Transforming & scheduling Routes

Step 3: Transform your data integrations limitlessly

‍Alumio Transformers are highly flexible tools that help you modify the data that you integrate via the Alumio iPaaS. Here are a few of the many crucial customizations that Transformers enable:

• Mapping fields: Transformers allow you to rename, remap, or restructure fields from the source to match the destination’s format. For example, mapping the field “order ID” from your e-commerce system to “document number” in your ERP.
• Filtering data: You can use Transformers to include only specific data. For instance, you might filter orders to send only those from a particular region or within a defined time frame.
• Enriching data: Add or modify data fields before sending them to the destination system. For example, appending a “sales region” field to each order based on customer location.
• Handling conditional logic: Transformers can apply conditions, such as sending customer data only when the total order value exceeds a certain threshold.

By using Transformers effectively, you can ensure that the data flowing through your Route is tailored to meet the specific requirements of both the source and target systems. Alumio Transformers can be applied on all three configurations: Incoming, Outgoing, and Route.

1. Modifying the Incoming Configuration:
   Before running the Incoming Configuration which, according to our example, is configured to “Get EU order data: Shopware to Exact Online,” a Transformer can be applied to it to clean, format, and filter the data. In the case of our example, an Alumio Transformer can be used to map the data that Alumio receives from the source application (e-commerce) to match the format of the target application (ERP system). This transformation will occur when the Incoming Configuration is run and the data is retrieved in Alumio.
   
2. Customizing the Outgoing Configuration:
   Similarly, Transformer(s) can be applied to the Outgoing Configuration as well to ensure that the data being sent to the target system via Alumio is perfectly formatted and optimized. As per our example, the e-commerce order data being sent via Alumio to the ERP needs to “Filter existing orders.” Applying an appropriate Transformer to the Outgoing Configuration can help achieve this, wherein conditional logic can be applied to exclude orders if their IDs already exist in the ERP, preventing duplication.
   
3. Transforming the Route:  
   Alumio Transformers can also be applied on the Route itself, which acts as a bridge to modify data flowing between the Incoming and Outgoing Configurations. In the case of our example, the Order data being exchanged between the e-commerce web shop and the ERP needs to exclude any orders from outside the EU. Thus, applying a Transformer to “Filter Data” on the Route itself can help ensure that the data retrieved from the source application and sent to the target application filters all orders that aren’t from the EU.
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Step 4: Schedule each part of your Route

The fourth crucial feature in building integrations via Alumio Routes is the Scheduler, which automates how and when each part of your Route is executed. The Alumio Scheduler helps you process integrations in batches and at pre-determined intervals, and it also allows you to enable real-time data exchange.
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How the Alumio Scheduler works:

The Alumio Scheduler allows you to flexibly determine the timing, frequency, and intervals of every aspect of your integration Routes.

1. Define timing: Specify how frequently each configuration runs. For example, in our use case:
   • The Incoming Configuration retrieves new order data every 5 minutes.
   • The Outgoing Configuration sends filtered and transformed data to the ERP every 1 minute.
2. Set priorities: Assign priorities (high, medium, or low) to ensure that critical data processes are handled first. For instance, ensuring real-time order updates are prioritized over non-urgent data flows.
3. Enable real-time processing: For cases requiring immediate updates, the Scheduler can enable real-time execution of specific parts of the Route.

By using the Scheduler effectively, you ensure that data flows between your applications seamlessly and in sync with your business needs. As per our example, Alumio Schedulers help simplify and automate the retrieval of orders from Shopware and sending them to Exact Online every minute without manual intervention. This automation guarantees timely updates and optimizes integration workflows.
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