Overview
When you have defined a Dataset for a specific purpose, you can easily configure a Bizagi process to send data to the Dataset at any moment.
This lets you have your processes seamlessly and continuously feed the Dataset day by day.
For introductory information on Datasets, refer to Bizagi datasets.
This section describes how to set your Bizagi processes as data sources for a Dataset.
Before you continue
These steps assume that you already have:
1.The selection of a process in Bizagi that captures certain information that will be exposed to datasets.
No special considerations are needed for such process, and you implement it just as you would any process in Bizagi.
For information on Bizagi basics, and how to implement processes with Bizagi Studio, refer to: http://help.bizagi.com/bpm-suite/en/index.html?process_wizard.htm.
2.Clearly identified at which point in the process the information is ready to be exported.
To make the most out of your stored information, you need to make sure that the data is final so it is a good source for analysis (as explained in concepts of Bizagi datasets).
3.Created a Dataset with a structure that accepts the specific information which is both captured and worked on during the Bizagi process.
For more information about this step, refer to Creating a dataset.
What you need to do
To have your Bizagi process automatically send data to the Dataset, carry out these steps:
1.Download the dataset connector.
2.Obtain the service endpoint and its access keys to use the connector.
3.Configure the connector in Bizagi Studio.
Example
Assume we have a Sales process in Bizagi which starts from receiving an order from a customer (an activity called Analyze customer order), and ends when that order is shipped (an activity called Ship item). We rely on the following workflow definition to have this process send its business information to the Dataset:
The business information that is captured during the execution of a process that can be sent to the Dataset includes: Transaction date, Price, Payment (type), City/State/Country, Product, Customer (Name), and Longitude and Latitude.
For this example, we define that the information is reliable and final when the process finishes (no further modifications take place after the Ship items activity).
In terms of Datasets, a first prerequisite is to make sure we have created a Dataset with a structure that matches the fields described above (Transaction date, Price, Payment (type), City/State/Country, Product, Customer (Name), and Longitude and Latitude).
Create a Dataset with the column definition as given by a csv sample downloadable at https://support.spatialkey.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/SalesJan2009. (from this insurance service company's site: https://support.spatialkey.com/spatialkey-sample-csv-data/).
You can verify that this sample .csv file has the correct information:
For detailed information on how to create a dataset based on the definition held in a .csv file, refer to Creating a dataset with the structure of a csv.
Procedure
1. Download the Dataset connector.
Download the Bizagi connector that provides connectivity to the Dataset. Go to a Bizagi Datasets service page:
Select Download connector in your Dataset.
A .bizc connector file is downloaded to your local machine, and you can rename it:
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If the download does not start automatically, you may need to make sure that pop-ups and downloads are authorized in your browser settings for the URL of your Bizagi Datasets service portal.
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2. Obtain the service endpoint and its access keys to use the connector.
Select an Environment of your Dataset. Then go to the Security & Connectivity tab and click Download connector. Copy the service endpoint and access keys as provided in that tab.
You may use the Copy URL and Copy Key buttons to get:
•REST URL (the service endpoint that populates data into the Dataset):
•Access key 1 (username) and Access key 2 (password):
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DO NOT use the Generate new keys option unless you are certain that you want to generate new access keys and eliminate existing ones. Once you eliminate existing keys, you will not be able to look them up, or use them again. This means that any connector's configuration or application already using an existing pair of keys would no longer be able to connect to the service endpoint. |
3. Configure the connector in Bizagi Studio.
The final step enables the use of a Bizagi connector in the relevant point of your process.
Before doing so, you need to manually install the connector (as with any other connector and as described at http://help.bizagi.com/bpm-suite/en/index.html?connectors_setup.htm) by uploading the .bizc file.
Install the .bizc connector file:
Choose the Add new connector form file option, and select the saved connector .bizc file.
To install the connector:
•In the Connector parameters, set the URL to point to the REST URL copied in the previous step.
•Use Basic authentication and input the copied Access keys 1 and 2 as username and password, respectively.
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The configuration for each environment lets you specify different URLs for the different project environments (Development, testing and production). Make sure you rely on these settings so that you match URLs to environments. Use the Dataset's Development environment URL for the project's Development environment, the Dataset's testing environment URL for the project's Testing environment and the Dataset's Production environment URL for the project's Production environment. |
To configure the actual use of the connector, create an Activity action of the type Connector where you want to obtain the information of your process.
As mentioned in the Example section above, integrate the process with the Dataset at the Ship item activity:
Set the configuration as shown below:
•Use the addDatasetSample action:
•Map the relevant information as inputs to send to the Dataset (Transaction date, Price, Payment (type), City/State/Country, Product, Customer (Name), and Longitude plus Latitude):
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If you add a new column to a dataset, you have to download the dataset connector again and overwrite it in Bizagi. |
Runtime Entities are available to map the Cases information, for example you can assign the Case Creation date or the Case resolution date as the transaction date depending of the desire context.
Note that Runtime Entities are not available in advanced mapping.
You can map the result field as output that goes into your Bizagi data model to track a successful connection.
The result field will return true (successful invocation) or false (invocation failure).
Click Finish and you are set.
You can now run your process. When each new case completes the activity where the connector was set, Bizagi adds business data into the dataset.
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The Dataset collects data which is send to its REST URL, which means that a single process does not have to be the only publisher sending data to a Dataset. You can configure other processes to feed the same Dataset, as well as non-Bizagi applications. When non-Bizagi applications send information to the Dataset, you use the same access keys, and program your application to target the Dataset's REST URL (the service endpoint). |
Next steps
If you want to verify that business data correctly reaches the Dataset and being stored there, go into your Dataset environment's detail. In the Explore data tab look at stored data, as described in Working with dataset environments. You can also update a record within the dataset if it has a Business key defined.
For next steps and further possible use cases for your Dataset, refer to the links below:
•To interpret the data stored in the Dataset with reporting tools or similar applications, refer to Consuming the dataset with external applications.
•To use Bizagi's Artificial Intelligence application for predictive analysis, refer to Bizagi Artificial Intelligence.