Use Flow Steps to Integrate with an External Database

Overview

After an External Database has been created and integrated into Decisions, use specific Flow Steps to integrate the external data into the Flow. When integrating with a Database in Decisions, use Flow Steps to Update, Delete and Insert steps that interact with the integrated Database in the Flow. Display data from an integrated database using a Data Grid component on the Form.

Example

External Database Flow Steps

1. Create a Flow and use the Insert, Update and Delete steps against the Database that was just integrated. 
2. Navigate to the Designer Folder and select the CREATE FLOW button from the Folder Actions Panel. 
3. Name the Flow (Insert Update Delete Steps Flow), and select CREATE to proceed to the Flow Designer.
4. In the Flow Designer, expand the Integrations > My Integrations > Database > Integrated Db Name(Database) > integrated table name category. 
5. First, add the Delete [table name] step.

   

6. Connect the Failed outcome from the Delete step to the End step in the Flow. 
7. Select the Delete step in the Flow Designer and locate the step properties (Figure 9). 
8. The record that will be deleted with this step should be identified by the Primary Key ID from the table (in this case UnitID is a primary key in the integrated table).
9.  For the UnitID, select Constant Mapping type and provide a desirable Value. 
10. Then, click Add Step.

    

11. Add an Insert to [table name] step from Integrations > My Integrations > Database > [DATABASE_NAME] > Insert to dbo.zipCodes [integrated table name]. 
12. Connect the Deleted Outcome pathway from the Delete step.

    

13. Just like with the Delete step, get the Failed Outcome step from the Insert step and connect it to the End step. 
14. Select the Insert step in the Flow designer and set the properties of the step. 
15. This step is able to insert an Array of records into the table.
16. In the properties tab under Inputs, select the build Array option for Inserted Objects. 
17. Then for the first record (Item 0) in the Array, select Build Data and create a Record by filling in each field with Constant Values.

    

18. In the Flow Designer, add an Update [table name] step from the Integrations > My Integrations > Database > Integrated Db Name(Database) > Update dbo.zipCodes [integrated table name] on the Inserted Outcome from the Insert step.

    

19. Connect the Failed outcome from the Update step to the End step in the Flow. 
20. Edit the Step Properties Tab.
21. Under Inputs, configure the data for this step in the exact same manner as the Insert step.

    

22. To display data from the table, query it first. 
23. To obtain data from the table, first add a Get all from [table name] step tab to the Flow. 
24. In the Steps tab, locate Integrations > My Integrations > Database > Integrated Db Name(Database) > Get all from dbo.zipCodes [integrated table name] and connect the Updated Outcome pathway to the step (Figure 9).

    

25. Connect the Failed outcome from the Get all from [table name] step to the End step in the Flow and edit the step properties. 
26. This step does not require a specific Input configuration. The only input that is configured is the Limit of Records. 
27. In this case, ignore this Input (Figure 10).

    

28. Select Add Step to add the final step to the Done outcome from the Get All step. 
29. Create a Form to display all records from the table in the Grid. Add a Show Form step from the Favorite Steps category and Name the step.
30. Name the Form and click CREATE to proceed to the Form Designer. Each Form should have at least one outcome. 
31. Add a Button component from the Actions category in the ToolBox to the Form. 
32. Then, name the text on the Button, “Done." 
33. Use a Data Grid component to Display data from the table. 
34. Locate Data Grid in the components under Favorites.

    

35. Configure the Data Grid component. In order to display data from the integrated table, configure Data Grid component to accept the appropriate Type. 
36. In this case, the Type should match the Data Type that is coming out of the Get All step (dbo.ZipCodes).
37.  Locate this Type in the Table Definition Types category using the Type picker.

    

38. After the Data Grid properties are defined with a name and the dataType, define the columns that will be displayed on the grid, under column information. 
39. Under Output Data select the output mode. For this example, the InfoOnly mode will be selected from the drop down selection.

    

40. Row Actions and Row Links can also be added to the Data Grid component (Figure 15). 
41. When finished with the Data Grid component, Save and close the Form Designer.

    

42. In the Flow designer, connect the Outcome from the Form to the End step. 
43. Then click on the Form step and select the Show Mapping Editor option.

    

44. In the Mapping Editor, map the outcome data from the Get all step to the Data Grid component Name in the Form. 
45. Then, click OK to close Mapping Editor.

    

46. This completes the Flow. To test it, click Debug on the top panel of the Flow Designer.

    

47. The Flow runs as designed, and the Form displays the records from the database table with the changes that were done by the Flow.

    

48. The Debugger indicates that the Flow ran with no errors.

    

49. Check the original database to confirm that the Flow did design changes to the table.