This article contains all the information about an AFAS integration in Dialog, what makes this integration possible, and what it takes to set up this integration. We have described this in four steps. At the bottom of this article you will find a downloadable zip file containing the Connectors needed for the integration.
The AFAS integration in Dialog uses manually created GetConnectors and the KnSubject UpdateConnector. These connectors need to be merged into an App connector. Setting up the integration requires a number of steps on both sides.
Step 1: Creating Getconnectors
Dialog makes it possible to retrieve AFAS users, organisational units (teams) and job profiles so that they can be loaded or connected quickly and easily. To do this, Dialog has a number of standard connectors that can be loaded into an app connector in AFAS. These can be downloaded at the bottom of this article. As these connectors are generic, there is a possiblity that they return too much or too little information. Add additional filters where necessary so that only the required data is sent.
1.1: Import connectors in AFAS
Follow the following steps in AFAS to load the supplied connectors. (source: https://help.afas.nl/help/NL/SE/App_Cnnctr_ImpExp.htm)
- Open the environment in which you want to import the exported GetConnector(s).
- Go to: General / Export / Manage / GetConnector.
- Click on the action: Import.
- Click on:
- File (for importing a single GetConnector)
- Folder (for importing multiple GetConnectors)
- Select the ‘.gcn file’ of the GetConnector to be imported.
- Click on: Finish.
- Go through the wizard.
Step 2: Creating the App Connector
After the above connectors have been created, they need to be added to an app connector. You can create this app connector in the following way.
1. Create a system user who has sufficient rights to retrieve all data from the GetConnectors. For more information, see this AFAS manual.
2. When creating the app connector, choose Type: 0 (maintained by customer) and choose as User Group the same group the system user is in. (For example, create a user group called External or Integration).
3. Generate a user token for the app connector (for the system user). For more information, see this AFAS manual.
4. On the GetConnectors tab, add the already imported GetConnectors.
5. (Optional) On the UpdateConnectors tab, add the KnSubject/AppConnectorSubject connector if returning Dialog reviews in PDF format is desired.
(Optional) Step 3: Returning assessments (pdf)
If desired, Dialog sends completed assessments back to AFAS in PDF format. This happens the moment an assessment is marked as completed in Dialog.
3.1: Creating and configuring file item
A number of steps are required to configure the upload of assessments.
- Create a new file item type with the following details:
- Name: ‘Dialog Assessment’
- Print report: ‘File item - report for printing (Profit)’
- Tick: ‘Link file’, ‘Explanation’, ‘Open attachment file item automatically’, ‘Mark file item as confidential’
- Destination: ‘Employee’ mark as mandatory
- Authorise the file item. See this AFAS manual for this.
Step 4: Testing the AFAS integration
4.1: Collecting API Credentials
The AFAS administrator collects the data that allows Dialog to invoke the app connector. The AFAS administrator eventually sends the following information back to the Customer Succes Manager of Dialog. The two optional rows are only necessary when returning evaluations is desired.
| User token (see Step 2) | Enter the contents of the user token here |
| Environment ID | Enter the ID of the AFAS environment here. This can be found in the url (https://xxxxx.rest.afas.online/profitservices/) |
| (Optional) File type number (see Step 3) | Enter the file type number here |
| (Optional) Reference 1 ID (see Step 3) | Enter the Reference 1 ID here |
4.2: Testing and activation
Dialog activates the link with the supplied API credentials and tests whether the integration works. In case of problems, the AFAS administrator who sent the data is contacted directly.