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Durable Workflow persists workflow state, execution history, and metadata in your database. This enables durable execution that survives application restarts and failures.

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Running Migrations

After installing the package, run the migrations to create the required database tables: 
php artisan migrate
This will create six tables in your database.

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Database Tables

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workflows Table

Stores the main workflow instances and their current state. 
Schema::create('workflows', function (Blueprint $blueprint) {
    $blueprint->id('id');
    $blueprint->text('class');
    $blueprint->text('arguments')->nullable();
    $blueprint->text('output')->nullable();
    $blueprint->string('status')->default('pending')->index();
    $blueprint->timestamps(6);
});
Columns:
  • id - Unique workflow instance identifier
  • class - Fully qualified workflow class name
  • arguments - Serialized workflow input arguments
  • output - Serialized workflow output/return value
  • status - Current workflow status (pending, running, completed, failed)
  • created_at, updated_at - Timestamps with microsecond precision

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workflow_logs Table

Records every activity execution for deterministic replay. 
Schema::create('workflow_logs', function (Blueprint $blueprint) {
    $blueprint->id('id');
    $blueprint->foreignId('stored_workflow_id')->index();
    $blueprint->unsignedBigInteger('index');
    $blueprint->timestamp('now', 6);
    $blueprint->text('class');
    $blueprint->text('result')->nullable();
    $blueprint->timestamp('created_at', 6)->nullable();
    $blueprint->unique(['stored_workflow_id', 'index']);
    $blueprint->foreign('stored_workflow_id')
        ->references('id')->on('workflows');
});
Columns:
  • id - Unique log entry identifier
  • stored_workflow_id - Foreign key to workflows table
  • index - Execution order within the workflow
  • now - Timestamp of when the activity was executed
  • class - Activity class name
  • result - Serialized activity result
  • created_at - When the log entry was created

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workflow_signals Table

Stores external signals sent to workflows. 
Schema::create('workflow_signals', function (Blueprint $blueprint) {
    $blueprint->id('id');
    $blueprint->foreignId('stored_workflow_id')->index();
    $blueprint->text('method');
    $blueprint->text('arguments')->nullable();
    $blueprint->timestamp('created_at', 6)->nullable();
    $blueprint->index(['stored_workflow_id', 'created_at']);
    $blueprint->foreign('stored_workflow_id')
        ->references('id')->on('workflows');
});
Columns:
  • id - Unique signal identifier
  • stored_workflow_id - Foreign key to workflows table
  • method - Signal method name
  • arguments - Serialized signal arguments
  • created_at - When the signal was received

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workflow_timers Table

Tracks scheduled timers and delays within workflows. 
Schema::create('workflow_timers', function (Blueprint $blueprint) {
    $blueprint->id('id');
    $blueprint->foreignId('stored_workflow_id')->index();
    $blueprint->integer('index');
    $blueprint->timestamp('stop_at', 6);
    $blueprint->timestamp('created_at', 6)->nullable();
    $blueprint->index(['stored_workflow_id', 'created_at']);
    $blueprint->foreign('stored_workflow_id')
        ->references('id')->on('workflows');
});
Columns:
  • id - Unique timer identifier
  • stored_workflow_id - Foreign key to workflows table
  • index - Timer order within the workflow
  • stop_at - When the timer should fire
  • created_at - When the timer was created

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workflow_exceptions Table

Captures exceptions that occur during workflow execution. 
Schema::create('workflow_exceptions', function (Blueprint $blueprint) {
    $blueprint->id('id');
    $blueprint->foreignId('stored_workflow_id')->index();
    $blueprint->text('class');
    $blueprint->text('exception');
    $blueprint->timestamp('created_at', 6)->nullable();
    $blueprint->foreign('stored_workflow_id')
        ->references('id')->on('workflows');
});
Columns:
  • id - Unique exception identifier
  • stored_workflow_id - Foreign key to workflows table
  • class - Activity/workflow class where exception occurred
  • exception - Serialized exception details
  • created_at - When the exception occurred

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workflow_relationships Table

Tracks parent-child relationships between workflows. 
Schema::create('workflow_relationships', function (Blueprint $blueprint) {
    $blueprint->id('id');
    $blueprint->foreignId('parent_workflow_id')->nullable()->index();
    $blueprint->unsignedBigInteger('parent_index');
    $blueprint->timestamp('parent_now');
    $blueprint->foreignId('child_workflow_id')->nullable()->index();
    $blueprint->foreign('parent_workflow_id')
        ->references('id')->on('workflows');
    $blueprint->foreign('child_workflow_id')
        ->references('id')->on('workflows');
});
Columns:
  • id - Unique relationship identifier
  • parent_workflow_id - Foreign key to parent workflow
  • parent_index - Execution index in parent workflow
  • parent_now - Timestamp in parent workflow context
  • child_workflow_id - Foreign key to child workflow

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Custom Model Configuration

You can use custom Eloquent models by extending the base models and updating the configuration: 
// config/workflows.php
return [
    'stored_workflow_model' => App\Models\CustomWorkflow::class,
    'stored_workflow_exception_model' => App\Models\CustomWorkflowException::class,
    'stored_workflow_log_model' => App\Models\CustomWorkflowLog::class,
    'stored_workflow_signal_model' => App\Models\CustomWorkflowSignal::class,
    'stored_workflow_timer_model' => App\Models\CustomWorkflowTimer::class,
];

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Custom Table Names

The relationships table name can be customized: 
// config/workflows.php
'workflow_relationships_table' => 'custom_workflow_relationships',

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Database Considerations

All timestamp columns use microsecond precision (6 decimal places) to ensure accurate ordering of events within workflows.
The workflow_logs table can grow large over time. Consider implementing a pruning strategy for completed workflows using the prune_age configuration option.

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Indexes

The migrations include strategic indexes for common queries:
  • Workflows by status
  • Logs by workflow and index
  • Signals by workflow and creation time
  • Timers by workflow and creation time
  • Exceptions by workflow
  • Relationships by parent and child workflows

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Database Drivers

Durable Workflow supports all Laravel-compatible database drivers:
  • MySQL 5.7+
  • PostgreSQL 10+
  • SQLite 3.8.8+
  • SQL Server 2017+

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Data Pruning

Configure automatic pruning of old workflow data: 
// config/workflows.php
'prune_age' => '1 month',
Run the prune command: 
php artisan workflow:prune
Schedule automatic pruning in app/Console/Kernel.php: 
protected function schedule(Schedule $schedule)
{
    $schedule->command('workflow:prune')->daily();
}

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