You may be familiar with Arrays from your programming days (you have those rights?), and in a lot of ways, they act in similar capacities. You can store a series of data points and references or modify them later. However, while that is what immediately comes to mind, the Array can store multiple data points in each Array node, allowing you to store tables of data in variable form. 

Why is this good? Why would I need this? Often, when we need to store a list or order of operations, the dark temptation of hard-coding creeps back from our school days. “Why not just hard-code this just once? I am in a rush, and it won’t come back to bite me later” are the words of someone who has hidden a snake in their code. Storing these items in an Array allows for a relatively ease of changing run-time configuration options. Other good examples are: 

• Storing the order for a sequence, such as an approval order. 
• Storing connection information. 
• Storing Page or batch sizes for long-running processes. 

Declaring an Array 

Creating an Array that stores simple data is, as implied, pretty simple. 

Choose the “Initialize Variable” option from the list of actions and choose the “array” type. Then format your data as follows: 

[
"Item 1", 
"Item 2", 
"Item 4", 
"Item 3",  
"Items are sometimes out of order" 
]

[
"Item 1", 
"Item 2", 
"Item 4", 
"Item 3",  
"Items are sometimes out of order" 
]

Declaring an Array with multiple values.

The more interesting and customizable way of using Arrays is to store multiple data points within a single node of each Array. The only thing that needs to change from the previous step is to use a different format. 

[ 
{ 
"DataPoint1":"Please use something funnier than this", 
"ClownShoeSize":7, 
}, 
{ 
"DataPoint1":"That last joke was not funny", 
"ClownShoeSize":-1, 
}, 
]

[ 
{ 
"DataPoint1":"Please use something funnier than this", 
"ClownShoeSize":7, 
}, 
{ 
"DataPoint1":"That last joke was not funny", 
"ClownShoeSize":-1, 
}, 
]

With this, you can store what amounts to a table of data in this form. You could parse data from a table into an Array or grab items from the Array in order. 

Getting data from Arrays

The easiest way to grab data from the Array is to put the Array into an “Apply to Each” control action on the Array to access each item separately. 

However, while this is very easy for a single-value Array, using a multiple-item Array takes an extra step. 

With a single-item Array, one just needs to add the variable to the “apply to each” and reference the “current item” in whatever action you’re using. 

You can do the same thing with a multi-valued Array, but you just get a text outline of the node, without easy access to the individual nodes. 

To get the data out of the multi-valued Array, use the Parse JSON action. Use the multi-valued Array as the input then click the Use Sample payload to generate Scheme Button. 

Paste in the value from the variable (this needs to be done only once).

Click done and the schema is generated for you. 

Now in a loop you can use the body from the Parse JSON action as the input. 

Then within that loop, you can access each of the data points of the multi-valued array separately. 

Searching Arrays to approximate a key value pair

Sometimes you have an Array that is so large that looping through it would be time-consuming. 

When this occurs, you can use an Array like a Key Value pair. Which, if you know the unique value of a field in a node, it can act as a key, from which you can retrieve a value from the corresponding node. 

First, create a new Array with a field which you can ensure is of unique value. 

Note: There is no way to enforce uniqueness in the Array, so this will be entirely dependent on you to ensure that the inputs are valid. 

Next, use the “Filter” action and use the Array as the input. 

Use the following syntax to reference the key value “item ()[‘KeyFieldName’]” Then enter the value of your key in the second field. 

This will return the node in the Array that contains the key you entered. From there you can access the values as noted above. 

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You may have heard the news on July 6, 2020, that SharePoint 2010 workflows are being retired this year, and likely have a lot of questions. If you are hearing this news for the first time, below is an excerpt from Microsoft’s official announcement.

• Starting August 1st, 2020, SharePoint 2010 workflows will be turned off for newly created tenants.
• Starting November 1st, 2020, Microsoft will begin to remove the ability to run or create SharePoint 2010 workflows from existing tenants.
• Starting November 1st, 2020, SharePoint 2013 workflows will be turned off for newly created tenants.

If you are not familiar with SharePoint Online tenants and how they work, you may have some questions.

What do these dates mean?

If you are currently using SharePoint Online (Office 365), starting on November 1st, 2020, SharePoint 2010 workflows will stop working. While it may not happen on the first of the month, all tenants will be affected eventually. Microsoft rolls these changes out gradually rather than all at once, and eventually, all tenants are affected, regardless of size.

If you are using SharePoint on-premises, you will not be affected. However, if you are considering migrating your on-premises SharePoint implementation to Office 365, or implementing SharePoint Online for the first time, any tenants created on or after August 1st, 2020, will not have the ability to create or run 2010 workflows. If you are migrating to SharePoint Online and have SharePoint 2010 workflows, you will need to replace them.

