Welcome to appRules® Online Guide

appRules offers a next-generation, no-code development environment that can be utilized by business and technical users to tackle data migration, data integration, business rules, and automation projects. appRules projects are developed using your preferred web browser and a drag and drop designer with activity modules that can be associated to compose simple or complex business processes, linked to a large choice of data sources.

appRules® – Powerful, No-Code Solutions

• Data Migration, Replication, and Synchronization

• Data Integration and Data Cleansing

• Business Rules Engine

• Process Automation

Why appRules®?

appRules is a popular choice when choosing a Business Rules, Data Migration, Data Integration and Process Automation software and has many advantages:

• The appRules Platform powers our best-in-class product family and white label offerings by our platinum partners:

• On-Premise and Cloud

• User-friendly; drag-and-drop workflow designer

• Data Source Browser

• Data Migration Engine offering migration, replication and synchronization

Powerful & Configurable Engine

The appRules Platform is a powerful and configurable engine that powers the appStrategy product suite.

Connection Using OAuth

To obtain the OAuth client credentials, the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret, follow the steps below:

1. If you have not already done so, create an Exact Online developer account.

2. Log into the App Center and click Manage Apps -> Add a New Application.

3. Enter the app name to be displayed to users when they are prompted to grant permissions to your app.

4. Set the Redirect URI to a page you would like the user to be returned to after they have granted your application permissions.

5. Click the Edit button for your app. The client credentials, the client Id and client secret, are displayed.

Set these OAuth credentials in the datasource definition, in addition to Division and Region.

To connect to Alfresco, the following connection properties must be supplied: User, Password, and InstanceURL. User and Password should correspond to the login credentials that you use to access Alfresco in a web browser. InstanceURL corresponds to the Alfresco instance you will be querying. For instance, if you expect your queries to hit https://search-demo.dev.alfresco.me/alfresco/api/-default-/public/search/versions/1/sql, you should supply search-demo.dev.alfresco.me for InstanceURL.

appRules Conditions deliver a centralized and consistent approach for evaluating simple and complex conditions in all operations. The Conditions Editor is shown below:

To select a Condition type, simply navigate the condition tree and configure the properties for the selected type. Once a condition is created, it can be evaluated at any point in the running project by using the EvaluateCondition activity in the BaseActivities module or through other built-in access points in appRules.

The Cache condition category contains the following conditions:

The Custom condition category contains the following conditions:

Overview

The creator of an appRules project database (Admin) is given full access to the project database. All other users must be added to the user list.

Connection Using OAuth

To obtain the OAuth client credentials, the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret, follow the steps below:

1. If you have not already done so, create an Exact Online developer account.

QuickBooks Online uses the OAuth authentication standard. You can use the Embedded Credentials (see below) to connect without setting any connection properties. When you connect, the provider opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Simply log in and grant permissions to the application. The provider then completes the OAuth process.

Alternatively, you can create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties.

To obtain the access token, set the following connection properties:

• CompanyId: The unique identifier of a given company in QuickBooks Online.

• OAuthClientId: The consumer key in your app settings.

Connecting to Sage Intacct

To connect to Web Services, you will first need to enable the Web Services subscription. Navigate to Company > Admin Tab > Subscriptions and enable Web Services.

Intacct also recommends creating a Web Services-only user, which can be done by navigating to Company > Admin Tab, and clicking on the + sign beside Web Services users.

You can establish a connection to Sage Intacct with your own credentials.

Before using a data source in appRules, the metadata must be generated. Metadata is created when you add a new data source and select the connection associated or when you specifically 'Regenerate Metadata' on the toolbar.

To generate metadata, first configure the and click the 'Create Metadata button' or Refresh metadata (when the datasource already exists) to continue.

A Datasource can have different connection associated for each environment (Test, Production...) but the Metadata is unique. If your environnements metadata models are different, define several datasources.

The environments are defined in the section.

appRules Actions deliver a centralized and consistent approach for performing actions in all operations. The Actions Editor is shown below:

To select an Action type, simply navigate the action tree and configure the properties for the selected type. Once an action is created, it can be executed at any point in the running project by using the PerformAction activity in the BaseActivities module or through other built-in access points in appRules (SetValues, MapRecordfields...).

