the workflow becomes available to you and other users from Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online menus and toolbars.
• If you have created a child workflow A type of workflow that runs only when started by another workflow. It is contained within a parent workflow and cannot be run on its own., the workflow becomes available to be started from within other workflows.

You can make a single workflow available in any combination of these three contexts.

More information:

• Work with Workflows
• Start an On-Demand Workflow

Monitoring workflow jobs

Whenever the criteria defined in a workflow are met, or you decide to apply an on-demand workflow to a record, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online creates a workflow job A type of system job that performs the actions defined in a workflow on a specific record.. By monitoring the workflow jobs created by a workflow, you can check progress and make sure that there have been no problems with the workflow, or its workflow jobs.

More information:

• Monitoring and Managing Workflows
• Work with System Jobs