Will this affect my SharePoint Sites?

To answer this you must answer two questions.

1. Are you using SharePoint Online or SharePoint on-premises?
   If you are using SharePoint on-premises, then you will not be affected by this change, although you should still consider a migration plan, as what is implemented in SharePoint Online will inevitably follow to the on-premises versions of SharePoint. If you are using SharePoint Online, you may be affected by future changes.
2. Do you have any SharePoint 2010 workflows?
   If you aren’t familiar with what type of workflows you use, you can check using Microsoft’s SharePoint Modernization Scanner. It will scan your SharePoint sites and detect the usage of any legacy workflows, including both SharePoint 2010 and 2013 workflows.

If you are using SharePoint Online and are running any SharePoint 2010 Workflows, you will be affected by this change.

I have 2010 workflows on SharePoint Online what should I do?

The short answer is that you will have to replace them.

The preferred platform to replace SharePoint workflows is Microsoft’s Power Automate. This offers a variety of benefits over using SharePoint workflows and can replace all the default functionality of SharePoint workflows. If you have extended SharePoint’s functionality with custom actions, you should review the available actions in Power Automate to duplicate these actions.

What about my SharePoint 2013 workflows?

As of right now, these workflows will continue to work as intended. They are considered “supported” but are also considered “deprecated”, which means no new features are going to be added to this service. In addition, any tenants created on or after November 1st will not have 2013 workflows as an option. This can be turned on using PowerShell if required.

How can DMC help?

This process can be daunting. Developing a plan of action and relying on experts with Power Automate experience will be invaluable in this time of transition. Our team will:

• Analyze your SharePoint site and prioritize workflows that must be rebuilt
• Determine if the processes that your 2010 workflows support should be rethought or redesigned
• Architect and design your workflows 
• (Re)Build workflows using Power Automate (a.k.a. Flow) 

DMC has a wealth of experience with migrating and building new Flows in Power Automate to manage, automate, and streamline business processes. Please contact us if you need assistance migrating your existing workflows or building new workflows to improve your business processes.

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By joining this network of Microsoft Partners, DMC will be identified as a specialized provider of Power BI solutions. DMC will also have a unique opportunity to collaborate and build relationships with other Microsoft and Partner experts in the field. DMC also gains access to a wealth of exclusive resources and training opportunities, including special events, training webinars, and technical courses.

Most organizations have a vast amount of data at their fingertips, from time reporting and quality assurance to sales. Microsoft’s Power BI platform is a powerful tool for gathering and transforming this data into actionable insights. Power BI consolidates disparate data sources including on-premise, cloud, and third-party services, such as SharePoint, Dynamics CRM, Salesforce, SQL, and Oracle. 

Rick Rietz, DMC’s Director of Consulting Services, is very excited about the benefits Power BI brings to businesses.  “With so much data available and rapidly changing business needs, it’s really important for decision makers to have relevant and real-time reporting.  Microsoft’s Power BI tools make it easy to create rich visual dashboard experiences that include streaming real-time data.  Microsoft’s Power BI solution is also a great complement to DMC’s IoT expertise.”

Learn more about DMC’s Power BI solutions and expertise.

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DMC QuickTip #4 demonstrates how to easily upload entire folders to SharePoint 2013 through Internet Explorer. This allows you to upload multiple files at once while still maintaining your file organization and hierarchy.

Learn more about DMC's Microsoft Consulting Services.

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DMC QuickTip #3 demonstrates how to add metadata columns to lists and libraries in SharePoint 2013. This allows you to enter more information to each item, and also adds more criteria by which you can filter and organize content.

Learn more about DMC's Microsoft Consulting Services.

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To solve this we have to serialize the variable in the only way that we have access to: List Fields. These fields can be set and used as de facto variables. The biggest issue we face using fields in this manner is that the fields we would prefer to keep hidden will appear on the new, edit, and view forms in SharePoint.  However, in this article I’ll demonstrate an easy way to eliminate this issue as well.

First, if it is not already, turn on Content Types for the list you’ll be working with.

Next, create a field to store the variable you want to store.

Before you click create, make sure the two checkboxes at the bottom of the screen are checked. 

Without checking these boxes, the field will appear on the forms for items of this content type. However, they will still be writable, and even readable from a view if you add the field. This is exactly the behavior we want from our “variable” field.

Now write to the field as you would any item, using the Update Item action in SharePoint Designer. 

It is also a good idea to think about whether or not you will ever be in a position to read from the field before data are written to it. If this is the case, and even if it isn’t, a good practice would be to check if the field is empty before reading from it to prevent strange error cases.

Once you've done this, you now have a field which will persist between runs of the workflow but can still be seen in views if the content is added. This is also important to know because this is not a place to store sensitive information, only information not relevant to the user.

The content cannot be written to from the New Item form.

However, it can be seen in a view if configured properly. This is useful for debugging the values stored in these fields.

Next Steps:

Think of the value of implementing persistent variables in other cases:

• Allowing for multiple Contract Generations, or restrict it to a single time only with Integer and Boolean variables.
• Restrict the execution of a Reminder Workflow if conditions are met with a Boolean variable.
• Set a programmatically Created Site's new URL in a site tracking list, without letting a user change it inadvertently. Remember, these variables can still be seen by users in views!

If you'd like to learn more about DMC's Microsoft Consulting Services, click here, or if you'd like to work with DMC to implement persistent variables in your SharePoint environment, please contact us.

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Step one is to set up site columns for your document. In this case, I’ve only set up a few fields, but you’re free to use as many as you like. The reason for needing a list and a document type is that, in using this solution, I’ve, for security purposes, created a list where my templates will live to prevent the inadvertent editing of a contract template.

The first thing to do is to set up two document libraries: “Contract Templates” and “Active Contracts”. 

Feel free to name these libraries as you please, but it’s important that you add the content types you’ve created to the document libraries.

Next create a contract generation list, which I’ve named “Contract List.” In this list add the site columns as well as any fields which might assist in tracking, such as an expiration date. This list will allow for easy reporting and grouping, but most importantly, if certain metadata is required content, that metadata can be enforced here, whereas it would not be possible to do so in the document creation.

Next you need to create a template. To do this you need to create a new document directly from the library; this ensures that the metadata are listed in the document information panel.

Once here, you can copy in the contract and start adding your quick parts. Wherever you want your metadata to appear, you insert a quick part. You can then test it out by modifying the metadata and opening the document.

Once the quick parts have been added, the finished product will look like this:

The last step, now that you’ve set up your libraries and templates, is to actually generate the document. For this you’ll need to create a new list workflow against the “Contract List.” In this list you must begin by copying the template from the first library to the second.

Next, you update the metadata in the newly created item to the matching data from the Contract List to the Active Contracts field.

When you open the document in the Active Contracts library you’ll see that the places where you’ve added quick parts are now being assigned by the document library’s metadata.

How can you improve this?

• Modify the workflow such that any future changes to the metadata from either the list view or the library view reflect in both lists
• Require approval in the Contract List before a contact is created
• Add an expiration reminder
• Color code the documents
• Create multiple templates, and use document metadata to determine which template to use

To learn more about DMC’s Microsoft Consulting Services click here. To learn more about working with DMC to implement your own Contract or document generation solution, please contact us.

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The first thing we have to do is create the key fields in the list for which we want to set reminders. I’m going to assume that for most of us, the list or document library (this solution will work for both), is already established. With this being the case, I won’t go through the trouble of creating a brand new list. Instead I’ll outline, at a minimum, which fields will be required.

• Assigned To: This field should hold the user who will be notified about the impending expiration. Existing Created By fields can be used, but remember to think holistically about the solution. Sometimes that person will leave the organization, transition to a different department, or be on vacation when you need to notify them. As such, I find it best to have a separate assignment field.
• Expiration Date: This field should contain the date on which the list item or document will expire. It is also possible to use the Created By date, and calculate the expiration date on the fly, but again, thinking holistically about the situation: it is often best to be able to change this date if the expiration rules change throughout the year.

These fields are by no means exhaustive; as the workflow is built, you’ll see obvious places to add additional fields to make the solution more customizable. In fact, at the end of this article I’ll give a list of possible improvements to customize the workflow to your organization and improve your workflow skills.

Moving on to the workflow itself, the biggest thing to understand is how Loops and Parallel blocks work. It is entirely possible to set a workflow with two steps: wait until the expiration date, and then email the assigned user. That looks like this:

However, what you’ll find is that this won’t service the needs of most organizations. If a document changes, or is approved before the expiration date, the workflow won’t be able to reflect this and will still notify the user on the original expiration date. As such, the first thing we need to do is put the “wait” command into a loop.

This means that each time we get to the expiration date, the loop will start over again. However, this will cause a major issue when we reach the expiration date, and the assigned user will get a massive flood of emails. To avoid this, set the looping condition to "Yes" after reaching the date. 

