TechEd - Building Rules-Based Systems in Windows Workflow Foundation
This session provided me with some more background on Workflow Foundation or WF. WF is a combination of a workflow engine and a rules engine. The WF engine uses the rules engine to store conditions and such. The rules engine itself can run separate from the workflow engine.
That provides you with the option to define business rules in a database and have your application act on the evaluation of those rules, instead of using hard coded conditions. A business rule can be changed without having to recompile and redeploy the application.
The Workflow designer in WF offers Business Analysts the option to model business workflows and rules without having to have any knowledge of the underlying code. The code required to build the application that processes these rules is left to the developer. Integrating this technology will prove an interesting challenge for any Architect.
More information on WF can be found at:
Here you will find samples and detailed information on what WF has in store for you.