The provider supports the following Xero APIs:

• Accounting API: Set the Schema connection property to ACCOUNTING

• Australian Payroll API: Set the Schema connection property to PAYROLLAUS

• Files API: Set the Schema connection property to FILES

• Fixed Assets API: Set the Schema connection property to ASSETS

• Projects API: Set the Schema connection property to PROJECTS

Authenticating to Xero

By default the provider authenticates to Xero using OAUTH2

OAUTH2 Xero App Authentication

You will need to create an OAuth application and set InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.

Follow the steps below to register a public application and obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret.

1. Log in to the Xero developer portal.

2. Click My Apps -> Add Application. Choose the Auth Code application type.

3. Enter a name for your application and the URL of your company. This information is displayed to users when they connect.

4. Set the Redirect URI to the full redirect or callback URL, where the user returns with the token that verifies that they have granted your app access.

When connecting using OAUTH2, Xero grants the provider access to all of the organizations that the user has authorized. By default the provider will connect using the first available organization. Since this default changes as you authorize new organizations, it is recommended that you set the Tenant connection property to ensure future connections always use the same organization.

The Tenant property can be set to either the name or ID of a Xero organization.

Xero API Limits

The Xero API has usage limitations that may be encountered while using the Provider for Xero.

Daily Limit

There is a daily limit of 5000 API calls against a single Xero organization in a rolling 24-hour period.

Requests per minute

In addition to the daily limit, a single access token can only be used up to 60 times in a rolling 60-second period.

Encountering a Rate Limit

If you encounter a rate limit, the Xero API will return an HTTP 503 (Service Unavailable) error, with the following message: "oauth_problem=rate limit exceeded".

Note: If you encounter a rate limit, do not continue to make requests, as this may continue to add to your limitation. If necessary, you may need to queue requests.

Keeping track of requests

When working with the provider, some operations may result in multiple requests to the API. For example, updating an existing record will result in two requests: one to get the current record, and one to submit changes.

The provider makes requests to QuickBooks through the Remote Connector. The Remote Connector runs on the same machine as QuickBooks and accepts connections through a lightweight, embedded Web server. The server supports SSL/TLS, enabling users to connect securely from remote machines. The first time you connect, you will need to authorize the provider with QuickBooks.

The Remote Connector can be used to read and write to QuickBooks in situations where direct COM access to QuickBooks is not available (e.g., ASP.NET, Java, or QuickBooks on a remote machine). Follow the procedure below to connect to QuickBooks for the first time through the Remote Connector:

1. If you have not already done so, download the Remote Connector from remoteconnector.com and install the Remote Connector on the machine where QuickBooks is installed.

2. Open the company file you want to connect to in QuickBooks using an administrator account in single-user mode.

3. Open the Remote Connector from the system tray and add a user on the Users tab. Enter a User and Password and select the level of access in the Data Access menu.

   Note: The Remote Connector does not use the User and Password properties to access QuickBooks; the User and Password properties authenticate the user to the Remote Connector. Authentication to QuickBooks is handled based on the ApplicationName property.

4. When you first connect, a dialog will appear in QuickBooks prompting you to authorize the application. After authorizing the application, you can then execute commands to QuickBooks. Specify the URL of the Remote Connector and the User and Password. By default, the Remote Connector connects to the currently open company file.

5. If you want to access QuickBooks when QuickBooks is not running, save the company file information for the user. The Remote Connector will then automatically open QuickBooks in the background with the company file for that user.

Note that if the QuickBooks UI is open, you can only connect to that company file. Additionally, note that the user permissions you run the Remote Connector under must match the user permissions you run QuickBooks under. The Remote Connector installation process installs the Remote Connector as a service under the current user account.

How do I Connect to QuickBooks over SSL/TLS?

You can enable SSL/TLS on the Advanced tab.

You will also need to send your public key certificate to the provider. You can do so by setting the SSLServerCert property.

Connecting to a Local Company File

Follow the steps below to authorize with QuickBooks and connect to a company file when both QuickBooks and the provider are running on your local machine.

1. Open QuickBooks as an administrator and open the company file you want to connect to.

2. Connect to QuickBooks. A dialog will appear in QuickBooks prompting you to authorize the provider. After granting access to the provider, you can now execute commands to QuickBooks.