Now, in order to take into consideration any changes that happen we have to add a parallel block to our loop. Normally each step occurs in sequence, Step A before Step B and so on.  When these steps are set to run in parallel, Step A and Step B occur at the same time. Before Step C occurs, Step A and B must both complete. However, in our case, we need to move on to Step C when either A or B occurs. To set this, create a Boolean variable and set it to "yes". Then right click the parallel block and select Advanced Properties.  There is only one property; set it to a new variable.

Now with this property set, create a second block where we will wait for a change in the item. Now the workflow will wait for either a change in the property or a change in the item. If it detects a change in the item, the whole loop starts over again, this can then take into consideration any changes made in the expiration date. 

With that you have a working and functional expiration date reminder. Here are a list of additional modifications we’ve used with clients in the past that you can try to help spruce up the reminders.

• Send a notification two weeks before the expiration date.
• Set the notification interval from a field in the item.
• Send notifications after the expiration date.
• Set an escalation contact if the item is overdue that will be emailed automatically.
• Set multiple people to be assigned the same task, list, or document.

As always if you’re interested in us implementing an expiration workflow for your SharePoint site, or need help with other SharePoint problems, please read more about DMC’s Microsoft Consulting Services.

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The weekly news quiz which makes its home here at Chicago’s WBEZ, home of the Serial podcast, had returned from its whirlwind tour of the United States. With a week that boasted a potential government shut down, a royal visit, and falcons now being able to fly on airplanes, there was no shortage of hilarious material to cover.

After corralling the 20+ strong DMC crew, and ensuring our traveling brethren from the deep suburbs could still get in after the show started, we were in stitches hearing jokes from the week’s panelists: Shelby Fero, Charlie Pierce, and Tom Bodett. In a beyond pleasant surprise for the group, the week’s guest star was none other than Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself, Patrick Stewart!  The hair-free Star Trek captain regaled the audience with stories from his youth, and even shared his boyhood regional accent with the crowd. 

Overall, the night provided not only laughs and great company, but for regular listeners, it provided a glimpse into the production process. We were able to sit in on extra jokes, flubs that had to be re-recorded, and some of the best times had by all.

If you would like to listen to the episode, and maybe listen for the laughs of your truly, the podcast can be found here.

To learn more about DMC and its culture, read more about us.

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Here at DMC, we take great pride in our onboarding process for new employees. We love that all new hires feel welcome and hit the ground running their first week. Have you ever arrived at a job and spent the first few days waiting for system access? Or for a manager to figure out what to do with you? That doesn’t happen here.

But as our company continues to expand the process is becoming difficult to manage. With each new employee, there are large numbers of tasks to be completed by various members of Management, HR, and IT. We decided to address this issue by automating the process management with SharePoint workflow. So far we’ve noticed two real benefits:

1. No task gets forgotten
2. We spend less time tracking down status and more time doing real work

Below I outline our process and how we implemented it using SharePoint.

The Onboarding Process

Onboarding is a long-term process that begins before an employee starts and continues well into their first few months. To model it in SharePoint we created a custom list that tracks the status of each new employee. We add candidates to this list as soon as they accept an offer, and then the SharePoint workflow is automatically started.

From here the process is divided into several time-based phases. Every organization is different, but the following worked well for us:

At the start of each phase, tasks are assigned to the appropriate person and SharePoint sends an email to everyone involved.  The email includes a link leading directly to a view of their tasks. Users can sort/filter the view at their convenience and mark complete when done.  Additional views allow anyone to see all pending tasks for a high-level perspective.

Configurable Onboarding Checklist

There are many small details in the onboarding process, and these details are constantly changing.  So we also created a configurable checklist that allows the business team to update the process on the fly.

This checklist is simply a SharePoint list that contains all tasks for a new employee. It acts as a “template” from which the workflow copies specific details. Below is a sample:

Our template includes a column to mark the task as ‘Active’ as well as fields for task name, assigned to, relative due date, and task phase.  In the future we may add more columns to further differentiate tasks, for example by office location or employee role. 

Now whenever we need to re-distribute work or start tracking a new part of the process, anyone can make the change without going back into designer and modifying the workflow definition.

Building the workflow

We built the workflow in our SharePoint environment using only SharePoint Designer. No custom code – just some clever use of new 2013 workflow features. For a step-by-step of how to build this workflow, check out my next blog: Demonstrating New Features of SharePoint 2013 Workflow Manager.

For help on implementing your own workflow processes with SharePoint, please Contact Us.  We would welcome the opportunity to make your workflow project successful.

Learn more about DMC’s SharePoint Workflow services.

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