Configuring the Enabled Connectors

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to configure a connector with the Connector Setup Wizard.

The Connector Setup Wizard

Clicking the Enable button on a connector was just the first step. Remember, you now need to configure it. You do that through the Connector Setup Wizard, which appears immediately after clicking the Enable button.

This setup wizard guides you through the steps required to enable and configure the connector. After opening the wizard, you must complete the mandatory fields on any current page before you can navigate to a different page.

It’s important to know that the pages and options that are available in the Wizard depend not only on whether you’re enabling an upload or a download connector, but also on the specific type of connector you’re enabling.

Screenshot of the Connector Wizard Welcome page with highlighted elements

1	Progress Bar: A progress bar at the top of the page indicates the completion status of the required steps.
2	Welcome: The Welcome step is the starting point for enabling and configuring a connector in the setup wizard.
3	Setup Sections Menu: The setup sections display in the pane on the left side.
4	Start: You would click the Start button to begin the process.

Once the setup process has started for the connector, a number of configuration steps are then required for completion.

Screenshot of Connector Wizard with Configuration Step highlights

1	Configure: The Configure section describes how to enable a connector in the Connector Setup Wizard, define connector specifications, and set up header values and security. The Enable and Setup steps are required to successfully enable a connector for use with the minimum specifications. After these are completed and you determine you don’t need to add any additional information, you can bypass the other optional sections by selecting the Finished section in the menu. Depending upon the connector, other options such as Header Values may be available.
2	Enable: In this step you turn on (enable) a connector, configure the connector details, and make it ready to use in your company. The wizard guides you through the steps required to complete the process.
3	Setup: In this required step you can customize delimiters (field separators), volume thresholds, and success/failure email notifications for file uploads and downloads.
4	Security: In this step you can make additional selections to define whether or not data encryption is required for the connector and if data is deemed sensitive or requiring archiving.

Additional steps are then available to further customize the connectors, as well as establish the technical delivery format for the integration.

Screenshot of the Connector Wizard Customization and Connectivity steps highlighted

1	Customize: Describes how to configure fields and custom features in a download file, and how to upload column transforms in an upload file. You can customize a connector to add fields to the file, rename individual field names, drag and drop to change the column sort order, and apply custom features and templates that modify the data in the file. The custom options are based on the connector type.
2	Connectivity: This optional section describes how to create an end point and subscription for SFTP and/or how to set up Web Services transfer methods. The transfer method defines the technical details for how an integration file is transferred between SAP Fieldglass and the third-party systems you manage.
3	Finished: The Finished step confirms that the connector is enabled with the minimum requirements and any optional setup, if selected. You can begin using the connector.

Configure a Download Connector

Here’s how you could use the Connector Setup Wizard to configure the Active Worker Single Line Download connector for WorkingNet.

Note that the pages and options shown in this demonstration are specific to this connector. These options may not be available in other connectors. Conversely, there may be options available in other connectors that we won’t see here.

ExerciseStart Exercise

Configuring an Upload Connector

The process for enabling and configuring an upload connector is not significantly different than it is for a download connector. However, as upload and download connectors work in opposite directions, there are some differences in formatting and data requirements. Therefore, there are differences in the process that are worth exploring.

Let’s take a look at some of the other options that you might see when enabling and configuring an upload connector.

Screenshot of an Upload Configuration Image with Encoding element highlighted

Encoding: The Setup page for an upload connector has an additional option for setting the Encoding of the connector. Encoding determines the types of characters that are processes by the connector. Some systems may require different character sets, so two options are available: ISO-8859-1 and UTF-8. The Default value is ISO-8859-1. But if you’re working with a lot of special characters, UTF-8 is recommended. This option is not available for download connectors.

Once the encoding elements are defined, further customizations can be completed via the configuration of column transformations. These elements are further broken out and explained below.

Screenshot of the Transform Column Configuration Customization with highlighted sections

1	Upload Column Transform: Describes how to modify the data in an upload file by adding and editing fields, and using column transform templates. You can map your column headers to SAP Fieldglass fields, you can alter the data consumed by the application, or even concatenate multiple columns into a single column on upload. Another transform option is to set up default values for all the records, so that your upload will not need to include it.
2	Standard Column Name: When adding a native column, you can select a field from the drop-down list. Standard Column Name refers to the native column name of the upload. When adding an additional field, you must enter the name of the additional column in the standard SAP Fieldglass format, such as [c] Custom Field, [SA] Signature Authority).Standard Column Name must be the first field completed.
3	File Column Name: New name of the column header. The Standard Column Name maps to the File Column Name, if defined.
4	Default Value: The initial value for the field. Enclosing quotes aren’t required.
5	Skip on update: Select this option to add the column value on the initial connector update and skip the column on subsequent updates.

Screenshot of the Transform Column Configuration Customization with option sections highlighted

6	Add Native Fields: The value of each native field can be modified or mapped to a new column.
7	Add Additional Fields: Any non-native fields not defined in the original upload file can be added to the file. The new fields are formatted as hyperlinks.
8	Apply Template: Enabling a column transform template transforms upload columns based on the template layout. Column transform templates allow you to make standardized customizations to connectors by defining a set of fields that you apply to one or more connectors. Once enabled, the template is added to the connector.

Summary

Connectors: Connectors align data for various functions; not all are activated by default and require enabling by a Configuration Manager User.
Enabling Connectors: This process makes a connector available for use and is the first of two steps necessary before a connector can be used. After its enabled, it must be configured.
Selecting the Right Connector: Users can select connectors from the Connector Catalog if they already know which one they need to enable.
Multiple Versions: When multiple versions exist, refer to the connector's specification documentation to choose the correct one before enabling.

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