A workflow in a waiting state consumes system resources because it constantly polls the object from which it requires a response. If you know that a workflow might wait for a long time before it receives the response it requires, you can add long-running workflow elements to the workflow.
Every running workflow consumes a system thread. When a workflow reaches a long-running workflow element, the long-running workflow element sets the workflow into a passive state. The long-running workflow element then passes the workflow information to a single thread that polls the system for all long-running workflow elements running in the server. Rather than each long-running workflow element constantly attempting to retrieve information from the system, long-running workflow elements remain passive for a set duration, while the long-running workflow thread polls the system on its behalf.
You set the duration of the waiting period in one of the following ways.
- Set a timer, encapsulated in a Date object, that suspends the workflow until a certain time and date. You implement long-running workflow elements that are based on a timer by including a Waiting timer element in the schema.
- Define a trigger event, encapsulated in a Trigger object, that restarts the workflow after the trigger event occurs. You implement long-running workflow elements that are based on a trigger by including a Waiting event element or a User interaction element in the schema.
