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, at the workflow framework, that defines multiple paths and a value for each path in a declarative language, the multiple paths and corresponding values representing a compound data structure that the developer desires to create within a workflow; interpreting, by the workflow framework, each path to create the compound data structure, wherein interpreting each path comprises: determining a type of element to create for the path, including for at least one path, determining that an element within another compound data structure that is nested within the compound data structure is to be created for the at least one path; creating the determined element in the compound data structure for each path, including creating, for each of the at least one path, an element within a nested compound data structure; and for each path, assigning the corresponding value to the element created for the path.