3. If you want to connect to the company file when QuickBooks is closed, set the CompanyFile connection option when you execute commands. QuickBooks will open automatically in the background with the file specified.

   Note that if QuickBooks is open through the application UI, only that CompanyFile can be used.

Authenticating to Sage Business Cloud Accounting

Sage Business Cloud Accounting uses the OAuth standard to authenticate users.

OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Sage Business Cloud Accounting using the browser. The provider facilitates this in various ways as described below.

Note: The driver makes use of the Sage Business Cloud Accounting API (v3.1) to connect. The supported countries for this API version are:

• Canada

• Germany

• Spain

• France

• United Kingdom

• Ireland

• United States

OAuth

You can connect without setting any connection properties for your user credentials. Set InitiateOAuth to GETANDREFRESH to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.

1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.

2. Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.

3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

To obtain the OAuth client credentials, follow the steps below:

1. Log into Sage accounting Developer Account.

2. Create a new app. Set the CallbackUrl to http://localhost:3333, or some other similar http url.

3. The OAuthClientId is the Client Id displayed. The OAuthClientSecret is the Client Secret.

The Utility-Automation actions category includes the following modules and types:

The Workflow condition category contains the following conditions categorized as follows:

Connecting to QuickBooks

The provider makes requests to QuickBooks POS through the QuickBooks Gateway. The QuickBooks Gateway runs on the same machine as QuickBooks POS and accepts connections through a lightweight, embedded Web server. The server supports SSL/TLS, enabling users to connect securely from remote machines. The first time you connect, you will need to authorize the provider with QuickBooks POS. For more information, refer to our Using the QuickBooks Gateway section below.

To work with your data in practice mode, set QBPOSPractice. Additionally, set QBPOSVersion.

Connecting to a Local Company File

Follow the steps below to authorize with QuickBooks POS and connect to a company file when both QuickBooks POS and the provider are running on your local machine.

1. Open QuickBooks POS as an administrator and open the company file you want to connect to.

2. Connect to QuickBooks POS. A dialog will appear in QuickBooks POS prompting you to authorize the provider. After granting access to the provider, you can now execute commands to QuickBooks POS.

3. If you want to connect to the company file when QuickBooks POS is closed, set the CompanyFile connection option when you execute commands. QuickBooks POS will open automatically in the background with the file specified.

   Note that if QuickBooks POS is open through the application UI, only that CompanyFile can be used.

Connection Troubleshooting

If you receive a connection error (such as "Internal error 160002") you may need to switch QuickBooks POS to multiuser mode. This is done by selecting the "Switch Company File to Multi User Mode" option in the File Menu. You should then be able to connect to the company file.

If a CompanyFile is not specified in the connection string, QuickBooks POS may present an "Enter Company Name" window the first time you connect. In this window, you must specify the company file and the computer name where the company file is located.

QuickBooks Gateway

The QuickBooks Desktop Gateway can be used to read and write to QuickBooks POS in situations where direct COM access to QuickBooks POS is not available (e.g., ASP.NET, Java, or QuickBooks POS on a remote machine). Follow the procedure below to connect to QuickBooks POS for the first time through the Desktop Gateway:

1. If you have not already done so, download the QuickBooks Desktop Gateway from and install it.

2. Open the company file you want to connect to in QuickBooks POS using an administrator account in single-user mode.

3. Open the QuickBooks Desktop Gateway from the system tray and add a user on the Users tab. Enter a User and Password and select the level of access in the Data Access menu.

   Note: The QuickBooks Desktop Gateway does not use the User and Password properties to access QuickBooks POS; the User and Password properties authenticate the user. Authentication to QuickBooks POS is handled by the ApplicationName property.

NOTE: that if the QuickBooks POS UI is open, you can only connect to that company file. Additionally, the user permissions you specify for the Desktop Gateway must match the user permissions you used for QuickBooks POS. The Desktop Gateway installs as a service in the current user account.

How do I Connect to QuickBooks POS over SSL/TLS?

You can enable SSL/TLS on the Advanced tab.

You will also need to send your public key certificate to the provider. You can do so by setting the SSLServerCert property.

The first time you connect, you will need to authorize the provider with Reckon. The provider makes requests to Reckon through the Remote Connector. The Remote Connector runs on the same machine as Reckon and accepts connections through a lightweight, embedded Web server. The server supports SSL/TLS, enabling users to connect securely from remote machines.

