Set up a task flow (preview)

This article describes how to start building a task flow, starting either from scratch or with one of Fabric's predefined task flows. It targets data analytics solution architects and others who want to create a visualization of a data project.

Prerequisites

To create a task flow in a workspace, you must be a workspace admin, member, or contributor.

Open the workspace

Navigate to the workspace where you want to create your task flow and open List view.

1. List view selector
2. Task flow canvas
3. Task flow details pane
4. Resize bar
5. Show/hide task flow
6. Items list

You'll see that the workspace view is split between the task flow, where you'll build your task flow, and the items list, which shows you the items in the workspace. A moveable separator bar allows you to adjust the size of the views. You can also hide the task flow if you want to get it out of the way.

The task flow itself is split between the canvas, which will hold the visualization of your work flow, and a side pane that contains information and controls to help you build the task flow. The contents of the side pane changes according to what is selected in the canvas.

When no task flow has been configured, an empty default task flow entitled Get started with a task flow is there. To build your task flow, you need to:

• Add tasks to the task flow canvas.
• Arrange the tasks on the task flow canvas in such a way that illustrates the logic of the project.
• Connect the tasks to show the logical structure of the project.
• Assign items to the tasks in the workflow.

To get started, you can either select one of the predesigned task flows or add a task to start building one from scratch.

Start with a predesigned task flow

On the empty default task flow, choose Select a task flow.

The side pane lists the predesigned task flows provided by Microsoft. Each predefined task flow has a brief description of its use case. When you select one of the flows, you'll see a more detailed description of the flow and how it's used, and also the workloads and item types that the flow requires.

1. List of predesigned task flows.
2. Name of selected predesigned task flow.
3. Number of tasks in the task flow.
4. Detailed description of the task flow and how it's used.
5. The workloads that the task flow typically requires.
6. The item types that are typically used in task flow.

Select the task flow that best fits your project needs and then choose Select. The selected task flow will be applied to the task flow canvas.

The task flow canvas provides a graphic view of the tasks and how they're connected logically.

The side pane now shows detailed information about the task flow you selected, including:

• Task flow name.
• Task flow description.
• Total number of tasks in the task flow.
• A list of the tasks in the task flow.

It's recommended that you change the task flow name and description to something meaningful that enables others to better understand what the task flow is all about. To change the name and description, select Edit in the task flow side pane. For more information, see Edit task flow details.

The items list shows all the items and folders in the workspace, including those items that are assigned to tasks in the task flow. When you select a task in the task flow, the items list is filtered to show just the items that are assigned to the selected task.

After you've added the predefined task flow to the canvas, you can start modifying it to suit your needs - arranging the tasks on the canvas, updating task names and descriptions, assigning items to tasks, etc. For more information, see Working with task flows.

Start with a custom task flow

If you already have a clear idea of what the structure of your task flow needs to be, or if none of the predesigned task flows fit your needs, you can build a custom task flow from scratch.

First, select Edit in the task flow side pane and provide a name and description for your task flow to help other members of the workspace understand your project and the task flow you're creating.

Next, on the task flow canvas, select Add a task and choose a task type.

The task appears on the canvas. Note that the side pane now shows the task details.

When you add a task to the task flow, it has a default name and description. It's recommended to provide a meaningful name and description to help others understand the task's purpose and use. To update the task name and description, select Edit in the task details pane. For more information, see Edit task flow details.

You can continue to add more tasks to the canvas. You'll also have to perform other actions, such as arranging the tasks on the canvas, connecting the tasks, assigning items to the tasks, etc. For more information, see Working with task flows.

Related concepts

• Task flow overview
• Work with task flows