1. At a computer system including one or more processors and system memory, the computer system also including a workflow framework, a method for creating a compound data structure using a declarative language, the method comprising: receiving developer input in a declarative language, at the workflow framework, that defines multiple paths and a value for each path, the multiple paths and corresponding values representing a compound data structure that the developer desires to create within a workflow, each path of the multiple paths corresponding to a path to the value for the each path in the resulting created compound data structure and each value for the each path corresponding to a value from the each path in the resulting created compound data structure; interpreting each path, by the workflow framework, to create the compound data structure, wherein interpreting each path comprises: determining a type of element to create for the each path; creating the determined element in the compound data structure for each path; and for each path, assigning the corresponding value to the element created for the path.