Workflow Conductor Deployment Methods

Workflow Conductor Deployment Methods

Workflow Deployment

In Workflow Conductor 2.0 and higher, there are two deployment methods available for Conductor workflows. The method you select determines how the workflow is deployed from Conductor Studio to the SharePoint farm and where it is available for association to lists and libraries. The choice of deployment methods is a global option set in the Workflow Conductor Control Panel General Settings section, which is accessed through SharePoint Central Administration.

Each deployment method name and its features is detailed below. You can switch deployment methods at any time without affecting workflows that are already deployed, but new workflows will be deployed using the method currently selected in the Workflow Conductor Control Panel.

Solution Deployment

The Solution Deployment method is the only deployment option available for versions of Workflow Conductor prior to 2.0. This method has the following features and limitations:

Features Limitations
  • Workflows are deployed to the SharePoint farm as a solution package (.wsp), like Visual Studio workflows. The solution is activated as a site collection feature for the site collection where the workflow was created.
  • The workflow is automatically associated to the list where it was created.
  • Each workflow can be associated to any list or library in all site collections in the Web application (after the site collection feature is activated) without using the Conductor Studio.
  • Optionally configure workflow deployments for immediate workflow deployment or for scheduled workflow solution deployment.
  • Because the workflow is deployed as a farm solution, the application pool is recycled during the deployment. There may be a brief interruption in site availability during deployment.
  • In order to use the Solution Deployment Method to deploy workflows using Workflow Conductor on Windows Server 2008, you must disable User Account Control (UAC) Admin Approval Mode or turn off UAC. UAC is a security component that allows an administrator to enter credentials during a non-administrator’s user session to perform occasional administrative tasks. Simple Publishing Method does NOT require a modification to UAC. See Configuring UAC for Workflow Conductor for more information.
  • To deploy a new version of a workflow, you must either use a different name than the existing workflow or retract and then remove the existing workflow solution from the farm.
  • Site workflows are not supported with this method.

Simple Publishing

Simple Publishing is a workflow deployment option introduced in Workflow Conductor 2.0. This method has the following features and limitations:

Features Limitations
  • Workflow publishing does not require application pool recycling and therefore does not impact site availability.
  • The workflow is automatically associated to the list where it was created, if published to the list. If published to the site or site collection, you can choose whether to associate it with the list where it was created.
  • Workflows published to the site or site collection can be associated to specific content types when published (SharePoint 2010/2013 only).
  • New versions of a workflow can be published with the same name without affecting current versions that are still running.
  • In SharePoint 2010/2013, workflows can be published to a site or site collection, as well as a single list/library.
  • Workflows can be published as a site workflow.
  • Workflows published to a site or site collection can be reused in other lists in the same site or site collection without using the Conductor Studio.
  • A workflow may take slightly longer to start the first time while the workflow is compiled. After the workflow is compiled during the first run, subsequent runs should be slightly faster.
  • For SharePoint 2007, workflows cannot be published to a site or site collection or as a site workflow. They can be published to a list only.
  • For SharePoint 2010/2013, workflow reusability is limited by the scope you select (list, site, or site collection) when you publish the workflow.