Getting Started with iPaaS Flows

This getting started article will help flow builders to learn about and start creating iPaaS flows. The user must have the following roles in iPaaS: Flows (Application Design), Connector Definitions (Connectors), Connector Credentials (Application Design).

Overview

When we talk about using iPaaS, we talk about building flows. A flow is a collection of individual steps that complete a process. This could be a simple process, like creating a virtual machine, or a complex process involving multiple systems, like new employee onboarding.

Suggested Prerequisites

Depending on the type of flow you are building and the business problem you are attempting to solve, you may need to complete one or more steps before you can start building your flow.

Configure Connectors

If you are connecting with a new system for the first time, you will need to add a connector in iPaaS. Learn more in our article on adding and configuring connectors.

Set Up Credentials

In order to connect to TeamDynamix and other systems, you will need to supply credentials, such as a username and password. You can input these in the flow builder itself when you add a connector step, but an iPaaS administrator can also add shared connector credentials to avoid each individual flow designer entering their own.

Learn more in our article on creating connector credentials.

Add Sample Data

It's often very helpful to have sample data when creating and managing flows. Sample data allows you to see the different fields and data types you'll need to account for in your flow. The sample data you'll use will vary based on how the flow will be triggered and what input data is expected.

Learn more in our article on getting and adding sample data.

Creating a Flow

1. On the top navigation bar, navigate to Applications > All Applications
2. Click the name of the application you would like to create a new flow in
3. On the left navigation bar, click Flows
4. At the top of the page, click Add
5. Configure your new flow:
   1. Name - a brief, descriptive name for your flow, such as "Create Active Directory User"
   2. Shortname - optional; the shortname will appear in the URL of the flow, rather than its ID number
   3. Description - optional; a longer, more detailed explanation of the flow. Can include any inputs, processing steps, and outputs
   4. Open Immediately - leave this checked to open your flow immediately after creation
6. Click Add New

The flow design interface will appear. On the left is the Flow Toolbox, which splits all the available iPaaS flow steps into different sections by function. You can add steps to the flow by clicking and dragging different steps in the flow toolbox to the Drag Steps Here section on the flow. To add additional steps, simply drag a new step before or after an existing step.

For more information, read our articles on the different sections of the Flow Toolbox or our article on the iPaaS flow design interface.

Adding Starting Triggers

Triggers tell the iPaaS flow when to run. You can run a flow manually, configure a flow to start based on a set schedule, or configure the flow to react to something happening in an external system.

1. On the left navigation menu, click Triggers
2. On the new page that appears, choose how the flow should start:
   1. Manually from within TDX iPaaS - allow approved iPaaS users to trigger the flow manually from within the iPaaS system itself
   2. On a Schedule - trigger the flow to run on a pre-determined interval, such as daily, weekly, hourly, or more
   3. Webhook or Event - trigger the flow to respond to a webhook or event. Webhooks are notifications sent from other systems to notify you that a certain event has taken place. An example would be TeamDynamix webhooks, which can be triggered whenever a ticket or asset is created, edited, or deleted

For more information, see our article on configuring triggers.

Adding Return Data

If you are triggering an iPaaS flow from a TeamDynamix workflow step, or the system you are triggering the iPaaS flow is expecting a response from iPaaS, you can add a return value or code.

1. In the flow design interface, find the End step (the rectangular step at the bottom of the flow)
2. Under the word End, click Return data from this flow
3. Click into the Result field to type or paste text or numbers to return to the source system
   1. Alternately, click the database icon (blue cylinder) to pick data from the flow, or click the add button (green circle with a plus sign) to add an expression
4. Click into the Status field to type or paste text or numbers to return to the source system
   1. Alternately, click the database icon (blue cylinder) to pick data from the flow, or click the add button (green circle with a plus sign) to add an expression
5. Click anywhere else on the flow canvas to save the values

Testing the Flow

Learn about testing iPaaS flows in our article on troubleshooting and testing flows.