How connections to other systems work
Connecting AutomatedOn to another system takes two things: an API Auth Profile that says how to sign in, and a data source that says where the system is. You set both up in the back office. The secret itself is added separately by Three 17.
The pieces
| Item | Where it lives | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| API Auth Profile | Directly under your tenant | How requests are signed in: the Auth Mode, header settings, and a Credential Key that names the secret. |
| Data Source | In the Data Sources folder | An OData API's OData Endpoint and the API Auth Profile to use. |
| Rest Data Source | In the Data Sources folder | A plain JSON API's Base URL and the API Auth Profile to use. |
One API Auth Profile can be shared by several data sources and API requests that use the same credentials.
Which kind of data source do I need?
- Choose a Data Source if the system has an OData API. OData services describe their own data, so AutomatedOn can list the available entity sets and fields for you. Aptem and Microsoft Dynamics 365 / Dataverse are OData APIs.
- Choose a Rest Data Source if the system has a plain REST API that returns JSON, such as Century Tech.
AutomatedOn doesn't have special built-in connectors for particular products. Every system connects through one of these two general-purpose data source types.
How secrets are handled
API keys, tokens and client secrets are never typed into any field in the back office. Three 17 stores them securely in your tenant's configuration, filed under a name called the Credential Key.
- You create the API Auth Profile and give it a Credential Key, such as
AptemLive. - You ask Three 17 support to add the secret for that Credential Key. Tell them the key and the auth mode. For
ApiKeyandStaticTokenmodes they'll store a token; forClientCredentialsmode they'll store a client ID and client secret. - Once it's added, use Test Connection to check it.
If you leave Credential Key empty, the profile's own internal ID is used instead. Setting a short, readable key makes it much easier to tell Three 17 which secret you mean.