Follow the steps below to authorize with Reckon and connect to a company file when both Reckon and the provider are running on your local machine.

1. Open Reckon as an administrator and open the company file you want to connect to.

2. Connect to Reckon. A dialog will appear in Reckon prompting you to authorize the provider. After granting access to the provider, you can now execute commands to Reckon.

3. If you want to connect to the company file when Reckon is closed, set the CompanyFile connection option when you execute commands. Reckon will open automatically in the background with the file specified.

   Note that if Reckon is open through the application UI, only that CompanyFile can be used.

Using the Remote Connector

The Remote Connector can be used to read and write to Reckon in situations where direct COM access to Reckon is not available (e.g., ASP.NET, Java, or Reckon on a remote machine). Follow the procedure below to connect to Reckon for the first time through the Remote Connector:

1. If you have not already done so, download the Remote Connector from remoteconnector.com and install the Remote Connector on the machine where Reckon is installed.

2. Open the company file you want to connect to in Reckon using an administrator account in single-user mode.

3. Open the Remote Connector from the system tray and add a user on the Users tab. Enter a User and Password and select the level of access in the Data Access menu.

   Note: The Remote Connector does not use the User and Password properties to access Reckon; the User and Password properties authenticate the user to the Remote Connector. Authentication to Reckon is handled based on the ApplicationName property.

Note that if the Reckon UI is open, you can only connect to that company file. Additionally, note that the user permissions you run the Remote Connector under must match the user permissions you run Reckon under. The Remote Connector installation process installs the Remote Connector as a service under the current user account.

How do I Connect to Reckon over SSL/TLS?

You can enable SSL/TLS on the Advanced tab.

You will also need to send your public key certificate to the provider. You can do so by setting the SSLServerCert property.

Dialogs Module

The appConnector Dialogs activities module contains activities for entering or viewing values during runtime or test runs of your project.

Connecting to Veeva Vault

In order to connect to your Veeva Vault account, you will first need to specify the Url connection property to the host you see in the address bar after logging in to your account, ex. https://myvault.veevavault.com.

Sourced Values Overview

To deliver a code-free environment where projects can be created and deployed quickly, appRules employs “Sourced Values”. In simple terms, a Sourced Value allows you to quickly select a source for a value and an identifier for it. To specify a sourced value, you select the Source and then specify a value identifier (Source Value Identifier). Below are some examples of the many sourced values used in appRules:

Overview

appConnector Base Activities are made up the most commonly used activity modules in the appRules product suite.

appConnector Base Activities

Create an App for OAuth Integration

Follow the steps below to create a custom app and obtain the connection properties in a specific OAuth authentication flow.

• Navigate to the following URL: .

Authenticating to Quickbase

User Authentication

Set the AuthScheme to Basic to authenticate with this method.

Connecting to Splunk APIs

You must specify the URL to a valid Splunk server. By default the provider makes requests on port 8089.

By default, the provider attempts to negotiate TLS/SSL with the server.

Authenticating to DataRobot API

Various login credentials must be supplied to connect to the standard API and Prediction API of DataRobot.

Authenticating with a Login and API Key

Set the User and Password to your login credentials, and specify PredictionInstance. Additionally, set the APIKey connection property to your API Token, if you have obtained one already. If you are using a Cloud Prediction instance for DataRobot, you will need to supply DataRobotKey as well. To obtain the APIKey, follow the steps below:

1. Login to the DataRobot UI, and click the person icon in the top right corner of the UI.

2. From the drop down menu, select "Profile".

3. Profile information will appear, including your "API Token".

To obtain the DataRobotKey, do the following:

1. Login to the DataRobot UI, and click "Deployments" in the top-most toolbar.

2. Open a deployment.

3. In the deployment's menu, select the "Integrations" tab.

4. Your DataRobotKey is the second entry in the headers JSON object.

Salesforce Einstein Analytics uses the OAuth 2 authentication standard. You will need to obtain the OAuthClientId and OAuthClientSecret by registering an app with Salesforce Einstein Analytics.

OAuth requires the authenticating user to interact with Salesforce Einstein Analytics using the browser. The provider facilitates this in various ways as described in the following sections.

