Boomi Integration

Understanding Boomi

Boomi Atomsphere is an on-demand integration service that makes it possible for Planful to integrate with a customers' general ledgers or ERP systems. Users can securely build, deploy and manage integrations using only a web browser.

Integration Types

There are many types of Planful-supported integrations. The following documentation provides an overview of the entire integration for the simplest type: data file via SFTP or FTP.

Data File via SFTP

One of the most common integrations is a flat file containing data extracted from the customer's accounting system. The file which must be non-proprietary and delimited, is uploaded to the Planful SFTP site. Customer SFTP site credentials are created and supplied by the Operations Support Team.

The Integration Team reviews the file to ensure the formatting is correct and identifies the fields the customer wants to load into the Planful application.

The data load process is then created in Boomi Atomsphere. A connection is created to retrieve the customer file. In the figure below, the connection is named

HA SFTP Connection. This connection is from Boomi to the SFTP site using the customer's credentials.

Within this connection, an SFTP operation is defined. In the figure below, the data load process will retrieve any file that begins with K2 and then delete the file.

The fields are mapped in Boomi and mapped to the fields defined in the data load rule created in the Planful application. Then, via web services, the data is loaded into Planful.

Data Load

Two methods can be used to load data from Boomi to Planful: a scheduled data load or an On Demand web page. A scheduled data load automatically loads data based on the customer's business rules. For example, some customers want data automatically loaded after business hours each evening. while others want data loaded every few hours during the workday.

The On Demand web page places control of loading data into the customer's hands. Created by the Integration Team upon request, this method allows the customer to load data on demand.

With the On Demand web page, the customer enters Boomi login credentials, and the fiscal year and month they want to load. When Submit is selected, a data load process is started in Boomi.

In either case, an email notification is generated by Planful informing the customer that the data was loaded successfully or not. An example of an email notification for a successful data load is provided in the figure below.

If the data load is unsuccessful, exceptions are listed. In the figure below, an example of an email for an unsuccessful data load lists missing accounts. In order for the data to load successfully, the accounts must be added to the Planful application and the data load must be rerun.

Glossary of Terms 

• Application Programming Interface (API) - programming instructions and standards for accessing web-based software applications or web tools.
• Boomi Atom - a lightweight, dynamic runtime engine. Once an integration process have been deployed to the atom, the atom will contain all the components required to execute processes from beginning to end, including connectors, transformation rules, decision handling, and processing logic.
• Boomi Atomsphere - allows for the integration of data directly from the web without installing software or hardware. Users can securely build, deploy and manage integrations using only a web browser. Boomi Atomsphere handles any combinations of software-as-a-service (SaaS) and on-premise application integration.
• Connector - used in Boomi, connectors get data into and send data out of processes. They enable communication with the applications or data sources between which data needs to move, or in other words, the "end points" of the process. If working with a customer who wants to load a file from the SFTP site, the SFTP Connector would be used. To load data from a data load process in Boomi into Planful, a Web Services Connector would be used.
• Web Services - a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web. Allows different applications from different sources to communicate with each other without time-consuming custom coding, and because all communication is in XML, web services are not tied to any one operating system or programming language.

Common Issues

Integration issues experienced by customers comprise three areas: source (data from a file or database), Boomi, or Planful. The following flow chart illustrates the steps required to determine where the issue lies.

Troubleshooting Steps 

Verify that the data load process was successful in Boomi.

1. On the top right, click the account name, then select Switch Account.
2. Enter part of the account name and click Search.
3. Select the account name and click OK.

4. Select Manage, then Process Reporting.
5. By default, all data load processes executed within the past hour are listed. To choose an alternate time frame, select the drop-down listing and click Apply.
   • All data load processes executed during the selected time frame display. Each process has either a green dot which signifies that the process executed successfully or a red dot which signifies that the process executed with errors.
   • If there are errors, the issue is escalated to the Integration Team for resolution.
   • If there are no errors, the next step is to log into the customer's Planful application.
6. To verify that the data loaded successfully, select Maintenance > Data Load History.
7. Select the data load rule that was used to load the data. Use the From and To fields to narrow the search and click GO.
8. The data loads for the selected time frame display. There are two statuses: Pass and Fail. Pass indicates that the data load was successful while indicates that the data load contained errors
   1. If the most recent data load status is Fail, select the failed data load and click the Detailed Report option. The detailed data load log report displays. 
   2. If the most recent data load process is successful, select Maintenance > Load Data to verify that the period and/or year to which the customer is loading data is not locked.
9. If the period and/or year is not locked, select Maintenance > Reports > Process Cube & Dimension to process the cube. If there are no issues, the next step is to verify the data in Boomi. 
10. Return to Boomi and select Manage > Process Reporting. Under Executions, select the most recent data load process.
    
    Note:

    Default time frame is the Past Hour. If no data load processes display, select Past Week or enter a date range.
11. Click the date/time stamp to display the connections made during the data load process.
12. If the data load process uses a file, select SFTP, Connection HA SFTP Connection, Operation: Get GL File.
    Note:

    If the data load process uses a database connection, select the Database Connection: GP Connection, Get Summary Data 2 (or the appropriate operation name) as shown in the figure below.
    
13. Click the cog wheel and select View Document. A partial view of the data displays in the document viewer once connected to the atom.
14. Select Download Original Document on the lower right side.
    
15. Click Save when prompted.
    Open the file in Microsoft® Excel® or Notepad®. This data is pulled from the customer's source, either a file via SFTP or a database. Verify that the data is correct.
    • If there are errors, contact the customer to correct and reload.
    • If there are no errors, escalate to the Integration Team to reload the data.