What are the types of workflows in Dynamics 365?

 Background Workflow (Asynchronous)

Note: It is now recommended to use Microsoft Flow instead of background workflow.

In the screenshot above you can see the background workflow. Let us discuss each option in detail:

• Process Name
  • It is the name of the workflow.
  • Try giving a meaningful name, so that you can identify and make changes later. For example, a name that suggests why you created the workflow and what it does.
• Activate As
  • You have an option to activate this workflow as a Process (which can work independently) or Process Template (to reuse).
• Available to Run
  • Run this workflow in the background (default).
    In case of background process, this option is always selected and cannot be edited.
  • As an on-demand process.
    With this option selected, the workflow will be available for users to run it on demand, i.e. users can trigger the process.
  • As a child process.
    With this option selected, this workflow can also be called by other workflows.
• Workflow Job Retention
  • Automatically delete completed workflow job.
    You can select this option to save disk space. Whenever you run a workflow, it runs a job in the background. In case you have selected this option, the system then deletes that job once it is completed.
• Entity
  • Specify for which entity this workflow will run.
• Category
  • Workflow are part of processes in D365
• Scope
  • Scope of the workflow (with ownership)
  • This defines till which level this workflow can be executed. This is dependent on Ownership, which you can defile under “Administration” tab.
  • User
    The workflow will run only on records that the user owns.
  • Business Unit
    The workflow will run only on all records that are available in a Business Unit.
  • Parent: Child Business Unit
    The workflow will run on all records that are available in the parent Business Unit and its child Business Units.
  • Organization
    The workflow will run for all the users available in the organization.
• Start When
  • When the workflow must execute
    • Record is created
    • Record status changes
    • Record is assigned
    • Record field change
    • Record is created

Real-Time Workflow (Synchronous)

• Available to Run
  • Run this workflow in the background (disabled)
  • As an on-demand
  • As a child process
• Workflow Log Retention
  • Keep logs for workflow jobs that encounter errors.
    If a workflow job fails, you might want to keep the logs to examine later.
• Options for Automatic Processes
  • Scope
    Same options as background workflow.
  • Start When
    • Record is Created (After only)
    • Record Status Changes (Before and After)
    • Record is Assigned (Before and After)
    • Record is Deleted (Before only)
  • Execute as
    • The owner of the workflow
    • The user who made changes to the record

Workflow Components

These are the operations that you can perform when you are executing a workflow:

• Stage
  Allows you to organize workflow so it is easy to manage.
• Check Condition
  Allows you to check conditions on field’s value (of entities) – If then Else.
• Conditional Branch
  Works with the “Check Condition” as If-then and otherwise If-then.
• Default Action
  Default action works always as Otherwise (without a condition).
• Create Record
  Created a record of an entity.
• Update Record
  Update a record of an entity.
• Assign Record
  Assign a record to User or Team.
• Send Email
  Send an e-mail.
• Start Child Workflow
  Start a child workflow.
• Perform Action
  Allows you to invoke actions. These are types of process without writing a code.
• Change Status
  Allows you to changes status of the entity record.
• Stop Workflow
  Stops the workflow as either Cancelled or Succeeded.