Azure Durable Functions for Approval Process

Correct Answer: D

When you need to run the long-term workflows, you should use the Azure Durable Functions.

The Durable Function is an extension of the Azure Functions.

The function provides a cost-effective serverless approach for running stateful long-running, complex workflows.

The Durable Function can chain, orchestrate, and coordinate the functions.

This Azure service manages the state.

Therefore, the developers do not need to write the code to manage the state for long-running functions.

There are three Durable Function types: Client, Orchestration, and Activity.

The Durable Functions implement several common workflow patterns: Function chaining - execution of the multiple functions in a specific order.

Fan out/fan in - a run of the multiple functions in parallel till every function finishes its execution.

Async HTTP APIs - coordination of the long-running operations with the external clients.

Monitor - a recurrent process until specific conditions are met.

Human interaction - a combination of human interaction with automated processes.

Aggregator - an aggregation of the several data streams from different data sources and possibly during long time periods into one function.

Option D is correct because the Human interaction pattern is a combination of human interaction with automated processes, like waiting for the document approval from a person.

This pattern involves four functions:

A request for approval task.

An assignment of the task to the person.

A process of approval.

An escalation process.

For more information about Durable functions, please visit the below URLs:

To create an approval process for SharePoint documents using Azure Durable Functions, you should consider the human interaction application pattern.

Explanation: Azure Durable Functions is a serverless compute platform that enables building of stateful, long-running functions that orchestrate workflows and integrations with external services. When designing an approval process, it's important to have a way for users to provide input and make decisions as part of the workflow. This is where the human interaction pattern comes in.

The human interaction pattern involves using Azure Durable Functions to create a stateful workflow that prompts users for input or approval at specific points in the process. This can be done using various methods such as email, instant messaging, or a custom user interface. Once the user provides input, the workflow can continue to the next step.

Other application patterns such as function chaining, monitor, async HTTP APIs, and fan out/fan in may also be useful in different scenarios. However, for an approval process that involves human interaction, the human interaction pattern is the most appropriate option.