Planning a Workflow Process for Exchange Server

This content is no longer actively maintained. It is provided as is, for anyone who may still be using these technologies, with no warranties or claims of accuracy with regard to the most recent product version or service release.

As with all development, planning is the key to creating successful applications. The Workflow Designer for Exchange 2000 Server automates many of the activities required to create a workflow process for Exchange 2000 Server or SharePoint Portal Server. However, it is important you understand the related technologies and dependencies.

When the workflow process is created, issues, such as how the application will look (the user interface) and how the users will interact with objects, must be considered. These elements must be created outside of the Workflow Designer.

In addition, because a workflow application depends on security and permissions from Exchange 2000 Server and from the operating system, these permissions and privileges must be reviewed carefully before beginning development.

In This Section

• Development Steps
  An overview of workflow process development methods.
• Permissions Checklist
  List of issues related to developer and user permissions.

Related Sections

• Developing Workflow Applications for Exchange Server
  Generally, the term "workflow" is used to describe applications that are modeled as business processes. Typical workflow applications include forms routing/approval, document review/publishing, and issue tracking.
• Workflow Applications Architecture for Exchange Server
  A workflow application consists of forms and documents that a user manipulates and tools on the server that manage those documents according to a set of rules.
• Building a Workflow Process for Exchange Server
  The Workflow Designer makes it possible for you to build, modify, and add script to workflow processes for Exchange 2000 folders or SharePoint Portal Server folders.
• Developing the User Interface for Exchange Workflow
  The user interface is independent of CDO Workflow objects and runs on a client computer.
• Scripting in the Workflow Designer for Exchange Server
  Add functionality to your workflow process by using Microsoft® Visual Basic® Scripting Edition (VBScript).
• Advanced Workflow Process Management
  When you have created your workflow processes using the Workflow Designer, you can use the advanced management features.
• Troubleshooting Workflow Applications for Exchange Server
  Learn how to avoid or resolve the most common errors and issues you might encounter when using Workflow Designer.