Integration with ION

Overview

Intelligent Open Network (ION) is part of Infor OS; the technology platform of Infor. Infor ION provides the flexibility you need to make an often-complex web of enterprise systems work together. ION contains an API Gateway for a full System Integration.

Key Concepts & Definitions

Before diving into building your workflows, the following table provides you with Workflow key concepts for better understanding each component of a Workflow.

ION	Intelligent Open Network. Part of the Infor OS technology platform.
BOD	Business Object Document. An XML document based on standards from the Open Application Group Integration Specification (OAGIS).
ION Desk	A business representation of complex company data for end user consumption.
Monitors	Approval matrices contain rules based on parameter evaluation for the distribution of approval tasks. These matrices can be used from Workflow to define approval chains.
Workflows	Workflow enables communication from an application to a user. For example, it presents a document for approval or prompts the user to perform a task using a particular screen of an application.
Activation Policy	A business representation of complex company data for end-user consumption.
Workflow Schedules	Approval matrices contain rules based on parameter evaluation for the distribution of approval tasks. These matrices can be used from Workflow to define approval chains.
Business Rules	Approval matrices contain rules based on parameter evaluation for the distribution of approval tasks. These matrices can be used from Workflow to define approval chains.

Workflow Elements

Task	A workflow step that creates an entry of the Task type in a user’s task list. The workflow suspends execution until a user has completed this task, and then moves to the next step in the flow.
Notification	A workflow step that creates an entry of the Notification type in a user’s task list. The workflow continues execution after the notification is sent to a user.
Decision Table	An automatic step to set the value for one or more parameters that are based on the evaluation of a complex set of conditions.
ION API	A step to perform a call to an ION API operation.
Start Workflow	A step to start another workflow.
Loop Back	A part of the flow that is repeated.
Subprocess	A part of a workflow model that can be expanded or collapsed in the modeler.
Task Chain	A series of approval tasks that are sent to different people. An approval matrix is used to model who should approve.
Set Parameter	An automatic step to change the values of parameters.
Exit Point	Exit point to implement custom logic outside the workflow.
Wait	A step to let the workflow execution wait for a specified amount of time or until a specified date and time.
Decision	An evaluation of a condition that has two possible follow up branches: Yes and No.
Parallel	An unconditional execution of two or more execution branches in parallel.

Parameter Data Types

String	Alphanumeric and Special Characters with a maximum length of 4000 characters.
Decimal	A number that includes a decimal point.
Date	Contains a date value.
Code	A string having a value selected from a Code Table.
User	A string containing the personid of an IFS user.
Integer	A (64 bit signed) whole number.
Boolean	True or False.
Date and Time	Contains a date and time value.
Hyperlink	A number that include a decimal point.
DistributionGroup	A string containing an IFS distribution group.

ION Connect

The main purpose of ION Connect is to deliver business documents from one place to another. With ION Connect you can establish connections between applications, both Infor applications and third-party applications.

You can configure ION Connect through the ION Desk. In ION Desk you can model document flows between applications. Such flows can represent a business process, but also more technical flows can be defined. For example, to map data from a third-party application to a standard business object document as used by an Infor application, you can also use filtering or content-based routing.

From the ION Desk, you can deploy your models to the ION Service by activating them. The ION Service will then make sure that documents are handled in accordance with your activated models. ION Desk also provides management screens to monitor the behaviour of the ION Service and to help in troubleshooting when needed.

Watch the video below for a full example of integration using ION Connect

Pass-through (Proxy)

The API Gateway receives requests from clients and delivers them to the proper target API. Clients know and invoke only one baseURL endpoint even if the target API can be different between the request and the response you can do other activities in the API Gateway for example applying policies for transforming or modifying the payload and the header of the request/response.

Orchestration

To reduce the complexity and management of invoking multiple different APIs, you can use the ION API Flow. Note that the ION API Flow is different compared to Document Flow and/or Data Flow, it is composed only of the ION API connection point plus decision components. You can define your own input parameters and output parameters and invoke multiple and different APIs, and the response of one API can be used as input for another API. After the design, you can deploy the ION API Flow that generates an endpoint in a dedicated API Suite (API Flow suite) that can be invoked by a client who provides one input and receives one output no matter the number of API calls done internally.

Hybrid

The ION API Gateway is a cloud-based service where you can host all public APIs and Infor products APIs. With the Hybrid service, we gave you the possibility to expose an internal API over the internet protected with the OAuth2 security. The only requirement is the Enterprise Connector which is the bridge between your internal API and the cloud

Want to learn more?

Quick Reference

There are numerous valuable resources available to enhance your understanding of the Infor Platform. One of the most helpful tools is a quick reference sheet, which can provide a concise overview of key information. You may find the following Cheat Sheets particularly useful for your learning and reference purposes.

Topical Videos

Seeking details on a particular feature or want a brief summary? These concise videos might be exactly what you need.

Enterprise Integration and Process Automation

Setting up FTP Integration with Infor ION

Starting a workflow from an API

Creating ION Monitors for managing events in Infor OS

Adding APIs in the Infor OS API Gateway

Automating processes with ION business rules

How to install Infor's Enterprise Connector

Written Guides

Product documentation serves as the primary reference for understanding specific product functionalities. For online, searchable, and user-friendly resources, refer to the following documentation.

Community

Collaborating with peers in your sector offers a valuable opportunity to learn and assist others. Dive into the Infor OS Community today!

Courses

Infor U Campus offers Learning Paths that combine video-based and instructor-led training. If you are an Infor customer, then check out courses on Infor U Campus. We recommend the following courses specifically for this component: