Businesses often depend on information provided by a third-party to
enhance or authenticate their products and reports. The other party
usually being an expert in that field, supplying the data at a cost.
This information will need to be integrated into a workflow with end
products, whether manually, using technology, or a combination of both.
A technical approach
Any manual approach will be time-consuming. The data needs to be
extracted from the third-party’s records and inserted into the relevant
position within a specific document. It may have to be carefully edited
to suit a layout fit-for-purpose. Often the information is not stored
elsewhere, making it difficult to re-use or find again.
A technological approach harnesses the power of Application Programme
Interface (API) technology to integrate the information into a business
workflow seamlessly. This data can be searched through easily, as
it is likely to be saved elsewhere other than the document. The data
can also be input and output in a way that suits your working methods.
The benefits of an API
An API is a set of controls (or more specifically URLs) to request or
send information to the provider. Once a request is received, the API
responds with the relevant information, usually in JSON or XML format.
API’s are widely available across many sectors of industry. Any
organisation that delivers information to other businesses will quite
likely be able to supply that information through an API. A quick
Google search for the information required will probably find a
solution.
Google provides APIs for just about all of its services; examples
include Google books and Google blogger. Amazon has created a number of
API’s, providing information on a vast range of products and services.
The technology is used to share everything from social media updates to
stock market analysis. The list of APIs available today is endless.
What’s involved
Extracting information from an API requires the expertise of a developer
or programmer. It will usually come with documentation advising on the
controls, how to make a request for data and what to expect in the
response. The returned response would then need to be integrated into
the business workflow and output to the end product.
How Swiftcase can help
If your business process depends on information from a third party API,
Swiftcase can be configured to request the information and process it at
a designated point in your workflow. The extraction of data can be done
seamlessly, presenting the information at the time and place you require.
If you’re interested in a free, no-obligation demo of a powerful business process management platform, get in touch with us
today.