Integration Nodes

Integration Nodes

Article Type: Node Reference Audience: Developers, App Admins Module: Data Flows / Integration Applies to Versions: Platform 3.0+ Prerequisites: Understanding of Data Flow concepts, Connection setup

1. Overview

What are Integration Nodes?

Integration nodes enable Data Flows to communicate with external systems through Fuuz's iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) capabilities. These nodes leverage pre-built connectors to interact with enterprise software systems like SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Plex, Salesforce, and many others without requiring developers to write complex integration code.

Key Concepts:

  • Connector: A pre-built integration template that defines how to communicate with a specific external system
  • Connection: A configured instance of a connector with URL, credentials, and options specific to your environment
  • Operation: A specific action performed against the external system (e.g., GET, POST, Query)

Integration Node Types

Node Purpose Use Case
Connector Node Execute operations using pre-built enterprise connectors ERP integrations (Plex, SAP, NetSuite)
HTTP Node Make generic HTTP/REST API requests Custom APIs, systems without native connector
FTP/SFTP Node File transfer operations via FTP/SFTP protocols EDI file exchanges, batch imports/exports
SMTP Node Send emails via SMTP protocol Custom email notifications with attachments
Database Nodes Direct database connectivity (SQL Server, Oracle, ODBC) Legacy system integrations, data warehousing

2. Connectors and Connections

Before using integration nodes, you must configure Connections based on available Connectors. Connectors are system-provided templates; Connections are your configured instances with credentials.

Connection Properties

Property Description
Name Unique identifier for this connection
Active Whether the connection can be used (inactive connections cannot be used)
Connector The connector template this connection uses
URL The endpoint URL for the external system
Options Connector-specific options (varies by connector type)
Credentials Authentication credentials (securely stored)
Request Payload Logging Enable logging of request payloads for this connection
Response Payload Logging Enable logging of response payloads for this connection

Available Connectors (Partial List)

Category Connectors
ERP Systems Plex (Classic, UX, API, IAM), NetSuite (REST, SOAP), SAP Cloud, Infor, Dynamics 365
CRM/Sales Salesforce, Zoho, Channel Advisor, Magento
Accounting QuickBooks
HR/Payroll ADP Vista
Shipping/Logistics FedEx, UPS
Cloud Services AWS Lambda, AWS S3
Communication SMTP
Data Exchange EDI Nation, TecCom Web Services
File Transfer FTP, SFTP
Database Microsoft SQL Server, ODBC (Plex, NetSuite)
Generic HTTP, Fuuz, MFGx, Echo
Payments Square

3. Connector Node

The Connector node executes operations against external systems using pre-built connectors. This is the recommended approach for enterprise integrations as it handles authentication, error handling, and protocol-specific requirements automatically.

Configuration Parameters

Parameter Description
Connection Select the pre-configured connection to use
Operation The operation to execute (varies by connector)
Request Transform JSONata transform to build the request payload
Output Transform JSONata transform to process the response
Return Errors When true, errors return as success instead of throwing
Degree of Parallelism How many requests can execute concurrently

Note: Design Standard — Node Naming: The name of the node must indicate what it is calling. Example: "Calling Plex DS - POs_Get (key:12345)"

Note: Design Standard — Node Description: The description must include the parameters and a description of the intent. Example: "Pulling POs with status of Open"

4. HTTP Node

The HTTP node provides generic HTTP/REST API capabilities for systems without a native connector. While flexible, native connectors are preferred when available.

Important: Design Standard — It is highly recommended that a native connector node is used over the HTTP node. Example: Avoid using HTTP to call Salesforce unless the Salesforce connector does not meet the need.

Configuration Parameters

Parameter Description
Connection HTTP connection with base URL and credentials
Method HTTP method: GET, POST, PUT, DELETE
Path The URL path (appended to connection URL)
Headers Additional HTTP headers (JSON object)
Body/Data Request body data (JSON object)

HTTP Connection Credentials

Field Description
Username Username for Basic Authentication
Password Password for Basic Authentication
Headers (Options) Default headers applied to all operations

Important: Design Standard — Use of $integrate() in transforms is highly discouraged. It is being deprecated. The intent is to make all outbound calls pink in color for easier reference.

