[Workflows] Introductory material and foundational concepts

explore-analyze/workflows.md

@@ -1 +1,106 @@
-# Workflows
+---
+applies_to:
+  stack: preview 9.3
+  serverless: preview
+description: Learn about Elastic workflows. 
+---
+
+# Workflows [workflows-overview]
+
+A workflow is a defined sequence of steps designed to achieve a specific outcome through automation. It is a reusable, versionable "recipe" that transforms inputs into actions.
+
+## Why use workflows [workflows-why]
+
+Insight into your data isn't enough. The ultimate value lies in action and outcomes. Workflows complete the journey from data to insights to automated outcomes. Your critical operational data already lives in the Elastic cluster: security events, infrastructure metrics, application logs, and business context. Workflows let you automate end-to-end processes to achieve outcomes directly where that data lives, without needing external automation tools.
+
+Workflows address common operational challenges, such as:
+
+* **Alert fatigue**: Automate responses to reduce manual triage.
+* **Understaffing**: Enable teams to do more with fewer resources.
+* **Manual, repetitive work**: Automate routine tasks consistently.
+* **Tool fragmentation**: Eliminate the need to add on external automation tools.
+
+Workflows can handle a wide range of tasks, from simple, repeatable steps to complex processes.
+
+## Who should use workflows [workflows-who]
+
+Workflows are for you if you want to cut down on manual effort, speed up response times, and make sure recurring situations are handled consistently.
+
+## Key concepts [workflows-concepts]
+
+Some key concepts to understand while working with workflows: 
+
+* **Triggers**: The events or conditions that initiate a workflow. Refer to [](/explore-analyze/workflows/triggers.md) to learn more.
+* **Steps**: The individual units of logic or action that make up a workflow. Refer to [](/explore-analyze/workflows/steps.md) to learn more.
+* **Data**: How data flows through your workflow, including inputs, constants, context variables, step outputs, and Liquid templating for dynamic values. Refer to [](/explore-analyze/workflows/data.md) to learn more.
+
+## Workflow structure [workflow-structure]
+
+Workflows are defined in YAML. In the YAML editor, describe _what_ the workflow should do, and the platform handles execution.
+
+```yaml
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# METADATA - Identifies and describes the workflow
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+name: My Workflow                    # Required: Unique identifier 
+description: What this workflow does # Optional: Shown in UI
+enabled: true                        # Optional: Enable or disable execution
+tags: ["demo", "production"]         # Optional: For organizing workflows
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# CONSTANTS - Reusable values defined once, used throughout
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+consts:
+  indexName: "my-index"
+  environment: "production"
+  alertThreshold: 100
+  endpoints:                          # Can be objects/arrays
+    api: "https://api.example.com"
+    backup: "https://backup.example.com"
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# INPUTS - Parameters passed when the workflow is triggered
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+inputs:
+  - name: environment
+    type: string
+    required: true
+    default: "staging"
+    description: "Target environment"
+  - name: dryRun
+    type: boolean
+    default: true
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# TRIGGERS - How/when the workflow starts
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+triggers:
+  - type: manual                      # User clicks Run button
+  # - type: schedule                  # Runs on a schedule
+  #   cron: "0 9 * * *"
+  # - type: alert                     # Triggered by an alert
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# STEPS - The actual workflow logic (executed in order)
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+steps:
+  - name: step_one
+    type: elasticsearch.search
+    with:
+      index: "{{consts.indexName}}"   # Reference constants
+      query:
+        match_all: {}
+
+  - name: step_two
+    type: console
+    with:
+      message: |
+        Environment: {{inputs.environment}}              # Reference inputs
+        Found: {{steps.step_one.output.hits.total.value}} # Reference step output
+
+```
+
+## Learn more
+
+- To create and run your first workflow, refer to [](/explore-analyze/workflows/get-started.md).
+- Understand how to use the YAML editor in {{kib}} to define and run your workflows. Refer to [](/explore-analyze/workflows/author-workflows.md) to learn more.