Create a Connected App

You can follow the procedure below to obtain the OAuth client credentials, the consumer key and consumer secret:

1. If your organization uses the Salesforce Lightning Experience UI, from Setup enter App in the Quick Find box, select App Manager (not Manage Connected Apps), and click New Connected App.

   If your organization uses the Salesforce Classic UI, from Setup enter Apps in the Quick Find box and then select Apps, under Build or Create. Under Connected Apps, click New.

2. Enter a name to be displayed to users when they log in to grant permissions to your app, along with a contact email address.

3. Click Enable OAuth Settings and enter a value in the Callback URL box.

   If you are making a desktop application, set the Callback URL to http://localhost:33333 or a different port number of your choice.

   If you are making a Web application, set the Callback URL to a page on your Web app you would like the user to be returned to after they have authorized your application.

4. Select the following OAuth scopes:

   Access and manage your wave data (wave_api)

   Access and manage your data (api)

   Perform requests on your behalf at any time (refresh_token, offline_token)

5. Once you have created the app, click your app name to open a page with information about your app. The OAuth client credentials, the consumer key and consumer secret, are displayed.

Authenticate to Salesforce Einstein Analytics

After setting the following connection properties, you are ready to connect:

• OAuthClientId: Set this to the consumer key in your app settings.

• OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the consumer secret in your app settings.

• CallbackURL: Set this to the callback URL in your app settings.

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken connection property.

When you connect the provider opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The provider then completes the OAuth process:

1. Gets the callback URL and sets the access token to authenticate requests.

2. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation to be persisted across connections.

3. Exchanges the returned refresh token for a new, valid access token.

Base Module

The appRules Base activities module includes activities that are used for initializing your project, closing the project, executing functions, calling other projects and more.

Activities

The table below shows the activities in the appRules Base module including their key properties.

Before using a data source, the connection to it must be configured by creating a connection string. To create the connection string for the data source which can then be used as a Source or Target, follow the instruction below:

1. Select Connections from the Settings menu.

2. Click the New toolbar button to select a connector and enter a name for the data source.

3. Configure the properties of the connection string by entering values when prompted and selecting available options.

4. Test the connection.

5. Use the Save toolbar button to save the connection definition.

The following toolbar buttons are available on the property grid for completing tasks:

Overview

appConnector Base Activities are made up the most commonly used activity modules in the appRules product suite.

appConnector Base Activities

Base Data Module

The Base Data activities module provides activities for generalized data access in your project.

Base Data Activities

Activities

The table below shows the activities in the Base Data Activities module and their key properties. The Base Data activities can be applied to all data sources defined in the current project.

Overview

Runtime Settings are used throughout the system to determine the behavior of system operations at design time and also at runtime. This is a powerful feature that allows you to pre-configure the environments for running the projects that you will be composing and orchestrating.

To view, add, update, and delete Runtime Settings, select it from the Settings menu of the appRules HomePage.

Using the Default Runtime Settings

When a new project database is created, the system automatically adds the following Runtime Settings into your project database as a starting point:

Adding and Updating Runtime Settings

To Add a RunTimeSetting, click the “New” button; enter the field values and click the “Save” button to add the new record to the project database.

To Change or Update a RuntimeSetting, select the specific entry in the Setting Name list, make changes to the field values and click the “Save” button to update the values.

To Delete a RuntimeSetting select the specific entry and click the “Remove” button to remove the record from the project database.

Fields:

Default Culture

Determine the culture that will be used when running the workflows or validating data (when the user running the workflow is associated to this RuntimeSettings) . For example, if the en-US culture is selected, the dates handled will be in US format (Date in MM/DD/YY). When using Dynamics CRM datasource for example, the option set names displayed when querying the data will be the US ones.

If the Default Culture is set to 'Default', System culture will be used.

Caching Option

Specify the cache engine used when running in the specified environment (Redis or Internal, if Redis specify the connection string (installed by default by the appRules Setup))

Optional Runtime Fields

Define optional runtime variables and values associated to the current RunTimeSetting. For example, the default file path for all files used in a project can have different values when a project is launched in a Production or Test environment.

Connecting to Kintone

In addition to the authentication values, set the following parameters to connect to and retrieve data from Kintone:

• Url: The URL of your account.

