The Plugin Extensions allow for in for in-process, bi-directional integration with external systems.
The Task Plugin architecture allows Integrify and partners to create custom application logic that can be executed at any point in a process. The plug-ins can be completely automated or can present user input screens as part of their execution. The plugins also may present an interface to administrators for configuring initialization properties. Finally, the plugins can capture and expose data to the rules engine, allowing the workflow to adjust its course based on any number of data points. The Plugin Architecture offers extended functionality in order to:
The Integrify product is built upon an extensible architecture that enables clients to add additional/custom functionality that is beyond the scope of the core Integrify product line. This custom functionality is added via Integrify's Plugin API which enables clients to build custom tasks that are executed with the execution plan of a process by Integrify's workflow engine. An Integrify plug-in can essentially do anything a programmer has the ability to write:
- Push or pull data between Integrify and other systems
- Integrate with existing databases
- Leverage existing information in Excel
- Update internal systems
- Capture and expose data to the rules engine, allowing the workflow to adjust its course based on any number of data points
As a process executes (as defined in Integrify and stored in the database), the Integrify Workflow Engine will evaluate a custom plug-in within the scope of the process that it has been defined. The plugin will act as a task in a process; allowing customers to reduce manual entry when updating systems or pulling information into a process for routing purposes. In addition, a plugin has access to all data within the scope of the process that it is executing, e.g. Form Data, Requester Information, etc.
Below are the available Plugins that can be added to the core Integrify product:
Push data gathered within an Integrify process directly into:
- HR/Payroll
- Data warehouse
- Any relational database (i.e. PeopleSoft, SAP, etc).
For example, customers can eliminate manual data entry between systems by extracting data from an activity in a process and update their HR/Payroll system.
Pull data from external systems into a form within Integrify. Works with:
- HR/Payroll system
- Data warehouse
- Any relational database (i.e. PeopleSoft, SAP, etc).
Define tasks and routing rules based on any piece of data from external systems or Integrify itself. Save time and effort normally spent reviewing information residing outside a process and performing manual data entry.
Implementing a document-centric process on the Internet can have it's challenges. Large files sizes (up to 5 GB) and heavy download activity can make hard drive and bandwidth costs a concern. Fortunately, Amazon's S3 simple storage service offers an inexpensive yet robust file storage solution that is accessible from anywhere on the web. Now, with Integrify's S3 plug-in, your business processes can take advantage of all that Amazon's S3 service has to offer. Users can:
- Upload one or more files directly to an S3 account through an easy to use web-based form
- Have the document routed to other users based on business rules.
Possible uses include routing and approving digital image and video files, soliciting and gathering content from multiple distributed users or delivering finished digital artwork to customers. Utilizing the S3 plugin requires signing up for the Amazon S3 web service.
Leverage existing work and harness the power of Excel on the users' desktop while utilizing Integrify to manage the workflow often associated with capital expenditures, expense reports, or similar financial functions.
Through Integrify's intuitive process definition interface, Process Administrators can build a process that enables the users to:
- Upload an Excel spreadsheet into a process
- Define business rules based on data within the cells of the uploaded Excel document.
- Use the Excel data to define approval routing rules within the process,
- Dynamically assign approvers based on excel data
- Incorporate Excel data along with process information within Integrify reports
Processes can be configured to present a task that launches a new browser window to a remote or internal URL. This URL can contain parameters and data from the request. For example, if you have a process that involves tracking shipment information, a process could be defined to pick up a tracking ID from a request and present a link to the shippers website with the tracking number in the URL. This would give the user 1-click access to current shipping details.
Configure processes to post data to a web service as a SOAP message or to a parameterized query string, allowing Integrify to push data to other systems. The result of the post can determine the path of a workflow. At any point in an Integrify process, customers can:
- Pass data to an external system (Remedy, Salesforce, SAP, etc).
- Instantly (or on a scheduled bases) confirm data receipt and pass back additional information
- Spawn additional tasks in the Integrify process based on successful data transfer
Combine the power of SQL with Integrify's unique ability to flexibly assign one-to-many approvers. Often, the person with the permission to approve a request will vary based on characteristics of the request. For example, a given financial requests could be routed to different approvers based on:
- Region
- Dollar Amount
- Order Type
With the Dynamic Assigner plugin, rather than try to constantly maintain groups of individuals and assign to various tasks, the Process Administrator can use the values from the form (type and region in this case), build a SQL statement that dynamically retrieves the appropriate individual (s) and assign the work order to those individuals.
The SOAP Client Plugin will enable administrators to pass to and receive data from external web services within the run-time execution of a process. For instance, the SOAP Client Plugin can be configured to use the Windows Live Search web service hosted by Microsoft. The SOAP Client Plugin works as a task in a process where the data entered by a user in a form in a process is passed to the Windows Live Search web service as search terms to perform a search on the Internet. The SOAP Client Plugin posts the necessary parameters and retrieves any output (search results in this case) from the Windows Live Search web service. These search results can then be used in a task of the process (i.e. a Live Search Results Form). In this example, the routing definition of the process can be configured based on the results of the search data brought into the process through the SOAP Client Plugin.
A standalone web service encompassed within the Integrify web application. The web service layer allows other applications to:
- Initiate a workflow
- Get lists of tasks
- Complete tasks
- Update process statuses
- Conduct other bi-directional activities
Any data passed into the workflow from an external system is exposed to the rules engine which can influence the path through the workflow.
The Integrify Web Service essentially acts as a user in the system that is executing a task. By allowing this real-time processing it removes the need for an additional Task Processing engine to monitor/queue responses which is often a failure point in many systems.
In addition to being able to complete tasks within a process, the Integrify Web Service enables a Process Administrator to define a task within a process that starts a process.