Abstract: A first database and a second database have different schemas. An activity in a workflow accesses a data item in a list by invoking a method in an interface of a list object. The list comprises a collection of data items. Each data item in the list comprises an item key field specifying an item key. No two data items in the data item collection have item key fields specifying a shared item key. In addition, each data item in the list comprises a set of additional fields. Each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the first database or each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the second database. In this way, the activity can be implemented without knowledge of the different schemas of the first database and the second database.

Abstract: A first database and a second database have different schemas. An activity in a workflow accesses a data item in a list by invoking a method in an interface of a list object. The list comprises a collection of data items. Each data item in the list comprises an item key field specifying an item key. No two data items in the data item collection have item key fields specifying a shared item key. In addition, each data item in the list comprises a set of additional fields. Each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the first database or each field in the set of additional fields has a value derived from the second database. In this way, the activity can be implemented without knowledge of the different schemas of the first database and the second database.

Abstract: A server computing system stores at least one workflow template and at least one workflow customization table. The workflow template includes activity elements that indicate activities included in the workflow. The activity elements include attributes associated with input properties of the indicated activities. At least one of the activity elements includes an attribute associated with an input property, the attribute specifying a variable name, not particular data. The workflow customization table includes an entry associating the variable name with particular data. When the server computing system initializes a workflow instance based on the workflow template, the server computing system binds the input property to the particular data specified by the workflow customization table. Thus, by storing different workflow customization tables, the same workflow template can be used to initialize workflow instances having different behavior.