Guide: Using Make (formerly Integromat) with Databox (Third-Party Integration)
Integromat (rebranded to Make) is a middleware tool that lets you transfer data between apps. If a platform isn't available on Databox's list of native integrations, you can use Integromat to connect to that platform and push data to Databox.
Integromat has a long list of native integrations along with the ability to sync custom data via the API.
How to connect to Integromat and create a Scenario
To see if a platform is natively supported by Integromat, check out
Integromat's integrations page. If your platform is listed, follow the steps below to connect your data to your Databox Account.
1
In Databox, navigate to the
Data Manager and select
+ New Connection
2
Search for
Integromat. Click the green
Create Token ribbon.
3
Click
Create Token and enter a name for this Integromat Data Source. Click
Create.
This will reveal the unique Token for this Integromat connection. Copy this information to use in step #10 to connect Integromat with Databox.
4
Log in to your Integromat Account and click
+ Create a new scenario. A Scenario is a set of steps required to obtain, process, and push the data to Databox.
5
From the list of integrations, select
Databox and the Data Source you'd like to sync data from. Click
Continue.
6
We'll start with the Data Source you want to sync data from. Click on the platform name to reveal a list of actions. Select an
Action.
Pro Tip: Actions include everything from listing all open deals in a CRM to searching for all pending invoices in your Accounting app.
7
Connect your Data Source to Integromat by clicking
Add and enter your platform name and requested information in the
Create a connection window. Click
Continue and then
OK to close the window.
8
After you've connected your Data Source with Integromat, right-click on the round icon and select
Run this module only. This step is very important because it will get data from the destination and allow you to map what you want to push to Databox.
9
Select
+ Add Another Module and select
Databox. The only
Action option is to
Submit Data. This will set Databox as the destination of the Scenario you're creating. Select this
Action.
10
Connect Databox to Integromat by clicking
Add and pasting the Integromat Token that was shared in Databox in the
Token textbox. Click
Continue and then
OK to close the window.
11
Map out the values you want to be pushing to Databox. This is essentially the same as pushing the data to Databox via the API (
more info can be found here).
How to push data to Databox
After you've created your Scenario in Integromat, you need to test the connection and make sure your data gets pushed at regular intervals.
1
In your Integromat Account, click on the name of the Scenario you created. Click
Run once to manually run the Scenario in order to test that it’s working as expected.
2
If no errors are returned in Integromat, the next step is to check your Databox Account to validate that the appropriate data was pushed. To do this, start by opening a Databoard in the
Designer, or creating a new Databoard.
3
On the left-hand side, click on the first icon to open the
Metric
Library. From the
Data Source drop-down list, select your
Token Data Source.
4
If your data successfully synced with Databox, you will see your metrics listed as Datablocks. To verify that the appropriate data was synced, drag and drop these Datablocks onto your Databoard where they will repopulate with data.
5
Now that you've validated the Scenario in Integromat and the data in Databox, it's time to set the Scenario so it automatically syncs with Databox. To do this, navigate back to your Integromat Account and click on the
clock icon. This will open the
Schedule setting window.
6
In the
Minutes textbox, enter the frequency that you'd like your Scenario to run and your data to sync with Databox. Click
OK to schedule your Scenario.
Pro Tip: Syncing intervals in Databox are determined based on
plan and Account activity. Learn more
here.
7
Depending on your use case, you might also need to set the Data Aggregation for your Metrics in Databox. This means you're giving the Databox system instructions on whether you want the values that are pushed for each Metric to be summed (like for "Ad Spend" when individual costs are summed together), or if the latest value should be displayed (like for "Current Balance" where the latest bank account balance is what matters). Data Aggregation for the Metric in being set in the
Metric definition window. Learn more
here.
How to create a custom API connection
If a platform isn't available on Integromat's list of native integrations, you can create your own integration that uses Integromat to sync data from your platform's API to Databox. Creating a custom API connection is relatively technical, so it's recommended that you have some experience with API calls before moving forward with this approach.
In order for this to be possible, the platform you're looking to sync data from must have an open API and developer documentation available. This will confirm that you can obtain the data using the strategy outlined below.
1
Start by clicking
+ Create a new scenario:
2
From the list of integrations, select
Databox and the
HTTP module. The HTTP module will allow you to make custom API calls.
3
Next to the
clock icon, click
?
4
Select the
HTTP module. This will reveal a list of Actions.
5
Select an Action to make the HTTP request. Typically, we recommend to choose
Make a request.
6
Enter the API authentication parameters and the API request parameters. Sometimes this requires you to create Scenarios with multiple HTTP requests - one for obtaining an authentication token and one more where that token is passed along to make another request.
7
The next steps will vary depending on the API you're syncing data from, the data sets you're pushing, the date formats, data aggregations, etc. The objective of these steps is to determine the numerical (metric) values, dates, and (optional)
dimensions that should be synced with Databox.
8
Click
Run once to run your Scenario and test the HTTP request. This will pull in all of your data so you can later map and push it to Databox.
9
Once you're getting the data you need, follow the above steps for
mapping the data and
pushing it to Databox.
How to find someone who can set this up for you