• GuestSpaceId: Optional. Set this when using a guest space.

Authenticating to Kintone

Kintone supports the following authentication methods.

Password Authentication

You must set the following to authenticate to Kintone:

• User: The username of your account.

• Password: The password of your account.

• AuthScheme: Set AuthScheme to Password.

API Token

You must set the following to authenticate to Kintone:

• APIToken: The API Token.

  To generate an API token access the specific app and click on the cog wheel. Proceed to App Settings tab > API Token. Click on the Generate button, an API token will be generated.

• AppId: The Application Ids.

  The AppId is the number of that specific app in the sequence under Apps in Kintone UI dashboard.

• AuthScheme: Set AuthScheme to APIToken.

Additional Security

In addition to the mentioned authentication schemese, Kintone offers additional security in the form of both an additional Basic Auth header, and an SSL Certificate.

Using Client SSL

In addition to your authentication information, Kintone may be configured to require an SSL certificate to accept requests. To do so, set the following:

• SSLClientCert: The file containing the certificate of the SSL Cert. Or alternatively, the name of the certificate store for the client certificate.

• SSLClientCertType: The type of certificate.

• SSLClientCertSubject: (Optional) If searching for a certificate in the certificate store, the store is searched for subjects containing the value of the property.

Basic

Kintone environments using basic authentication will need to pass additional basic credentials. To do so, specify the following:

• BasicAuthUser: The basic login name.

• BasicAuthPassword: The basic password.

The Actions-Fields-Library-Math module contains the following types:

appRules utilizes data source metadata extensively. This metadata is generated and maintained in Data Source settings which is accessible from the Settings menu of the appRules home page.

Maintaining Data Source Settings

The Records condition contains the following conditions categorized as follows:

Authenticating to FreshBooks

FreshBooks uses the OAuth authentication standard. To authenticate using OAuth, you will need to create an app to obtain the OAuthClientId, OAuthClientSecret, and CallbackURL connection properties.

See below

Authenticate via OAuth Authentication

Use the OAuth authentication standard to connect to YouTube Analytics. You can authenticate with a user account or with a service account. A service account is required to grant organization-wide access scopes to the provider. The provider facilitates these authentication flows as described below.

Overview

Before jumping in to start composing and orchestrating your projects with appRules, it is recommended that you review this section to get a basic idea of the concepts that drive appRules.

The concepts are not discussed in detail here but are rather presented in a concise manner to help you hit the ground running. In addition to understanding the concepts and features, this section will also introduce you to the most frequently used terms in appRules.

While appRules features so many options, only the key common features are included in this section.

No-Code Environment

appRules is a no-code environment that includes thousands of configurable options for performing all design and runtime tasks for data migration, data integration, business rules and process automation.

Conditions

Simple and complex conditions to be evaluated by the system can be defined and maintained without writing code.

Actions

Simple and complex actions to be performed by the system during processing can be defined and maintained without writing code.

Workflow Activities

The actual work performed by appRules projects are done through the execution of one or more workflow activities. Workflow activities in appRules are actually actions and conditions participating in orchestration.

A workflow activity takes input and gives output and contains user-configurable variables and properties. appRules workflow activities are grouped into modules that can be configured to complete a process. appRules activities are able to move and share data between modules and also with external systems.

Each module is specific to the features of the application that it supports -- including files, databases, SaaS etc.

The process of composing your projects (workflows), involves dragging activities on to the designer, configuring the associated properties, and associating them in a logical sequence order.

appConnector Modules

appRules is based on appStrategy’s appConnector technology. appConnector technology delivers software libraries that connect a wide variety of applications and data sources.

appConnector functionality is based on workflow activities that are packaged in modules related to the job they perform as a group.

To use a module, refer to its documentation in the Data Sources section.

The appRules Data Migration Engine

The appRules Data Migration Engine is a powerful engine based on the appRules platform that supports several data migration options include replication and synchronization. appRules Data Migration engine works with hundreds of data sources. It is sold as a separate appRules platform product.

The appRules Integration & Automation Engine

The appRules Integration & Automation Engine is a powerful engine based on the appRules platform that supports integration, automation, and business rules processes. Decision Tables, Rule Sets and other features are included in the appRules Integration & Automation Engine. It is sold as a separate appRules platform product.

appRules Enterprise 360

appRules Enterprise 360 is the enterprise suite that includes the appRules Data Migration Engine and the appRules Integration & Automation Engine - the All-In-One package.

