Sams Teach Yourself Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) in 24 Hours

In just 24 sessions of about an hour, you‘ll learn how to build robust, efficient business workflows with Windows Workflow Foundation (WF). Using a straightforward, step–by–step approach, each lesson builds the real–world foundation you need to succeed with WF from the ground up.

Filled with hands–on code examples, this book walks you through creating every type of workflow supported by .NET 3.5‘s powerful new version of WF. One step at a time, you‘ll discover how to host workflows, manage workflow lifecycles, integrate with Web services and WCF applications, create custom activities, and moreeverything you‘ll need to solve real–world problems with WF!

Step–by–step instructions carefully walk you through the most common WF questions, issues, and tasks.

Q&As help you build and test your knowledge.

Notes point out shortcuts, solutions, and potential problems to avoid.

New terms are clearly defined and explained.

Learn how to...

• Understand the value of workflows and their role in general .NET and advanced business process management systems
• Run workflows from and exchange data with .NET applications
• Create sequential, state–machine, and data–driven workflows
• Define multi–level approval workflows that execute in parallel and escalate
• Develop rulesets and manage them from SQL databases
• Track your workflows to make them more agile and governable
• Use Dynamic Update to change running workflows
• Work with exceptions, compensation, and transactions
• Expose workflows as Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services and call Web services from workflows via WCF
• Expose workflows as Web services and call Web services from workflows
• Create basic, queued, event–driven, and composite custom activities

Backcover Copy

In just 24 sessions of about an hour, you’ll learn how to build robust, efficient business workflows with Windows Workflow Foundation (WF). Using a straightforward, step–by–step approach, each lesson builds the real–world foundation you need to succeed with WF from the ground up.

Filled with hands–on code examples, this book walks you through creating every type of workflow supported by .NET 3.5’s powerful new version of WF. One step at a time, you’ll discover how to host workflows, manage workflow lifecycles, integrate with Web services and WCF applications, create custom activities, and moreeverything you’ll need to solve real–world problems with WF!

Step–by–step instructions carefully walk you through the most common WF questions, issues, and tasks.

Q&As help you build and test your knowledge.

Notes point out shortcuts, solutions, and potential problems to avoid.

New terms are clearly defined and explained.

Learn how to...

• Understand the value of workflows and their role in general .NET and advanced business process management systems
• Run workflows from and exchange data with .NET applications
• Create sequential, state–machine, and data–driven workflows
• Define multi–level approval workflows that execute in parallel and escalate
• Develop rulesets and manage them from SQL databases
• Track your workflows to make them more agile and governable
• Use Dynamic Update to change running workflows
• Work with exceptions, compensation, and transactions
• Expose workflows as Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) services and call Web services from workflows via WCF
• Expose workflows as Web services and call Web services from workflows
• Create basic, queued, event–driven, and composite custom activities

Author Bios

Robert Eisenberg, principal, RE Associates, has more than twenty years of application development, consulting training, and management experience. Robert is currently an analyst and consultant specializing in WF, WCF, SharePoint, SOA, BizTalk, and Oslo. Robert’s past experience includes the following: CEO and CTO, U.S. operations of the largest Internet professional services firm in Europe; acting director of enterprise systems at a publicly traded manufacturing company, where he architected and implemented all key business systems; founder and president of a software services company that installed and customized midmarket ERP solutions and created custom systems for Fortune 500 and midsize corporations. Clients included SBC, Ameritech, the Federal Reserve Bank, US West, and Cushman & Wakefield. Robert writes articles and frequently speaks about the topics he consults on at CodeCamp, Integration Journal, and Intelligent Enterprise Magazine.