Overview
The Zapier add-on to Device Integration Platform helps you to bring real-life data from your assets into ERP, CRM and other enterprise IT services. It also enables you to remote control your assets from these services. The Zapier add-on effectively connects more than 350 IT services with the Internet of Things. Use the add-on to, for example,
- Send machine maintenance alerts into your CRM system.
- Send sales information from vending machines into your ERP system.
- Bring life data into spreadsheets for analysis.
- Create forms to support manual maintenance of master data for your assets.
- Improve customer service by automating standard interactions such as machine resets from your help desk tools.
This section describes how to easily implement these and many other use cases by combining Device Integration Platform with Zapier. It will show all available triggers and actions the Device Integration Platform Zapier app will offer and describe how you can connect them with other services.
All the examples in this section require a Zapier account, which you can obtain for free at https://zapier.com.
Access Device Integration Platform app in Zapier
If you want to get access to the app and try it out please contact us at support@softwareag.com.
How does it work?
The Zapier add-on connects Device Integration Platform in two ways to enterprise IT services:
- You can send data from the sensor network and from Device Integration Platform to these IT services.
- You can send data from the IT services to Device Integration Platform and the sensor network.
From the Internet of Things to enterprise IT services
To send data to enterprise IT services, you need to set up a CEL statement in Device Integration Platform (or use one of your existing SmartRules) and a Zap in Zapier, as depicted below.
New CEL Event
The New CEL Event trigger provides a more generic way to forward any statement of any of your CEL modules to Zapier. Before using this feature you need to deploy your module in Device Integration Platform. After choosing this trigger and selecting your Device Integration Platform account, you can specify your CEL module.
In the test step in Zapier we will provide you with an example of how Zapier will receive the data but the structure depends purely on how your statement in the CEL looks like. Therefore it might be that some of the fields in our example don't exist in your CEL statement.
Please have a look at our example for this trigger if you want to know more .
From enterprise IT services to the Internet of Things
The Zapier add-on provides a number of Zapier actions to send data to Device Integration Platform and to the device managed by Device Integration Platform. The currently supported actions are:
- New Device.
- Update Inventory.
- Create Operation
New Device
"New device" registers a new device so that you can connect it directly. Pass the same device ID (IMEI, serial number) as you would normally use in the "Device registration" user interface.
Update Inventory
"Update inventory" enables you to create and update assets in the Device Integration Platform inventory. The following parameters can be defined:
| Input | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | A technical identifier for the asset. |
| Name | A human-readable name for the asset. |
| Fragment | The fragment type that is created or updated. |
| Data | The fragment's data as a list of keys and values. |
| Is a device? | A flag that will mark the asset as a device, i.e., will make the asset show up when clicking on "All Devices". |
Assets are located in the inventory using the following process:
1 The ID is interpreted as asset ID and the Zapier add-on checks if there is an existing asset with the given asset ID. 2 The ID is interpreted as a Device Integration Platform global ID and the Zapier add-on checks for an asset with that global ID. 3 The name is used to find an asset with an exactly matching name.
If any of the three steps succeeds, the retrieved asset is updated. If nothing could be found, a new asset is created.
Create Operation
"Trigger device restarts" sends a restart operation to a device.
| Input | Description |
|---|---|
| ID | A technical identifier for the device. |
| Name | A human-readable name for the device. |
| Description | The description of the operation. |
| Fragment | The fragment that will be added to the operation. |
| Data | The fragment's data as a list of keys and values. |
The device is identified with the same three-step mechanism as illustrated above in the "Update inventory" action.
Configuring your Device Integration Platform account in Zapier
Each trigger and action will require you to add valid Device Integration Platform credentials. If you are creating your first Zap with Device Integration Platform connection you need to connect a new account and will get to the following dialog where you enter your Device Integration Platform credentials.
Examples
For detailed information on setting up Zaps, please visit https://zapier.com/help/. Note that the Zapier plans have limitations on the volume of data that can be transferred. Sending data outside of your plan may deactivate your Zap temporarily.
Store CEL data in a Google Spreadsheet
In the first example, we connect Device Integration Platform to Google Spreadsheet and transfer live measurements from your account into the spreadsheet. You can use the measurements for ad-hoc analysis, for example, to compare the performance of different devices. The example consists of four steps.
To run the example, you need a Google account besides your Zapier account. If you do not have a Google account already, visit https://google.com and click "Sign in", then "Create an account". We also assume that you have the default simulated devices running in your account.
