| title | description | services | ms.suite | author | ms.author | ms.reviewer | ms.topic | ms.date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Encode or decode flat files |
Encode or decode flat files for enterprise integration in Azure Logic Apps by using the Enterprise Integration Pack |
logic-apps |
integration |
divyaswarnkar |
divswa |
jonfan, estfan, logicappspm |
article |
05/09/2020 |
Before you send XML content to a business partner in a business-to-business (B2B) scenario, you might want to encode that content first. By building a logic app, you can encode and decode flat files by using the Flat File connector. Your logic app can get this XML content from various sources, such as the Request trigger, another app, or other connectors supported by Azure Logic Apps. For more information, see What is Azure Logic Apps?
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An Azure subscription. If you don't have a subscription, sign up for a free Azure account.
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The logic app where you want to use the Flat File connector and a trigger that starts your logic app's workflow. The Flat File connector provides only actions, not triggers. You can use either the trigger or another action to feed the XML content into your logic app for encoding or decoding. If you're new to logic apps, review Quickstart: Create your first logic app.
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An integration account that's associated with your Azure subscription and linked to the logic app where you plan to use the Flat File connector. Both your logic app and integration account must exist in the same location or Azure region.
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A flat file schema that you've uploaded to your integration account for encoding or decoding the XML content
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At least two trading partners that you've already defined in your integration account
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In the Azure portal, open your logic app in the Logic App Designer.
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Under the trigger or action in your logic app, select New step > Add an action. This example uses the Request trigger, which is named When a HTTP request is received, and handles inbound requests from outside the logic app.
[!TIP] Providing a JSON schema is optional. If you have a sample payload from the inbound request, select Use sample payload to generate schema, enter the sample payload, and select Done. The schema appears in the Request Body JSON Schema box.
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Under Choose an action, enter
flat file. From the actions list, select this action: Flat File Encoding
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Click inside the Content box so that the dynamic content list appears. From the list, in the When a HTTP request is received section, select the Body property, which contains the request body output from the trigger and the content to encode.
[!TIP] If you don't see the Body property in the dynamic content list, select See more next to the When a HTTP request is received section label. You can also directly enter the content to decode in the Content box.
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From the Schema Name list, select the schema that's in your linked integration account to use for encoding, for example:
[!NOTE] If no schema appears in the list, your integration account doesn't contain any schema files to use for encoding. Upload the schema that you want to use to your integration account.
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Save your logic app. To test your connector, make a request to the HTTPS endpoint, which appears in the Request trigger's HTTP POST URL property, and include the XML content that you want to encode in the request body.
You're now done with setting up your flat file encoding action. In a real world app, you might want to store the encoded data in a line-of-business (LOB) app, such as Salesforce. Or, you can send the encoded data to a trading partner. To send the output from the encoding action to Salesforce or to your trading partner, use the other connectors available in Azure Logic Apps.
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In the Azure portal, open your logic app in the Logic App Designer.
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Under the trigger or action in your logic app, select New step > Add an action. This example uses the Request trigger, which is named When a HTTP request is received, and handles inbound requests from outside the logic app.
[!TIP] Providing a JSON schema is optional. If you have a sample payload from the inbound request, select Use sample payload to generate schema, enter the sample payload, and select Done. The schema appears in the Request Body JSON Schema box.
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Under Choose an action, enter
flat file. From the actions list, select this action: Flat File Decoding
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Click inside the Content box so that the dynamic content list appears. From the list, in the When a HTTP request is received section, select the Body property, which contains the request body output from the trigger and the content to decode.
[!TIP] If you don't see the Body property in the dynamic content list, select See more next to the When a HTTP request is received section label. You can also directly enter the content to decode in the Content box.
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From the Schema Name list, select the schema that's in your linked integration account to use for decoding, for example:
[!NOTE] If no schema appears in the list, your integration account doesn't contain any schema files to use for decoding. Upload the schema that you want to use to your integration account.
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Save your logic app. To test your connector, make a request to the HTTPS endpoint, which appears in the Request trigger's HTTP POST URL property, and include the XML content that you want to decode in the request body.
You're now done with setting up your flat file decoding action. In a real world app, you might want to store the decoded data in a line-of-business (LOB) app, such as Salesforce. Or, you can send the decoded data to a trading partner. To send the output from the decoding action to Salesforce or to your trading partner, use the other connectors available in Azure Logic Apps.
- Learn more about the Enterprise Integration Pack