Product Suite Overview
FlowOn for Dynamics 365 CE consists of four integrated products that together provide a complete no-code development platform.
Architecture Overview
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FLOWON PRODUCT SUITE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ FLOWON PROJECT │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ The unifying container for all FlowOn artifacts │ │
│ │ • Unit of deployment │ │
│ │ • Unit of version control │ │
│ │ • Unit of sharing │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ┌─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ ▼ ▼ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ FLOWON │ │ FLOWON │ │ FLOWON │ │
│ │ LOGIC │◄────►│ BPM │◄────►│ API │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ Declarative │ │ Business │ │ REST API │ │
│ │ Programming │ │ Process │ │ Generator │ │
│ │ │ │ Management │ │ │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ └─────────────────────┼─────────────────────┘ │
│ │ │
│ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ FLOWON CI/CD TOOLS │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ Export • Import • Version • Map • Deploy • Document │ │
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Product Summary
| Product | Purpose | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| FlowOn Logic | Declarative programming | Formulas, Decision Tables, Flows, Events |
| FlowOn BPM | Business process management | Stages, Routing, Assignments, Escalations |
| FlowOn API | REST API generation | CRUD, Queries, Processes, OpenAPI |
| FlowOn CI/CD Tools | Deployment automation | Export, Import, Mapping, Pipelines |
Product Relationships
The products are designed to work together seamlessly:
| Relationship | Description |
|---|---|
| Logic → BPM | BPM processes use Logic Blocks for calculations, validations, and routing decisions, and Logic Flows for automating logic on the entering and exiting of each stage |
| Logic → API | APIs expose Logic Blocks for form validations and business rules, Flows for executing orchestration logic, and Events for emitting domain and system event instances. |
| BPM → API | BPM processes can be triggered and controlled via API endpoints |
| All → CI/CD | All artifacts are packaged, versioned, and deployed through CI/CD Tools |
FlowOn Logic
The Declarative Programming Engine
FlowOn Logic is the foundation of the FlowOn platform, providing constructs for expressing business logic without code.
Core Constructs
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FLOWON LOGIC CONSTRUCTS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ LOGIC BLOCKS (Reusable Calculations) │
│ ──────────────────────────────────── │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ FORMULA │ │ DECISION │ │ DECISION │ │ VALIDATION │ │
│ │ │ │ TABLE │ │ TREE │ │ │ │
│ │ Single │ │ Rule-based │ │ Hierarchical│ │ Data quality│ │
│ │ expression │ │ decisions │ │ decisions │ │ checks │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ORCHESTRATION │
│ ───────────── │
│ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ ┌─────────────┐ │
│ │ LOGIC │ │ LOGIC │ │ VALIDATION │ │
│ │ FLOW │ │ RECIPE │ │ SET │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ Multi-step │ │ Event-driven│ │ Multiple │ │
│ │ automation │ │ triggers │ │ validations │ │
│ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ └─────────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Formula | Single-expression calculations |
| Decision Table | Rule-based decisions using matrices |
| Decision Tree | Hierarchical nested decisions |
| Validation | Data quality checks |
| Logic Flow | Multi-step automation |
| Logic Recipe | Event-driven triggers |
FlowOn BPM
Enterprise Business Process Management
FlowOn BPM is a full-featured process management engine that transcends native Dynamics 365 BPF limitations.
Why FlowOn BPM?
| Native BPF Limitation | FlowOn BPM Solution |
|---|---|
| Linear stages only | Complex branching and parallel paths |
| Limited automation | Full Logic Flow integration |
| No dynamic routing | Conditional transitions with guards |
| Basic assignments | Role, team, queue, rule-based assignment |
| No escalations | Built-in escalation engine |
| No notifications | Integrated notification system |
Process Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FLOWON BPM ARCHITECTURE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ Stage 1 │───►│ Stage 2 │───►│ Stage 3 │───►│ Stage 4 │ │
│ │ Initial │ │ Review │ │ Approval│ │ Complete│ │
│ └─────────┘ └────┬────┘ └────┬────┘ └─────────┘ │
│ │ │ │
│ ▼ ▼ │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌─────────┐ │
│ │ Rework │ │ Escalate│ │
│ └─────────┘ └─────────┘ │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Visual Process Designer | Drag-and-drop process modeling |
| Complex Routing | Conditional, parallel, converging paths |
| Stage Automation | Logic Flows on entry/exit |
| Dynamic Assignment | Rules-based work distribution |
| Escalations | Time and condition-based |
| Process Tracing | Complete audit trail |
FlowOn API
REST API Generator
FlowOn API eliminates backend development by generating production-ready REST APIs from configuration.
The API Challenge Solved
| Traditional Approach | FlowOn API |
|---|---|
| Backend developers | Configuration only |
| Weeks of development | Hours to deploy |
| Manual documentation | Auto-generated OpenAPI |
| Custom security code | Declarative policies |
API Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FLOWON API STRUCTURE │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ API │
│ └── Modules │
│ ├── Entities │
│ │ ├── Actions (Create, Read, Update, Delete) │
│ │ └── Queries (Single, Multi, Paginated) │
│ └── Processes (Global Process Actions) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Key Capabilities
| Capability | Description |
|---|---|
| Entity Actions | CRUD operations with field mapping |
| Custom Queries | Single, Multi, Paginated |
| Process Actions | Expose BPM operations |
| Access Control | Role-based authorization |
| OpenAPI Generation | Automatic Swagger docs |
| API Versioning | Draft, publish, version |
FlowOn CI/CD Tools
Deployment Automation
FlowOn CI/CD Tools brings modern DevOps practices to Dynamics 365 deployment.
Command Reference
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
flowon export | Export artifacts |
flowon import | Import to target |
flowon generate-mappings | Create data maps |
flowon apply-mappings | Apply transformations |
flowon generate-openapi | Generate API docs |
flowon enable-plugins | Activate plugins |
flowon disable-plugins | Deactivate plugins |
flowon increment-solution-version | Bump version |
Data Mapping Types
| Type | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Configuration | Environment variables, URLs, flags |
| Entity | GUID mappings across environments |
| Localized Resource | Multi-language strings |
| Service Connection | External API configurations |