RightNow Connect Web
Services for SOAP
Chris Omland
© RightNow Technologies, Inc.
Hello & Introduction
RightNow’s CX Cloud Platform:
First and only cloud application platform
purpose-built and designed to deliver superior,
consistent experiences across every customer
interaction. The CX Cloud Platform enables
organizations to rapidly deploy, integrate,
extend, and knowledge-enable RightNow’s
suite of CX applications.
Chris Omland
Product Manager Integration
Platform Centers of Excellence
Enterprise Integration & Extensibility
Open, standards based capabilities and tools to rapidly and costeffectively integrate RightNow CX within enterprise systems and
extend business capabilities
Contact Center
Agent
Web
Expertise
Over 1 billion integration transactions per year
Over 400% growth in transaction volume in 2009
Years of integration API experience
Social
Existing
Systems
Key Integration Capabilities
Desktop
Extensibility
Extending, unifying and automating the dynamic
agent desktop including agent workflow, scripting
and contextual workspaces
Data
Integration
Real-time access and synchronization of data
regardless of location: back office, contact
center, web and social
Web
Integration
Extending the CX experience to existing web
solutions through integration of data and
services at the application server, website or
agent desktop.
Data Integration Capabilities
Data Integration Capabilities
Integration
Technology
Connect
Data
Integration
Paradigm
client/server
API libraries
Backward
Compatible
YES
Advantages
•High-level APIs w/helper
functions.
•Optimizations for batching.
Disadvantages
Best for…
•Not all languages / platforms
supported
•Most data integration scenarios
•Deployment of client side
libraries
•Client/server or server/server
•Bulk or discrete data integration
•Java, .NET or C++ developers
Data Integration Capabilities
Integration
Technology
Connect
Data
Integration
XML-API
Paradigm
client/server
API libraries
client/server
XML over HTTP
Backward
Compatible
YES
Advantages
•High-level APIs w/helper
functions.
•Optimizations for batching.
YES *
(May ’09
forward)
•Low-level wire-protocol for
XML skilled developers
•Supported on “old”
versions
Disadvantages
Best for…
•Not all languages / platforms
supported
•Most data integration scenarios
•Deployment of client side
libraries
•Client/server or server/server
•Bulk or discrete data integration
•Java, .NET or C++ developers
•Strong XML development skills
•Frozen, not 100% of capabilities •Connect not available for
language
Data Integration Capabilities
Integration
Technology
Connect
Data
Integration
Paradigm
client/server
API libraries
XML-API
client/server
XML over HTTP
ODBC
ODBC-based
database
access
Backward
Compatible
YES
Advantages
•High-level APIs w/helper
functions.
•Optimizations for batching.
YES *
(May ’09
forward)
•Low-level wire-protocol for
XML skilled developers
•Supported on “old”
versions
Disadvantages
•Not all languages / platforms
supported
•Most data integration scenarios
•Deployment of client side
libraries
•Client/server or server/server
•Bulk or discrete data integration
•Java, .NET or C++ developers
•Strong XML development skills
•Frozen, not 100% of capabilities •Connect not available for
language
•Read-only
NO
Best for…
•Direct database access
•Delayed data (not real-time)
•ODBC standard
•Exposes physical schema
(fragile)
•Tooling requires ODBC
•Data isn’t real-time
•Reworking for upgrades OK
Data Integration Capabilities
Integration
Technology
Connect
Data
Integration
Paradigm
client/server
API libraries
XML-API
client/server
XML over HTTP
ODBC
ODBC-based
database
access
Backward
Compatible
YES
Advantages
•High-level APIs w/helper
functions.
•Optimizations for batching
YES *
(May ’09
forward)
•Low-level wire-protocol for
XML skilled developers
•Supported on “old”
versions
Disadvantages
•Not all languages / platforms
supported
•Most data integration scenarios
•Deployment of client side
libraries
•Client/server or server/server
•Bulk or discrete data integration
•Java, .NET or C++ developers
•Strong XML development skills
•Frozen, not 100% of capabilities •Connect not available for
language
•Read-only
NO
Best for…
•Direct database access
•Delayed data (not real-time)
•ODBC standard
•Exposes physical schema
(fragile)
•Tooling requires ODBC
•Data isn’t real-time
•Reworking for upgrades OK
•Server-to-server integration
Data
Integration
Partners
Data
Integration
Tooling
(software or
appliance)
•Existing connectors for apps
YES *
(depends
on API)
•High-level integration tools
•OOTB connectors for apps
•Rapid deployment
•near real-time synchronization
•Addt'l expense of tooling
•data cleansing
•Complex multi-app scenarios
•IT ETL skills (not necessarily
coders)
Connect Web Services for SOAP
Connect Web Services for SOAP
Open & standards based integration capabilities to
data contained within RightNow
Open
Consumable by customers with or without RightNow
professional services
Fully documented and available resources for self
sufficiency
Non-proprietary protocols
Standards
Confidence of interoperability
Consumable by tooling and processes that understand the
standards
Key Operations
Create, Read, Update, Destroy (CRUD)
Marketing Operations
Send mailing to a contact
Execute a campaign flow
Download & upload file attachments
Management & Configuration
Staff accounts, products, categories,
dispositions
Helper operations
Reset a contacts password
Key API Operational Enhancements
New object model
Logical class hierarchy
Fields that were set by id can be set by id or
name
• NamedID adID = new NamedID();
adID.Name = "US";
address.Country = adID;
Operation to lookup id and label pairs
• GetNamedIdValues(“Contact.Address.Country”)
Control amount of data returned on read
operations
Optimized API
Bulk operations
Mixed object CRUD capabilities
• Create a contact, incident & organization in a single
request
Batch operations
Mixed operation capabilities
Can create, update, delete and send mailing to a
contact in a single request
Chaining operations
Supported on CRUD operations
Can create a new contact and “chain” the contact
id to a new incident, setting the incident contact,
in a single request
RightNow Object Query Language
ROQL – Pronounced “Rockwell”
SQL like query language that is backward
compatible
Access to only those objects exposed in
the API
Not the entire schema
Coverage will continue to grow as the API
evolves
API Comparison
WSDL
XML-API
Connect
CRUD Core
Objects*
Yes
Yes
Yes
Utility functions
Yes
Yes
Yes
Execute Analytics
Report
No
Yes
Yes
ROQL
Yes
No
No
Direct SQL
No
Yes
Yes
Customize API**
No
Yes
No
*Core object model is broken down on next slide
**Customize API can be broken down into 4 main use cases, none are supported by the
WSDL
-Custom table access
-Custom request / response processing
-Queuing for high volume integrations
-Server side logic for custom behavior
RightNow Core Object Model
Service
Answers
Contacts
Incidents
Organizations
Tasks
Sales
Opportunities
Management & Configuration
Account
Sales Product
Service Categories
Service Disposition
Service Product
Integration Recommendations
Recommendations
All new data integrations use Connect Web
Services for SOAP
Existing integrations migrate to Connect Web
Services for SOAP
Step 1: Abstract out through interfaces
Step 2: Validate integration
Step 3: Migrate to Connect Web Services for
SOAP
Supplement Connect Web Services for SOAP
Abstract & isolate supplemental behavior
Resources & Questions
Resources
Documentation
http://community.rightnow.com/developer/fileexcha
nge/Connect_Web_Services_for_SOAP/Default.ht
m
• Getting Started
• API Guides
• Sample Code
Developer Blog
http://www.rightnow.com/devblog
Community
http://communities.rightnow.com/developer
Thank You & Questions