Composing And Orchestrating Projects

In appRules, projects are composed and orchestrated as opposed to being programmed or developed. Using appConnector modules with powerful activities featuring easy-to-use and reusable editors makes this possible.

To compose projects in appRules, you simply drag and drop activities from the toolbox onto the designer and associate them in sequence using control flow activities (while, if, sequence …):

The appRules Embedded Database

appRules includes a Microsoft SQL Server compatible embedded database that you can use to host your small and mid-size projects. No installation or configuration is required for the appRules Embedded Database - it is automatically installed and configured.

Project Databases

appRules stores projects in project databases. Your project database can contain a few, or unlimited number of projects. You can also maintain several project databases and synchronize data between project databases. This feature makes it easy for you to maintain separate environments for Development, Test and Production.

Project databases are not just used for storing your job definitions. They also store other data including data source definitions, lists, settings and logs. appRules currently supports the appRules Embedded Database and Microsoft SQL Server as project databases. The appRules Embedded database is used mostly for development and for small and medium deployments. It requires little or no resources to create and maintain. The samples supplied with appRules are in the appRules Embedded database.

appRules includes utilities (CheckIn/CheckOut) that allow you to move your project database from one format to another.

The Samples Project Database

A project database named Samples is installed along with your edition of the appRules software product.

The Samples database contains several examples that show you how to hit the ground running with appRules.

In addition, a database named Northwind containing test data is also automatically installed on your computer.

Environment Settings

Most software projects consume a lot of time at runtime (configuring registry settings, checking activations, connection strings, file locations, location specific defaults, etc.). To alleviate these problems, appRules includes Environment Settings that you can use to define how your projects will be deployed -- even before the projects are composed. For example, you can create environment settings for Development, Test and Production. You can also create environment settings for departments, teams and locations. There is no limit to the number of environment settings that you can define. Environment Settings are linked to users running the projects.

Data Source Settings

appRules relies on data source metadata for all processing. Metadata is generated from the data sources and stored in the project database.

When creating a data source, appRules gathers not only information related to entities or table metadata, but also any additional information included in the database of applications including pick lists and data mapping information.

Connection Settings

The same data source can use different connections depending if you run in Development or Production environment. Also a workflow activity can be executed using several connections in the same environment (a Bulk activity can use several workers, each of them associated to a different connection to the same data source).

Sourced Values

To deliver a code-free environment where projects can be created and deployed quickly, appRules employs “Sourced Values”. In simple terms, a Sourced Value allows you to quickly select a source for a value and an identifier for it. To specify a sourced value, you select the Source and then specify a value identifier (Source Value Identifier). Below are some examples of the many sourced values used in appRules:

The above examples give you an idea of how Sourced Values are defined and used in appRules. There are over one hundred Sourced Values and associated types that you can use to specify data anywhere in your projects.

By providing a rich set of editors and controls to manage Sourced Values, appRules is able to provide a very powerful and flexible combination that gives users the fastest and most compact environment for configuring actions, conditions, activities and orchestrating processes.

Sourced Values in Property Grid

Below are examples of Sourced Value controls on the property grid at design time:

Data Managers

Data Managers are a special set of workflow activities that can be initialized as Sources or Targets in the appRules project. Source Data Managers retrieve data records from a data source and make the records and values in them available for other modules in the project. Target Data Managers are used for saving records to a specific data source. The properties, connectors configuration options, and execution context of Data Managers is based on the parent module of the Data Manager.

appRules projects can support an unlimited number of Source and Target Data Managers in the same project. And you can define configuration values using values from unrelated Sources/Targets and even dynamic values. A standard Source can be initialized using an InitializeSource activity and a standard Target activity can be initialized using an InitializeTarget activity.

In addition to standard Data Managers (Source & Target), appRules also supports derived Data Managers such as Lists, Lookups, PreloadedRecords, PickLists, etc.

appRules persists the values of the current records of Data Managers so they can be utilized by other activities using the DataFieldValue Sourced Value. Some appConnector modules provide additional Data Managers that are specific to the data source.