Open the Device Integration Platform administration application, click on "Event Processing" and select "New Module". Give your new module the name "zapier". In the "Examples" drop-down menu, select "Send simulator temperature to Zapier". Click the "Save" button. Your screen should look like the screenshot below.
The above statement selects all new temperature measurements in your account and formats them for the Zapier add-on. The output of the statement is printed live next to the statement. If you have the default simulator configuration running, it should start showing values.
You also need to create a spreadsheet that will later hold the data from Device Integration Platform. Visit https://docs.google.com and click "New" and select "Google Sheets". Click on the "Untitled Spreadsheet" text at the top of the screen and give your spreadsheet a name such as "Test spreadsheet". In the spreadsheet, create a header row and a row with sample data as illustrated in the screenshot below. The header row and the sample data will be used by used by Zapier to simplify the setup of your "Zap", i.e., your new system integration.
More information on using spreadsheets with Zapier can be found at https://zapier.com/support/questions/2301/using-zapier-with-google-docs/.
Now, you are ready to set up your Zap:
- Choose "Device Integration Platform" as "Trigger app".
- Select "New CEL event".
- Connect your Device Integration Platform Account in Zapier (or select it if you previously connected it).
- Enter "zapier" in the "Module name" input and "simulatortemperature" in the "Statement" input
- Choose "Google Sheets" as "Action app" on the right side.
- Select "Create Spreadsheet Row".
- Connect your Google Account in Zapier (or select it if you previously connected it).
- Select your spreadsheet and worksheet from the pull down menus
Activate the Zap in Zapier and open the spreadsheet to watch data from the simulator flowing in.
Register a device from a spreadsheet
In this example, we assume that you maintain a spreadsheet to keep track of your devices, their IMEIs, their SIM cards and their deployment location -- a "poor man's asset management". Whenever a new device is entered this spreadsheet, it should be automatically entered into Device Integration Platform's device registration. You can then switch on the device and pair it with your account.
As first step, prepare a spreadsheet similar to the one below in the screenshot. The column "IMEI" provides in this case the identifier of the device to be registered.
Now, you are ready to set up your Zap:
- Choose "Google Sheets" as "Trigger app".
- Select "New Spreadsheet Row".
- Connect your Google Account in Zapier (or select it if you previously connected it).
- Select your spreadsheet and worksheet from the pull down menus
- Choose "Device Integration Platform" as "Action app" on the right side.
- Select "New Device".
- Connect your Device Integration Platform Account in Zapier (or select it if you previously connected it).
- Select the IMEI column from the fields list to use in the "Device ID" input
Test the Zap and turn it on. Enter a new device into your spreadsheet.
After a while, the device ID appears in the "Device registration" dialog of Device Integration Platform.
Note that, depending on your Zapier plan, it may take up to fifteen minutes until Zapier picks up the change in the spreadsheet.
Now you can play with this setup. For example, you could introduce a workflow column indicating the state of the device (ordered, in stock, rolling out, in production) and only register the device when it is being rolled out.
Use a form to enter customers into the inventory
In this example, we update the Device Integration Platform inventory using a Wufoo form.
To run the example, you need a Wufoo account.
Open the Wufoo form builder and create a form for your inventory entry. For the example, we want to create customer contacts in the inventory. Save the form.
Now, you are ready to set up your Zap:
- Choose "Wufoo" as "Trigger app".
- Select "New Entry".
- Connect your Wufoo Account in Zapier (or select it if you previously connected it).
- Select your form from the pull down menus
- Choose "Device Integration Platform" as "Action app" on the right side.
- Select "Update Inventory".
- Connect your Device Integration Platform Account in Zapier (or select it if you previously connected it).
- Fill the data fields from the Wufoo form into the Update Inventory inputs (e.g. like in the screenshot below)
In this case, we are creating a new entry for each customer entered into Wufoo. Hence, the Wufoo entry ID can be used as asset ID in Device Integration Platform. As name, we use the first and last name of the contact. "Data" contains a list of key/value pairs that you can use for the remaining form data. These key/value pairs are stored in a Device Integration Platform fragment "c8y_Contact". You can set "Is a device?" to true to see the entered data in the device management application (even though your contact isn't exactly a device).
Extensions
Zapier offers an built-in action to send pure REST requests called "Webhooks". You are able to use this action to send any data to our documented APIs directly.
Still have ideas for features in the Device Integration Platform app? Mail us.