A declarative workflow that is configured to start automatically when e-mail enabled items are created does not start automatically after you install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Service Pack 1

Consider the following scenario:

• You have a declarative workflow.
• This declarative workflow is configured to start automatically when a new item is created in an e-mail enabled list in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0.
• You install Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Service Pack 1 (SP1).

In this scenario, the workflow does not start automatically when an e-mail message is sent to the list.

This problem occurs because a security fix in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 SP1 prevents declarative workflows from starting automatically under the system account. E-mail enabled list items are always created under the system account.

To resolve this problem, install the update that is described in the Knowledge Base article 953749.

For more information about the update , click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
This update contains a fix that enables declarative workflows to start automatically when e-mail enabled items are created under the system account.

Notes

• To prevent the declarative workflows from impersonating the system account, the workflows will now impersonate the user who created the workflow association.
• This fix applies to e-mailed items only. Declarative workflows will not automatically start on items that are created or modified by the system account but not by using e-mail.
• To enable workflows to start using the impersonation scheme, a network farm administrator must understand the impersonation scheme and its implications. The network farm administrator must enable the workflow with the following command by using the Stsadm.exe command-line tool:
  stsadm -o setproperty -pn declarativeworkflowautostartonemailenabled -pv true

Administrators can also create a special user account for creating workflows that all workflow authors can use. By doing this, administrators can prevent other people from impersonating specific workflow authors.

For more information about a similar issue in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: