Data stored in STEP can be exchanged and integrated with external systems. For example, this allows STEP to receive data from an upstream system such as an ERP, and then send data downstream to a web server.
Although this section deals with configuration of imports and exports in workbench, the formats, receiver methods, and delivery methods are the same regardless of the interface used. For information about imports and exports in Web UI, refer to Data Exchange in Web UI (here).
In addition to exchanging data, images and documents can also be exchanged. Assets and data can be sent downstream together using STEPXML. For details, refer to Assets and Content with STEPXML (here). For exchanging assets independent of data, refer to the Digital Assets documentation (here).
Inbound Tools
There are two primary methods for importing data to STEP:
- Import Manager uses a selected format to import objects, classifications, and entities on demand
- Inbound Integration Endpoints (IIEPs) monitor a data source for receipt of new messages of a specified data format to import at scheduled intervals (here).
Data Format
The data format defines the inbound file type that will be processed. The same formats are available for both inbound tools (refer to Data Formats here).
Receiver Method
For an IIEP, the selected receiver method determines how STEP accesses the inbound message (refer to IIEP Receiver Methods here). The Import Manager does not use a receiver method.
Outbound Tools
The two primary methods for exporting data from STEP are:
- Export Manager is used to export fixed data sets of objects, classifications, and entities on demand or at scheduled intervals using a selected format and delivery method
- Outbound Integration Endpoints (OIEPs) are primarily used to monitor STEP and automatically export relevant data via a selected data format and delivery method. OIEPs can also be used to export fixed data sets, and can be invoked on demand or at scheduled intervals (here).
Data Format
The data format determines the output file type. The same formats are available for both outbound tools (refer to Data Formats here).
Delivery Method
The delivery method determines how the output file arrives at its destination. The available delivery methods are determined by the outbound tool used (refer to OIEP Delivery Methods here and the Export Manager - Select Delivery Method here).
Security
STEP supports Transport Layer Security (TLS) with mutual authentication (mTLS) for outbound HTTP traffic. This functionality is more secure than TLS, as it requires both the server and client to verify each other before data is transferred. mTLS functionality has been tested with the gateway integration endpoint REST plugin, the REST and REST Direct Outbound Integration Endpoint delivery plugins, and URLConnections directly from business rule JavaScript. To learn more about Mutual Transport Layer Security and how to configure it, refer to the Mutual Transport Layer Security documentation in the Data Exchange section here.
Gateway Tool
Gateway Integration Endpoints (here) enable STEP to access external systems through business rules that make calls to fetch data or update status. The business rule uses synchronous REST calls from JavaScript.
For example, to create objects in STEP using an ID from an external ERP system, STEP can use a gateway endpoint to access and retrieve the external system ID.
Web Service Tools
Web Service Endpoints allow users to configure a web service call to receive requested data and transmit this response as needed. The web services supported by STEP are defined in the Web Service Endpoints topic here.