5. FTP/SFTP Node

The FTP and SFTP connectors enable file transfer operations with external systems. Common use cases include EDI file exchanges, batch data imports/exports, and document archival.

Common Operations

Operation Description
List List files in a directory
Get Download a file from the server
Put Upload a file to the server
Delete Remove a file from the server
Rename/Move Rename or move a file

Tip: Documents generated by the Render Document node are often written to an FTP for external system pickup.

6. SMTP Node

The SMTP connector enables sending emails through external SMTP servers. This provides more control than the System Email node for scenarios requiring specific SMTP configurations.

Connection Options

Option Description
Port SMTP server port (default: 587)
Secure Use secure connection (default: false)
Ignore TLS Ignore TLS certificate validation (default: false)
Require TLS Require TLS connection (default: false)
Username SMTP authentication username
Password SMTP authentication password

7. Database Connectors

Database connectors enable direct SQL connectivity to external databases. These are useful for legacy system integrations or data warehousing scenarios.

Microsoft SQL Server

Option Description
Port SQL Server port (required)
Database Default database to connect to
Connection Timeout Idle connection close time in seconds (default: 30)
Request Timeout Request timeout in seconds (default: 30)
Encrypt Encrypt connection (required for Azure)

ODBC Connector

The ODBC connector provides connectivity through Open Database Connectivity drivers, with pre-configured support for Plex and NetSuite.

Option Description
Driver Select driver: Plex or NetSuite
Port Connection port
Custom Properties Custom ODBC connection string properties

8. Integration Request Logging

Fuuz logs all integration requests for auditing and troubleshooting. The IntegrationRequestLog captures detailed information about each request made through integration nodes.

Log Fields

Field Description
requestTimestamp When the request was made
responseTimestamp When the response was received
responseTime Total request time in milliseconds
connectionName Name of the connection used
connectionUrl URL used for the request
requestPayload Request payload (may be truncated for large payloads)
responsePayload Response payload (may be truncated for large payloads)
numberOfRequests Number of requests made by the connector
degreeOfParallelism Number of concurrent requests allowed
error Error message (if request failed)
returnErrors Whether errors were returned as success

Tip: Enable Request/Response Payload Logging on your Connection to capture full payloads for troubleshooting. Disable in production once stable to reduce storage.

9. Best Practices

Naming Standards

  • Node Name: Must indicate what it is calling — e.g., "Calling Plex DS - POs_Get (key:12345)"
  • Node Description: Must include parameters and intent — e.g., "Pulling POs with status of Open"
  • Connection Name: Use descriptive names indicating environment — e.g., "Plex Production API"

Connector Selection

  • Use native connectors over HTTP node whenever possible
  • Native connectors handle authentication, pagination, and error handling automatically
  • HTTP node should only be used when no native connector exists

Error Handling

  • Use Return Errors = true when you want to handle errors in the flow rather than failing
  • Check response status/codes before processing data
  • Implement retry logic for transient failures using topics
  • Use appropriate Degree of Parallelism to balance throughput and external system limits
  • Batch requests when possible to reduce API call overhead
  • Implement pagination handling for large data sets

10. Troubleshooting

Symptom Likely Cause Resolution
Connection not available in dropdown Connection inactive or not created Verify connection exists and Active = true
Authentication failures Invalid or expired credentials Update connection credentials; refresh tokens
Timeout errors External system slow or unavailable Increase timeout; check external system status
Rate limiting errors Too many requests to external system Reduce Degree of Parallelism; add delays
Payload truncated in logs Payload too large for logging Use Log node to capture full payload in designer
SSL/TLS errors Certificate issues with external system Check connection encryption settings; verify certificates
  • Data Flow Design Standards — Integration naming conventions
  • Fuuz Platform Nodes — System Email, Render Document
  • Source & Trigger Nodes — Webhook integration patterns
  • Transform Nodes — JSON/XML/CSV transformations
  • Connection Administration — Connection setup and management
  • Platform Website: fuuz.com

12. Revision History

Version Date Author Description
1.0 2025-01-01 Fuuz Documentation Team Initial release - Comprehensive guide covering Connector, HTTP, FTP/SFTP, SMTP, and Database integration nodes.

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