InfoPath in BizTalk Workflow

An InfoPath form can provide a client interface for a Human Workflow Services (HWS) workflow. InfoPath includes a straightforward design tool that developers can use to link fields in a form to specific data elements in workflow message schemas. In addition, InfoPath controls in a form can be tied to scripts that call HWS functions.

In this illustration, the author of a legal document uses the form to assign three colleagues the task of reviewing the document. The InfoPath form contains fields for information such as the document’s title and location and the name of the person assigning the review (“Opened By” field). InfoPath automatically links the data in these fields to the corresponding elements in an HWS “assign” action’s activation message.

Clicking the “Submit” button causes InfoPath to call a script that sends the activation message to BizTalk Server via the HWS Web services interface. Receipt of the message by HWS triggers the assign action, which could, for example, determine whether the team members assigned the review task (those listed in the “Issue Assigned to:” table of the form) are authorized to view the document. It could then formulate task messages and route these to authorized reviewers.