The External Data Source control allows the Workflow to read or write data to or from a Database, File, Web Service, or Workflow Field or Variable.
Unlike the
Table control, the data isn't directly displayed in the External Data Source, and only the first result is returned if reading data.
It can be configured so that it is either displayed to the agent as a simple button, or completely hidden.
It is most frequently used during a Workflow to interface with a Database, and then read or write details related to the caller.
This control is part of the Advanced control pack, and will only be available if you have the appropriate licence part.
How To
Add an External Data Source to the Workflow Page. The control's options and style can be configured in the
Options and
Styling tabs of the Field Properties.
Note
The External Data Source is designed to only return a single row, so if your query returns multiple rows then the top row will be selected. It's recommended that the query always be sorted, so that the expected row is always returned in case of multiple rows.
If trying to brings multiple rows of data into Scripting, it may be better to use the
Table control.
As with other button-type controls, it is possible to require a Page pass
validation before the button will activate. This prevents the query from being executed before all requisite details have been collected.
As with other button-type controls, upon activation the button will then be disabled until the action has completed.
As with other button-type controls, it is possible to trigger this by JavaScript or
Update Links. Please see the
.click() article for more information and an example regarding using JavaScript.
