SharePoint 2013 workflow retirement - the end of an era

Microsoft is (finally) retiring SharePoint workflows - the end of an era of workflows built on top of Microsoft  Workflow Foundation (Workflow Foundation got introduced in 2005 - and yes I did play around with the beta of this back then - since I though it was the greatest thing since sliced bread )

Starting April 2d 2024 all SharePoint 2013 workflows will be turned off for newly created tenants. April  2d 2026 all SharePoint 2013 workflows will stop working for existing tenants.

Helpful links:

• Microsoft 365 assessment tool to scan tenants
• Guidance: migrate from classic workflows to Power Automate flows in SharePoint

Easy way to get the Dynamics CRM Realm ID for server-based SharePoint integration

Server-based SharePoint integration in Dynamics CRM actually uses the same techniques as high-trust SharePoint app (For more background read Security in SharePoint Apps – Part 1) that you can develop yourself. SharePoint apps (or add-ins) use Appprincipals (a separate identity for an app) to act on your behalf when interacting with SharePoint. SharePoint knows that it can trust the request from the AppPrincipal when it is correctly registered. So one of the steps in Configure server-based authentication with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (on-premises) and SharePoint on-premises  requires you to register the AppPrincipal. To be able to use Register-SPAppPrincipal, you will need the CRMRealmId.

But there is an easier way to get to the crmrealmid than described in the walkthrough (if you forgot to note it down as suggested by the article) – you can simply go to the Settings>Customizations>Developer Resources and use the instance reference ID.

Trends impacting collaborative tools and platforms

I have been working for quite some years now consulting companies mostly on the technical side of building and designing collaborative environments but when preparing for a presentation about why people should upgrade their current environment to the latest (and off course greatest) version I tried to summarize some trends which significantly impact the way that we should think about these environments.

• It’s a multi-device & mobile world.  90% of people use multiple screens sequentially to accomplish their goals with search being the most common ways consumers continue from one device to another (Source Google: The New multi-screen world study )
• Social collaboration is the new norm. 82% of the world’s online population engages in social networks. The usage of social tools has changed the mindset of people and is blurring the division between private and work life. People are expecting to same ease of connecting with co-workers and keeping up to date  within the enterprise as they are used to connect and follow their social network outside  outside of it. The fact that a new digital generation ( a.k.a Generation Y) is entering the workforce will put even more pressure on companies to embrace social tools.
• Businesses are faced with an increased pace of change. Most people seem to think that the accelerating change is typical for technology but this accelerated pace of change also applies to business in general. According to research the average lifespan of a S&P 500 company is 18 years today (compared with 68 years in 1950). At this rate 75% of the S&P 500 will be replaced by 2027 (Source Innosight.com, 2012: Creative destruction whips through corporate America). Extrapolating from past patterns by the end of the year 2020, the average lifespan will have been shortened to about 10 years (See Survival and performance in the era of discontinuity). The only corporate survivors will be those that can increase the rate of creative destruction without losing control of present operations.
• No man is an island – collaboration is required for value creation. 66% of CIOs from top-performing organizations see collaboration as key to innovation. (Source: IBM CIO study, 2001). Most tasks performed by knowledge workers have become so complex that they require people with diverse skill sets and from multiple disciplines to collaborate. Unfortunately organization are still quite hierarchical organized which impedes efficient collaboration. Definitely read – Enterprise Social Networks what has changed and the changing role of middle management
• Renewed focus on people as the core asset in the battle for companies survival.  Although the next quote was made by Andrew Carnegie at the end of the 19th century it holds more true then ever.
The only irreplaceable capital an organization possesses is the knowledge and ability of its people. The productivity of that capital depends on how effectively people share their competence with those who can use it.
If you look at information workers (the typically users of your platform) you will notice a shift in structure based work (Processes, routines,controls,…) to more knowledge based work (research, problem-solving, relationship driven,…) But knowledge workers are more likely to excel when they are engaged. Gallup estimates that engaged employees are 18% more productive and that attrition decreases with 51%. At the same time employees are expecting more from their employers. They don’t just go to work to get paid, they want to be motivated, challenged and have a clear purpose( definitely check out the video What motivates us?)
Related posts:

• Enterprise 2.0 and organizational culture
• Knowledge and talent in a people ready business
• Knowledge is power! So why share your knowledge?
• The value in social networks
• Colleagues, Social Distance & Relevance in People Search, and other Social Networking tools in SharePoint
 

SharePoint 2010 Online Powershell Commandbuilder

Something interesting for people who want to start using Powershell and SharePoint 2010 - the Online PowerShell Command Builder Tool. The Windows PowerShell Command Builder for SharePoint 2010 (Microsoft Office 365) is a Silverlight 4 application that is designed to help IT professionals and power users learn how to use Windows PowerShell for administrative tasks. You can also install it locally: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/TechNet/en-us/Office/media/WindowsPowerShell/WindowsPowerShellCommandBuilder.html