Shapes in Dell Boomi: Building Blocks of Your Integration Processes

Dell Boomi is a robust cloud-based integration platform streamlining how businesses connect their applications and data. One of the core concepts in Boomi is the use of “shapes” to build integration processes. Let’s dive into what shapes are and how they make your Boomi integrations come alive.

What are Shapes?

Shapes are the visual building blocks within a Boomi integration process. They represent actions or steps that manipulate, transform, and route data throughout your integration flow. Each shape has a distinct function and configurable properties that tailor it to your unique requirements.

Types of Shapes in Dell Boomi

Boomi offers a wide variety of shapes to support diverse integration scenarios. Let’s explore the major categories:

1. Start Shapes: These initiate your integration processes. Common examples include:

• • Connector: Connects to an application or data source (e.g., Salesforce, NetSuite, FTP, etc.).
  • Message: Triggers a process based on an inbound message.
  • Schedule: Starts processes on a defined schedule

1. Execution Shapes: These perform actions or transformations on your data:

• • Data Process: Manipulates data using functions like mapping, scripting, and more.
  • Document Cache: Temporarily stores data for later use in the process.

1. Logic Shapes: These control the flow of your integration processes:

• • Branch: Splits the process into multiple paths for parallel execution.
  • Route: Sends data down different paths based on conditions.
  • Decision: Evaluate data against criteria to determine the appropriate path.
  • Exception: Handles errors and unexpected events.

1. Connector Shapes These interact with specific applications and systems:

• • Salesforce: Connects to the Salesforce platform.
  • Database: Connects to a database (e.g., SQL Server, Oracle, etc.).
  • HTTP: Makes HTTP requests to web services.
  • And many more!

How Shapes Work Together

The beauty of shapes lies in how you connect them to design simple or complex integration processes. Here’s a simplified example:

1. Connector (Salesforce): Retrieves new orders from Salesforce.
2. Data Process: Maps order data to a format suitable for your accounting system.
3. Decision: Checks if the order value exceeds a threshold.
4. Route: If the value is high, send an email notification.
5. Connector (NetSuite): Creates a sales order in your NetSuite system.

Benefits of Using Shapes

• Visual Design: Shapes make process building intuitive and less code-intensive.
• Reusability: Shapes can be reused in multiple processes, promoting efficiency.
• Flexibility: The diverse array of shapes supports various integration use cases.
• Ease of Troubleshooting: The visual nature of shapes helps to identify issues in the process quickly flows.