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Get the Report →Create Zendesk-Connected Nintex Workflows
Use CData Connect Cloud to connect to Zendesk Data from Nintex Workflow Cloud and build custom workflows using live Zendesk data.
Nintex Workflow Cloud is a cloud-based platform where you can design workflows to automate simple or complex processes using drag-and-drop interactions — without writing any code. When paired with CData Connect Cloud, you get instant, cloud-to-cloud access to Zendesk data for business applications. This article shows how to create a virtual database for Zendesk in Connect Cloud and build a simple workflow from Zendesk data in Nintex.
CData Connect Cloud provides a pure, cloud-to-cloud interface for Zendesk, allowing you to build workflows from live Zendesk data in Nintex Workflow Cloud — without replicating the data to a natively supported database. Nintex allows you to access data directly using SQL queries. Using optimized data processing out of the box, CData Connect Cloud pushes all supported SQL operations (filters, JOINs, etc.) directly to Zendesk, leveraging server-side processing to quickly return the requested Zendesk data.
Configure Zendesk Connectivity for Nintex
Connectivity to Zendesk from Nintex is made possible through CData Connect Cloud. To work with Zendesk data from Nintex, we start by creating and configuring a Zendesk connection.
- Log into Connect Cloud, click Connections and click Add Connection
- Select "Zendesk" from the Add Connection panel
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Enter the necessary authentication properties to connect to Zendesk.
Connecting to Zendesk
To connect, set the URL and provide authentication. The URL is your Zendesk Support URL: https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com.
Authenticating to Zendesk
You can authenticate using the Basic or OAuth methods.
Using Basic Authentication
To use Basic authentication, specify your email address and password or your email address and an API token. Set User to your email address and follow the steps below to provide the Password or ApiToken.
- Enable password access in the Zendesk Support admin interface at Admin > Channels > API.
- Manage API tokens in the Zendesk Support Admin interface at Admin > Channels > API. More than one token can be active at the same time. Deleting a token deactivates it permanently.
Using OAuth Authentication
See the Getting Started guide in the CData driver documentation for an authentication guide.
- Click Create & Test
- Navigate to the Permissions tab in the Add Zendesk Connection page and update the User-based permissions.
Add a Personal Access Token
If you are connecting from a service, application, platform, or framework that does not support OAuth authentication, you can create a Personal Access Token (PAT) to use for authentication. Best practices would dictate that you create a separate PAT for each service, to maintain granularity of access.
- Click on your username at the top right of the Connect Cloud app and click User Profile.
- On the User Profile page, scroll down to the Personal Access Tokens section and click Create PAT.
- Give your PAT a name and click Create.
- The personal access token is only visible at creation, so be sure to copy it and store it securely for future use.
With the connection configured, you are ready to connect to Zendesk data from Nintex Workflow Cloud.
Connect to Zendesk from Nintex
The steps below outline creating a new connection to Zendesk data from Nintex (via Connect Cloud).
- Log into Nintex Workflow Cloud
- In the Connections tab, click "Add new"
- Select "Microsoft SQL Server" as the connector and click "Connect"
- In the SQL Server connection wizard, set the following properties:
- Connection Name: a Connect Cloud
- Username: a Connect Cloud username (e.g. [email protected])
- Password: the Connect Cloud user's PAT
- Database Host: tds.cdata.com
- Database Name: the Zendesk connection (a.g., Zendesk1)
- Click "Connect"
- Configure the connection permissions and click "Save permissions"
Create a Simple Zendesk Workflow
With the connection to CData Connect Cloud configured, we are ready to build a simple workflow to access Zendesk data. Start by clicking the "Create workflow" button.
Configure the Start Event Action
- Click the start event task and select the "Form" event
- Click "Design form"
- Drag a "Text - Long" element onto the Form and click the element to configure it
- Set "Title" to "Enter SQL query"
- Set "Required" to true
- Drag a "Text - Short" element onto the Form and click the element to configure it
- Set "Title" to "Enter desired result column"
- Set "Required" to true
Configure an "Execute a Query" Action
- Add an "Execute a query" action after the "Start event: Form" action and click to configure the action
- Set "SQL Script" to the "Enter SQL Query" variable from the "Start event" action
- Set "Column to retrieve" to the "Enter desired result column" variable from the "Start event" action
- Set "Retrieved column" to a new variable (a.g., "values")
Configure a "Send an Email" Action
- Add a "Send an email" action after the "Execute a query" action and click to configure the action
- Set the "Recipient email address"
- Set the "Subject"
- Set the "Message body" to the variable created for the retrieved column
Once you configure the actions, click "Save," name the Workflow, and click "Save" again. You now have a simple workflow that will query Zendesk using SQL and sand an email with the results.
To learn more about live data access to 100+ SaaS, Big Data, and NoSQL sources directly from your cloud applications, check out the CData Connect Cloud page. Sign up for a free trial and reach out to our Support Team if you have any questions.