Data Source

Data Source is a variable, that gets input from end user, sends it to external system, receives answer from that system and represents result to end-user.

Data Source variables are managed in portal by company administrators. Read more about Data Sources management on a portal.

When to use? #

When you need to make call to external system and show results in a document.

For example: find user info from Azure AD by user name, fetch info about customer from CRM by company name, calculate capital increase for each new shareholder.

How end user see it? #

Usually Data Source is visible for end-user as a search field, after call to external system performed, end-user can select result.

How to create it? #

• To create a Data Source variable you should specify Title, Data Source type and select a specific Data Source to use within this variable.
• After you save a Data Source you will see a list of available variables which you can connect to your document.

Note: Each Data Source already have defined variables when you add it to template. You need just to connect those variables (not necessary all of them) to the text in a document

Example – using Azure AD Data Source to search for user #

1. Create a Data Source variable using Azure AD Data Source.

2. Connect variables.

To do that you can:

• press Connect button on the variable card to connect one place in a document
  
• open variable and then use Connect button from there to connect multiple places in a document
  

Do the same for [LASTNAME] word in the document and Surname variable.

You will have the following result:

3. Search and select data: Navigate to Template Filling form

3.1. Press Search button to open a search dialog

3.2. Enter search query and press Search button to see external system response

3.3. Click on one of the search results and press Select

4. Next, press Generate Document button

Generated document will look like this:

Advanced – chaining Data Source into another Data Source #

When to use? #

When you need that result from a call to external system (Data Source 1) will be used as input to a call to another external system (Data Source 2).

So it works like this: end user input -> Data Source 1 output -> Data Source 2 output -> end user

How end user see it? #

Can be seen as 2 Data Sources, or, for simplicity, Data Source 2 can be hidden. So end user will make input only for Data Source 1 and will receive output from Data Source 2.

Example 2 – using Norwegian Business Registry Data Sources to search for information about company by its name #

There 2 Data Sources:

• First Data Source: takes input as company name and returns company org. number
• Second Data Source: takes input company org. number and returns information about roles in a company

In this example you will see that we:

1. Add Data Source 1 – BrReg Entities
2. Add Data Source 2 – BrReg Roles
3. Chain output from Data Source 1 as input to Data Source 2

Creation Proccess

1. Create BrReg Entities Data Source variable

2. Create BrReg Roles Data Source variable

3. Connect variables: As shown in previous example

4. Chain Company Roles variable into Search For Company Details variable

4.1. Open Company Roles Data Source
4.2. Navigate to Binding tag
4.3. Select source variable: Choose Search For Company Details variable
4.4. Bind inputs: Bind Org Number variable from Search For Company Details into Company Roles input search field
4.5. Check Hide Data Source in Template Filler View if you want to hide Company Roles from form
4.6. Press Save 

5. Create a document

5.1. Search for data: As shown in previous example
5.2. Press Generate Document

Generated document will look like this:

Chaining allows to reduce number of actions needed to use multiple Data Sources.