Microsoft recently made an important announcement regarding the retirement of SharePoint 2013 Workflow (also referred to as Workflow Manager) in Microsoft 365. Since the announcement, we’ve heard concerns from customers and prospects relying heavily on this functionality for their business process automation needs.
In this month’s Insight, we will delve into what we know today and the implications for you. We will also explore the recommended migration path to Microsoft’s modern workflow automation solution, Power Automate. Additionally, we will discuss third-party options, mainly focusing on the migration path for solutions built leveraging Nintex, one of our long-time trusted automation partners.
A Brief History of SharePoint Workflows
When we talk about workflows in the context of SharePoint, we are talking about automating the actions required to move a document (such as a contract, procedure, etc.) or item (such as a leave request, expense report, etc.) through a business process. When implementing these automated business processes SharePoint, Microsoft provided two workflow systems: SharePoint 2010 Workflow and SharePoint 2013 Workflow.
SharePoint 2010 Workflow
SharePoint 2010 workflows were released along with SharePoint Server 2010 and were hosted and executed using the SharePoint Workflow engine.
SharePoint 2013 Workflow
Similarly, SharePoint 2013 workflows were released along with SharePoint Server 2013. Like SharePoint 2010 workflows, SharePoint 2013 workflows were hosted in SharePoint, but unlike the former, SharePoint 2013 workflows were executed in the Workflow Manager, running independently from the SharePoint Workflow engine.
SharePoint Online Workflows
Regarding SharePoint Online, up until late 2020, you could choose to create workflows using the SharePoint 2010 or the SharePoint 2013 Workflow system. In the fall of 2020, Microsoft announced the retirement of SharePoint 2010 Workflow for Microsoft 365 (i.e., Sharepoint Online). While SharePoint 2013 workflows remained available, Microsoft’s primary advice at that time was to move all automated business processes to Power Automate or a third-party solution, such as Nintex.
SharePoint 2013 Workflow
Similarly, SharePoint 2013 workflows were released along with SharePoint Server 2013. Like SharePoint 2010 workflows, SharePoint 2013 workflows were hosted in SharePoint, but unlike the former, SharePoint 2013 workflows were executed in the Workflow Manager, running independently from the SharePoint Workflow engine.
SharePoint Online Workflows
Regarding SharePoint Online, up until late 2020, you could choose to create workflows using the SharePoint 2010 or the SharePoint 2013 Workflow system. In the fall of 2020, Microsoft announced the retirement of SharePoint 2010 Workflow for Microsoft 365 (i.e., Sharepoint Online). While SharePoint 2013 workflows remained available, Microsoft’s primary advice at that time was to move all automated business processes to Power Automate or a third-party solution, such as Nintex.
SharePoint 2013 Workflow
Similarly, SharePoint 2013 workflows were released along with SharePoint Server 2013. Like SharePoint 2010 workflows, SharePoint 2013 workflows were hosted in SharePoint, but unlike the former, SharePoint 2013 workflows were executed in the Workflow Manager, running independently from the SharePoint Workflow engine.
SharePoint Online Workflows
Regarding SharePoint Online, up until late 2020, you could choose to create workflows using the SharePoint 2010 or the SharePoint 2013 Workflow system. In the fall of 2020, Microsoft announced the retirement of SharePoint 2010 Workflow for Microsoft 365 (i.e., Sharepoint Online). While SharePoint 2013 workflows remained available, Microsoft’s primary advice at that time was to move all automated business processes to Power Automate or a third-party solution, such as Nintex.
SharePoint 2013 Workflow
Similarly, SharePoint 2013 workflows were released along with SharePoint Server 2013. Like SharePoint 2010 workflows, SharePoint 2013 workflows were hosted in SharePoint, but unlike the former, SharePoint 2013 workflows were executed in the Workflow Manager, running independently from the SharePoint Workflow engine.
Conclusion
Regarding SharePoint Online, up until late 2020, you could choose to create workflows using the SharePoint 2010 or the SharePoint 2013 Workflow system. In the fall of 2020, Microsoft announced the retirement of SharePoint 2010 Workflow for Microsoft 365 (i.e., Sharepoint Online). While SharePoint 2013 workflows remained available, Microsoft’s primary advice at that time was to move all automated business processes to Power Automate or a third-party solution, such as Nintex.
