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URL: https://www.cdata.com/kb/tech/epicorkinetic-cloud-zapier.rst

⇱ Build Automated Epicor Kinetic-Connected Workflows in Zapier

Build Automated Epicor Kinetic-Connected Workflows in Zapier

👁 Jerod Johnson
Jerod Johnson
Director, Technology Evangelism
Use CData Connect AI to connect to live Epicor Kinetic data and build automated workflows in Zapier.

Zapier is an online automation tool that connects your apps and services. When paired with CData Connect AI, you get access to live Epicor Kinetic data for your workflows. This article shows how to connect to Epicor Kinetic and build workflows with live Epicor Kinetic data in Zapier.

Connect to Epicor Kinetic from Zapier

To work with Epicor Kinetic in Zapier, we need to connect to Epicor Kinetic from Connect AI, provide user access to the connection, and create a Workspace for the Epicor Kinetic data.

Connect to Epicor Kinetic from Connect AI

CData Connect AI uses a straightforward, point-and-click interface to connect to data sources.

  1. Log into Connect AI, click Sources, and then click Add Connection
    2. 👁 Adding a Connection
  2. Select "Epicor Kinetic" from the Add Connection panel
    3. 👁 Selecting a data source
  3. Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Epicor Kinetic.

    To successfully connect to your ERP instance, you must specify the following connection properties:

    • Url:the URL of the server hosting your ERP instance. For example, https://myserver.EpicorSaaS.com
    • ERPInstance: the name of your ERP instance.
    • User: the username of your account.
    • Password: the password of your account.
    • Service: the service you want to retrieve data from. For example, BaqSvc.

    In addition, you may also set the optional connection properties:

    • ApiKey: An optional key that may be required for connection to some services depending on your account configuration.
    • ApiVersion: Defaults to v1. May be set to v2 to use the newer Epicor API.
    • Company: Required if you set the ApiVersion to v2.
    👁 Configuring a connection (Salesforce is shown)
  4. Click Save & Test
  5. Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Epicor Kinetic Connection page and update the User-based permissions. 👁 Updating permissions

Add a Personal Access Token

When connecting to Connect AI through the REST API, the OData API, or the Virtual SQL Server, a Personal Access Token (PAT) is used to authenticate the connection to Connect AI. It is best practice to create a separate PAT for each service to maintain granularity of access.

  1. Click on the Gear icon () at the top right of the Connect AI app to open the settings page.
  2. On the Settings page, go to the Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
  3. Give the PAT a name and click Create. 👁 Creating a new PAT
  4. The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.

Configure Epicor Kinetic Endpoints for Zapier

After connecting to Epicor Kinetic, create a workspace for your desired table(s).

  1. Navigate to the Workspaces page and click Add to create a new Workspace (or select an existing workspace). 👁 The Workspaces page.
    👁 Adding a new Workspace.
  2. Click Add to add new assets to the Workspace.
  3. Select the Epicor Kinetic connection (e.g. EpicorERP1) and click Next. 👁 Selecting an Asset (Salesforce is shown).
  4. Select the table(s) you wish to work with and click Confirm. 👁 Selecting Tables (Salesforce is shown).
  5. Make note of the OData Service URL for your workspace, e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}

With the connection, PAT, and Workspace configured, you are ready to connect to Epicor Kinetic data from Zapier.

Connect to Epicor Kinetic Data in Zapier Workflows

To establish a connection from Zapier to CData Connect AI using the OData protocol, follow these steps.

  1. Log into Zapier.
  2. Click Create Zap.
  3. In the dialog that appears, search for "Webhooks by Zapier", and click the option underneath. 👁 Creating a Webhooks by Zapier Zap.
  4. Under Event, select Retrieve Poll. 👁 Creating a Retrieve Poll event.
  5. Fill in the connection details:
    • URL: Enter the OData URL (e.g. https://cloud.cdata.com/api/odata/{workspace_name}).
    • Key: Enter "value.name."
    • Authentication details: Fill in the Basic Auth or Headers. The basic option requires a user (your Connect AI username, e.g. [email protected]) and password (the PAT you've previously created) separated by a pipe symbol: |. The headers option requires a request type header with encoded credentials.
    👁 Configuring the connection to Connect AI OData or Workspace URLs.
  6. Click Test. If the connection is set up properly, sample records will appear. 👁 Testing the connection.

Simplified Access to Epicor Kinetic Data from Cloud Applications

At this point, you have a direct, cloud-to-cloud connection to live Epicor Kinetic data from Zapier. For more information on gaining simplified access to data from more than 100 SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources in cloud applications like Zapier, refer to our Connect AI page.