NOTE: I have came across this dependency in ADFS & SAML Claims enabled environment. One of my colleagues didn’t came across this dependency in Windows NTLM Claims enabled environment. I haven’t tested in NTLM environment.

This week I was configuring Workflow Manager 1.0 for SharePoint 2013 with the help of  some amazingly useful resources like TechNet and Spencer Harbar’s 4-part workflow series in my multi server SharePoint lab.

Although workflow manager 1.0 installation and configuration was fairly complex process, I was able to install and configure workflow manager successfully for SharePoint 2013. As I was doing final validation through SharePoint Designer, I came across very critical SharePoint 2013 workflow manager dependency error. I was able to create and save SharePoint 2013 workflows from SharePoint Designer but upon publishing process, SharePoint Designer threw an error message that “App Management Shared Service Proxy is not installed”.

Honestly, I was 100% dumbfounded by this error. None of the TechNet or Spencer Harbar articles mentioned App Management Service Proxy is one of the pre-requisites for the Workflow Manager. I wasn’t expecting SharePoint 2013 workflow would have dependency on the App Management Service. We don’t have App Management Service and App domain configured at current client environment mainly because of SharePoint hosted Apps limitations for SAML 2.0 and ADFS v2.

Upon doing some quick Google, I cam across exact Microsoft Forum from Sohel Rana who came across similar error in similar situation (Workflow manager without App domain configured on the SharePoint 2013 farm).

Resolution => You must enable App Management Proxy on the SharePoint farm to register & publish SharePoint 2013 workflows. You don’t have to configure SharePoint 2013 App Domain for the farm to host SharePoint Apps. As long as you have both App Management Service and Subscription Settings Service are running on the farm along with both App Management and Subscription Settings Service Applications and proxies provisioned, SharePoint 2013 workflow would work like charm.

References

• Sohel Rana’s SharePoint 2013: Workflow Manager Installation and Configuration – http://ranaictiu-technicalblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/sharepoint-2013-workflow-manager.html
• Sohel Rana’s MSDN Forum Reference – http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/sharepoint/en-US/ce920108-4d53-4f53-98b6-97def9df1311/sharepoint-2013-workflow-development-with-vs-and-app-management-shared-service-proxy
• SharePoint 2013 Workflow with Visual Studio 2012 – http://msftplayground.com/2013/07/sharepoint-2013-workflow-with-visual-studio-2012
• App Management in SharePoint 2013 – http://www.sharepoint-journey.com/app-management-sharepoint-2013.html