1. A method comprising: accessing, over a network, at least one server in a cloud-based environment that is interfaced with one or more storage devices that store one or more shared content objects accessible by two or more users, the one or more shared content objects comprising at least one shared content object that corresponds to a folder or a file implementing a workflow for the one or more shared content objects using metadata comprising at least participant metadata that identifies the two or more users collaborating on the workflow and workflow metadata that describes the workflow as having a plurality of workflow tasks carried out in progression by the two or more users; maintaining a first database table that holds the participant metadata, wherein the first database table comprises: (i) a first column that holds a unique identifier for the two or more users; (ii) a second column that identifies the plurality of workflow tasks associated with the two or more users identified in the first column; and (iii) a plurality of database table rows, each row from the plurality of database table rows corresponding to a specific user, wherein the specific user is designated as a participant in various portions of the workflow by inserting a row for the specific user into the plurality of database table rows; maintaining a second database table that holds attributes for the plurality of workflow tasks, wherein the second database table comprises: (i) a first column that identifies at least some of the workflow tasks from the first database table; (ii) a second column that describes the workflow task that is performed on the one or more shared object; (iii) a third column that tracks a status associated with the workflow task; and (iv) a plurality of rows that each correlate to a sequence of the at least some of the workflow tasks from the second column of the first database table by tracking the progression of the workflow performed by the two or more users identified from the first column in the first database table within the workflow; processing the workflow task that is described in the second column of the second database table, wherein the workflow task corresponds to a user from among the two or more users modifying the at least one shared content object; detecting one or more workflow events in response to the processing of the workflow task, or in response to a modification of the at least one shared content object; and generating one or more workflow responses based at least in part on the one or more workflow events, the workflow responses comprising at least one update to the third column of the second database table.