An integration is a service that uses an HTTP connection to get data from, or send data to, an external data source. To integrate with that external source, you start by defining an integration service. The rule can then use the service in a rule step to access the remote data.

 

You can define multiple integration services, using information gained from one to access the next. The process you define for the rule lets you specify the order in which the services are invoked.

 

Also, note a Rule is invoked for each stream record, as the record is processed. So, when remote data is accessed by a Rule, that access occurs for every single record. That is the typical methodology for remote updates. But when remote data is only being read, greater efficiency can be gained by setting a locally-cached copy of the data in the form of a remote Smart Object that is refreshed at intervals (every night, for example).

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Prerequisites

• The ability to integrate with an external data source depends on having authorization steps configured in the Company Information settings, so Pulpstream can access those systems.
• By default, every record created in the system is given a unique, randomly-generated record ID. But for access to a remote object to work, those keys need to be defined by record fields, so that existing record data can be used to find the remote record to update, or to get additional data from. They key is defined in the general stream settings.

To manage integration services:

1. Go to Gear Menu > Rules Management
2. Select an existing rule or create a new one.
3. In the sidebar, hover over Integrations and click New​,
   or hover over an existing integration and click Edit.
4. Create or modify the integration settings.
5. Click Save.

Integration Settings​

• General
  
  • Title
      Name of the integration.
    
  • Auth Type
    No Auth, Basic Auth (username/password), API Key (key/value pair).
    or API Query String (authentication data is passed as part of the URL)
  • URL
    The URL to which the http GET is directed. This URL must identify the remote record
    to be read, or written to. To do that, click the magnifier icon to insert template variable
    placeholders for data-component fields defined for the rule.
  • Method 
    An http POST, PUT, GET, or DELETE.
  • Content Type
    The format of data sent to, or received from, the remote server. Data format is always of type Application/json--the most efficient format
    for creating, transmitting and parsing data on the web.
  • Create Request Payload
    This field appears when the chosen method is POST, or PUT, which 
    allows data to be included in the request. There are two options:
    • By Mapping Input Fields to Sample JSON Request
      With this mechanism, you'll paste in a sample HTML request in the
      Sample Request tab that appears. Pulpstream then parses the sample
      to identify the data elements, after which you map data fields to them.
    • Using Velocity Template
      For data structures that are too complex for Pulpstream to parse,
      you can create your own json-format payload, adding template variables
      to include data from Rule fields.
      For example: {"Name":"$Input.CompanyName","Contact_Phone":"$Input.Phone"}
  • Date Format
    Epoch, ISO8601, or the format defined for the user who is accessing the data.
     
• Request Template
  This tab appears for PUT and POST requests of type Velocity Template.
    Provide the content of the request. Click the magnifier icon to add template variable
  placeholders for values that will be provided by fields defined in the rule.
   
  
• Sample Request
  This tab appears for PUT and POST requests of type XML or json. Provide a sample of the data that will be sent in the request 
  to the http request, which will be a collection of name/value pairs.
  Pulpstream identifies the data elements contained in that sample.
   
  
• Map Request
  This tab appears for PUT and POST requests of type XML or json.
  Map fields defined in the rule to the data items contained in a request.
  (To map fields, drag the arrow icons from fields on the left to fields on the right.)
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• Sample Response
  Provide a sample of the data that comes back in response to the http request,
          [Project Name] identifies the data elements for the name/value pairs in that sample.
   
• Map Response
  Map the data items contained in the response to fields defined by the rule.
  (To map fields, drag the arrow icons from fields on the left to fields on the right.)
  

Note:
The data you send and the data you get back may well consist of a complex hierarchy of data. For example, Client records may have a "contact information" section, with street address, email address, and phone number. For Pulpstream, perhaps all you need is the email address. So you would map that field value to your locally-cached records, and ignore the other fields in that segment.