Logs and Statistics

You can configure your appRules project to log as much information as possible regarding the process. Several selections are included for viewing logs and other project runtime data. After running the job or while it is still running, you can view all details related to the job, including Condition, Action and Activity statistics, Source and Target statistics, performance logs and error logs.

The FileSystem condition contains the following conditions categorized as follows:

Connecting to Sage 50 UK

The provider connects to Sage 50 UK data through the SData REST API included in the Sage 50 UK installation. SData allows access to local company datasets as well as datasets on network drives.

After Configuring the Sage SData Service, connect with the below steps, the URL property should be set to the address of the company dataset desired. To obtain the address, do the following:

1. If you have not already done so, open the Sage 50 UK software.

2. Select Tools > Internet Options .

3. Select the Sdatasettings tab.

4. Click Details next to the Sage 50 software application you want to connect to. A window opens containing a list of company names along with the addresses to their corresponding datasets.

5. Set the URL property to the value in the address field next to the company desired.

Authenticating to Sage 50 UK

The User and Password properties must be set to valid Sage 50 UK user credentials. These values are the same values used to log in to the Sage 50 UK software. To authenticate with HTTP digest to the SData service, set AuthScheme to Digest. Otherwise, Basic AuthScheme will be used.

Note: If the dataset you want to connect to is not displayed, the permissions on the Sage 50 UK folder location may not be correct. If you are connecting to a dataset on a networked drive, ensure:

• You are using UNC paths to the folder on the machine you are using as your SData provider.

• You set the SData service login rights to a user who has full rights over the network share or map drive.

Starting the SData Service

The Provider for Sage 50 UK connects to Sage 50 UK via the Sage SData service (which is Sage's Web toolkit for connecting to Sage instances) that is built into the Sage 50 UK software. SData allows for remote access to Sage software applications. By default, Sage UK 2015 instances will have SData turned on and ready for use.

You can follow the steps below to verify that the SData service is started.

1. If you have not already done so, open Sage 50.

2. Navigate to Tools > Internet Options. The Internet Options window is displayed.

3. Select the Sdatasettings tab. A list is displayed of Sage software applications that are currently available.

4. To turn the SData service on for the application, select the On option.

Once you apply any changes, you can then establish a connection to your Sage 50 UK software.

Enabling HTTPS Support

The Sage SData service provides secure and encrypted connections via HTTPS. Data confidentiality and the authenticity of the server are provided by digital certificates. If you do not have a certificate, use IIS to generate a self-signed certificate.

You can follow the steps below to configure the SData service to use a certificate; the provider will validate this certificate against the system trust store by default. If you generated a self-signed certificate, you can add the certificate to this certificate store or set SSLServerCert.

Fulfilling the Certificate Requirements

The certificate has the following requirements:

• The certificate must have a full valid trust chain.

• The common name (CN) for the certificate must match the machine/domain name where the SData service is running. To ensure that the CN is correct, generate the self-signed certificate on the machine where Sage 50 SData is running.

• The certificate must be added to the personal My certificate store for the Local Machine account.

Configuring the SData Service for TLS/SSL

You can then configure the SData service to use the certificate:

1. Navigate to C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Sage SData and open Sage.SData.Service.Config.UI.exe.

2. Click the Advanced button. The SData Configuration window is displayed.

3. Select the Enable HTTPS Access option and select the port desired.

4. If you have any firewalls on your machine, make sure the ports specified are not blocked.

Troubleshooting

If the SData configuration window is closed and reopened but the Enable HTTPS option is not enabled, this is most likely caused by the Sage.SData.Service.exe.config file not being updated properly. Follow the steps below to use the alternate configuration file below.

You will need the certificate thumbprint. Note that the thumbprint data includes spaces. The thumbprint data can be obtained using Windows services. You can also access the thumbprint in the SData configuration window:

1. If you have not already done so, open the Sage.SData.Service.Config.UI.exe application and open the advanced settings.

2. Click the button next to the Certificate box.

3. In the Windows security dialog, click "Click here to view certificate properties". The Certificate Details window is displayed.

4. On the Details tab, copy the value in the Thumbprint field.

Use this value in the CertificateLookupValue setting in the configuration file. For example:

The Utility-FileSystem actions category includes the following modules and types:

The Results condition category contains the following conditions categorized as follows: