Enhanced Outbound Integrations

The upcoming Task Force X release will simplify the way outbound integrations are created and configured to provide additional power and flexibility.

The xMatters Integration Platform allows customers to share data between systems to engage the right resources and drive workflow in another application. Outbound integrations are a powerful component of the xMatters Integration Platform. They facilitate closed-loop and compound integrations to update multiple third-party products and systems based on the outcome of xMatters notification events, notification deliveries, or responses.

As of the Task Force X release (or 5.5.128 for EAP customers), the old 'Callbacks' configuration screen will be removed and all outbound integrations will be managed from the Integration Builder.

The benefits of this new approach are two-fold:

• Outbound integrations will be completely managed from a single location
• Multiple outbound integrations can be requested for the same trigger on a form

Available actions for outbound integrations

Run a script

These integrations execute a transformation script created in the Integration Builder. The best part about the new outbound integration interface is that all configuration is performed from a single location. Integration developers can still select the same integration triggers as before and there's no need to make updates in two separate locations.

Send a webhook

These integrations send a simple webhook to a URL. Other than a name change from 'HTTP callbacks' to 'Send a webhook', the biggest change here is that the URL for the webhook is now defined using our endpoints. Using endpoints means that integration developers only need to update the base URL once if the hostname of a helpdesk, monitoring tool, or anything else you want to integrate with changes (for example, when you switch an integration from a test or staging environment to production).

'Send a webhook' outbound integrations are 100% backward compatible with the old HTTP Callbacks and will send the exact same JSON object as before.

Send to Integration Agent

These integrations facilitate the integration of xMatters communication plans with third-party products without requiring a hole to be opened in a corporate firewall to allow inbound communication.

Multiple outbound integrations per trigger

As the triggers for each outbound integration are defined in configuration of each outbound integration, developers are no longer restricted to a single action for each trigger type. This means it's a breeze to create compound integrations that will update both source and downstream systems when a single trigger condition is met in xMatters.

For example, you might want to create a compound integration that will acknowledge an event in your monitoring tool and simultaneously open an instant messenger session in your chat tool when a particular response is submitted.

So why did we do this? A brief history of callbacks...

Historically the 'Callbacks' option for a form was in the same place you would define the URL and triggers for callbacks. 

As the xMatters service has evolved and expanded, we added new functionality to this section, providing the means to send updates to an Integration Agent installed behind a firewall, or request that integrations created in the new Integration Builder get executed. All of a sudden, the 'Callbacks' were being used to control much more than callbacks.

On top of this, the introduction of the Integration Builder meant that configuration was now required in two locations: in the existing callbacks settings and in the new outbound integration configuration.

There was also a restriction that only one outcome was possible for each trigger type (status updates, notification delivery updates, or response submissions). You could only send a callback to one URL or execute one integration service.

The new consolidated configuration and ability to create multiple outbound integrations will expand the ability for our customers to add xMatters communication plans to even more connected business services. Let us know what you think in the comments below!