Create Salesforce and External API Data Sources for Automated Content Builder

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The Automated Content Builder (ACB) app enables the creation of documents and presentations tailored to prospects' context and industry-specific needs. Customer data automatically integrates into marketing-approved templates to create impactful, personalized content in seconds.

Templates contain placeholders that are linked to preconfigured data nodes. These nodes serve as connectors, replacing placeholders with pertinent data during the document generation process.

Data sources are a type of node used to retrieve data from external systems. The currently supported data sources are Salesforce Object Query and external token-based APIs that return JSON or Binary (used for images). Once created, a data source can be configured as a node across all templates.

In this article, we’ll learn how to create External API and Salesforce query data sources. Once created, they can be configured and used as data nodes to replace placeholders in ACB templates.

You need this to succeed

• Showpad Content Ultimate or Showpad Content Essential & Plus with the Enterprise add-on
• Showpad's Automated Content Builder add-on 
• Showpad admin access
• The Automated Content Builder app installed
• An existing Automated Content Builder Experience
• Templates with placeholders
• Access to the data required to configure the template
  
  

Do this step by step

Data nodes are used to collect the data necessary for your templates. Learn about the different data node types and how to configure them in this article.

External APIs and Salesforce queries are data sources that need to be added to the ACB Experience before they can be configured as data nodes and used in templates.

Dynamic fields and Secrets can be used in External APIs and Salesforce queries:

• Dynamic fields enable using data from other data sources
• Secrets store confidential data, such as API keys, Tokens, etc.

In this article, we’ll learn how to:

• Create a data source
• Use dynamic fields in Data Sources
• Create Secrets to store confidential data

Create a data source

1. In the Web app, navigate to your Automated Content Builder Experience and select the Data Sources tab in the left menu.
2. Click the New data source button in the top right corner.
   
3. Select the data source you want to create:
   
   

   External API

   Salesforce Object Query

   External APIs allow you to retrieve real-time data from a service to be inserted into the template placeholders.

   • Select External API, give your data source a name and a description, then click Next.
   • Add a URL. This can be an API endpoint, or a static resource (e.g. a fixed image).
   • Select the HTTP method to be used to perform the API call. ‘GET’ and ‘POST’ are the methods currently supported.
   • Optionally, add Headers to transmit additional information, such as authentication tokens, content types, or other metadata. For example, secrets can be used to pass on an API key.
   • Select a response type. The supported response types are JSON (for typical REST services retrieving data) or Binary (mainly useful in case the API/URL returns an image).
     

   Note: Dynamic fields and secrets can be used as querystring parameters in the URL, request headers, or request body of External APIs. Secrets must be configured in the ACB Experience before being used in a data source.

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   Salesforce retrieves the data you need for your templates using Salesforce Object Query Language (SOQL).

   • Select Salesforce, give your data source a name and a description, then click Next.
   • Enter your Salesforce query.
     Dynamic fields and secrets can be used. Secrets must be configured in the ACB Experience before being used in a data source.
     Example:

     select name, website, Industry from account where Id={{accountId}}

     This SOQL query will return the name, website, and industry fields from all accounts with the provided Salesforce account ID.
     

   Note: To configure Salesforce data sources, you first need to set up the Showpad Salesforce integration. See how to connect your Salesforce and Showpad instance here.
   Also, to use templates with configured Salesforce data sources, users must log in to Salesforce on their Showpad account to retrieve their customers’ data. They will only be able to use the Salesforce data they have access to.

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4. Once your data source is configured, click Next.
5. Test the configuration of your data source by providing the required values for each field and clicking Run API or Run SOQL.
   • If the configuration is successful, you’ll see the output received based on the value you’ve provided.
     
   • If the value entered doesn’t receive any output, you’ll see an error message and will not be able to Save your data source. However, you can always save it as a draft by clicking the button in the top right corner to finish the configuration later.
     
6. Once the configuration is validated, click Save to create your data source. You can now use it as a data node when configuring ACB templates.

Use dynamic fields in data sources

Dynamics fields enable the use of variables when configuring data sources. They can be used:

• In Salesforce Object Query Language query
• As query string parameters in the URL, request headers, or request body of external APIs

To use dynamic fields in a data source, use double curly brackets around them: {{variable}}. Dynamic field names are personalizable.

When using dynamic fields in a data source, you must provide a value for it when using it as a data node during the template configuration. This value can be mapped from outputs from earlier data sources, such as Salesforce objects, a user input form, etc.

For example, your data source could have a dynamic field accountId, which you can specify and use as {{accountId}}. When configuring your data nodes, we can use:

• A Salesforce starting node requesting users for a Salesforce Account ID.
• A SOQL data source used as a subsequent node to retrieve data based on the Salesforce Account ID dynamic field informed on the starting node.

Create Secrets to store confidential data

Secrets are used to store confidential data, such as API keys, Tokens, etc. They are held in a securely encrypted storage solution within the Automated Content Builder’s back-end to avoid needing to configure your confidential data in plain text.

1. In the Web app, navigate to Content, Experiences, and select your Automated Content Builder Experience. Then, click the Secrets tab in the left menu.
2. Click the New secret button in the top right corner.
   
3. Give the secret a name and enter a value. For example, an API key, a Token, etc.
   

   Notes:  - The value of secrets can be updated, but not retrieved.
                 - The names of secrets can not be updated.

4. Click Save.
5. You can now use your secret in a SOQL query or in external API data sources as query string parameters in the URL or in request headers.
   The format to use a secret in a data source is: <<secret-key>>.

Continue to the next article to learn how to configure the other data nodes and map them to your placeholders.