F.A.Q.

Is FlowPoint only a tool for creating business processes? Can it be integrated in SharePoint?

FlowPoint - is not just a tool for creating business processes, but also the components used in server work. So FlowPoint Designer - a tool for creating business processes. FlowPoint.Core - a set of server components (a set of activities, web pages, Web Parts, event handlers), which enables to develop processes without coding and significantly expands opportunities, in comparison with using only MS SharePoint Designer.

What is implied by the expression ‘to create business processes without programming quickly and easily’?

The self-engineered tool of FlowPoint for SharePoint is used to create business processes. It is an application in Russian, where a graphical editor and compiler can automate almost any business processes. On the one hand this tool allows using the standard lists of SharePoint (which means - full functionality of SharePoint), but on the other hand provides great opportunities (more than WWF) for managing business processes without programming.

In particular:

  • a wide set of activities (activities of business processes);
  • creation of different numbers of stages of cards and documents movement;
  • arbitrary transitions between stages;
  • setting the rules for conditional jumps between stages (branching);
  • setting the rules of arithmetic and logic operations in transitions between stages;
  • setting the dynamic change of access rights to specific fields in each stage (ie, the same card will show different fields at different stages of its life cycle);
  • setting the default values for the individual fields at each stage;
  • setting the individual fields to be filled out at each stage;
  • etc.

More details about FlowPoint for SharePoint and its capabilities you can find at the site http://flowpoint.ru/

Do you plan to add new functionality of the so-called ‘activities’?

A set of activities (actions) is developed in accordance with block diagrams that analysts use to describe business processes. Accordingly, we plan to reduce activities by eliminating the so-called "service" activities.

Do you plan to release the updates of FlowPoint? If so, will the business processes created in the old version work on the new one?

We always get different requests to improvement of our system from the developers of business processes and clients, who use it. We try to consider them when we release a new version of the product. Our aim is to make each version of FlowPoint more comfortable and reduce the complexity of the development of business processes.

All the updates are always tested for compatibility and performance with the processes created in previous versions.

It is planned that the updates will be issued depending on the number of requests and the complexity of their implementation.

What versions of MS SharePoint server does FlowPoint run on?

FlowPoint.Core runs on:

  • Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007
  • Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
  • Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013 (coming soon)

Electronic document management system (EDMS) FlowPoint. Docs is implemented only for Standard and Enterprise MS SharePoint Server 2010.

Will the changes in a business process of FlowPoint affect the execution of already running processes?

In case of modifying the scheme of a business process, only new business instances will work due to it.
In case of changing the form of process in MS InfoPath, the changes will affect all the processes, including running and completed.

How to back up the system and data?

Standard backup of SharePoint Server, as well as backing up of FlowPoint databases (FlowPoint_Settings and FlowPoint_Workflows).

Recommended plan of backup:

  1. Make copies of virtual machines (monthly)

  2. Make copies of all databases (weekly)
  3. Make incremental copies of the database (once a day)

  4. Copying of the transaction logs (3-4 times a day)