Signal Integration with Webhooks Guide

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Keywords: Signal, Webhooks, integration, Flows, Connections, Tags, Mappings, Retry Queue

Document ID: platform-support_certain_com_hc_en-us_articles_10901681579031-Signal-Integration-with-Webhooks-Guide

What is Signal? How does it work?

Signal processes data from your events in real-time, passing it from Certain Platform to your target third-party application via webhooks. This real-time integration empowers sales and marketing teams to take intelligent, prompt action on the right event data. Almost everything is set up at the account level. For event-level information, this depends on the custom tags you attach to data such as Registration Statuses.

Important: Signal processes outbound information, processing information from Certain and sending it to your target application.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites include understanding how Signal handles data flow and how tags are used to identify event-level data. Credentials in the target application must be prepared to allow Signal to connect.

Overview of Setup Steps

Setting up Tags

What Are Tags?

Tags identify event-level data using labels defined at the account level. Tags can be applied to events, especially to Registration Statuses and Custom Registration Properties, and can be used for other purposes. A Flow’s activation can depend on tags, not on the statuses themselves.

Setting Tags Up for an Account

1. As an Administrator, go to Account Settings > Management > Tags.

2. Enter a Name and a Label for the tag.

3. Select the Object(s) to which the tag can apply; for example Registration Statuses and/or Custom Registration Properties.

4. Click Add.

5. Repeat as required for as many tags as you need.

6. Add tags to cover all Registration Statuses, Custom Registration Properties, Attendee Types, and Events you will use in filters.

7. If you do not use any standard registration statuses, it is best practice to still create tags for them, at least for the New status.

Applying Tags in an Account

In each event from which information flows through Certain Signal, apply tags to relevant information:

Default Registration Statuses

These apply to all events and are set up at the account level. Tag at least the New status.

Custom Registration Statuses

If a Flow watches for Registration Status changes, tag each relevant status in the event.

Custom Registration Properties

If a Flow watches for Custom Registration Properties, tag each custom reg property in the event.

Standard Registration Properties (Automatic)

These tags are set up for you automatically, with names identical to the properties themselves: Complete, Badge Printed, On To Do List, Invoice Generated, and Test.

Attendee Types

If you plan to filter by attendee type, create tags for Attendee Types.

Events

If you plan to filter by specific events, create tags for those events.

Registration Questions

If you pass answers to Registration Questions to the target application, tag questions as needed.

Opening Signal

When Signal is activated, the Account Settings > Implementation menu includes an option: Signal Real-Time Data Integration. Open Signal in a separate window. You can return to Certain Platform by using the provided navigation.

Setting up a Connection

What are Connections?

A Connection defines how to connect to your target application. You can have multiple connections. Each Flow requires a Connection. This guide covers setting up a Connection before configuring a Flow.

Adding a Connection

1. Go to Account Settings > Implementation > Signal Real-Time Data Integration.

2. Signal opens in a separate window.

3. Click Connections in the left navigation panel.

4. Click Add A Connection in the Connection List page.

5. Enter details in the Connection Setup screen.

6. Click Save & Test. 7. If the test is successful, click Close. If not, verify step 5 values.

Setting Up Flows

What is a “Flow”?

A Flow configures how data moves from Certain to the target application. You can create multiple Flows per account, and multiple Flows may share the same Connection. A Flow completes once configured and then starts processing data after about a minute.

The Flow List

In Signal, the main screen is the Flow List. The Status column shows whether a Flow is fully set up. The Active column shows whether the Flow is running. Use the toggle to switch between Active and Inactive.

Configuring a Flow

1. Click ADD A FLOW to begin.

2. Define:

3. The Live toggle sets whether the Flow processes live or test registrations. Live flows process live registrations; Test flows process test registrations.

4. Best Practice: Start as Test and verify before setting to Live.

Flow Data Source

The Source defines what the Flow watches for and when to activate. Examples include changes to Registration Status or Session Registration Status.

Available sources

Note: A Flow can be saved incomplete and completed later. After completion, it will begin processing after the usual minute delay.

Activate for …

Choose one or more tags for each relevant object:

Flow Data Source tags include standard Registration Status tags, custom Registration Status tags, and others defined at the account or event level.

Flow Filters

You can filter data for a Flow by Event fields, Profile fields, and Attendee Type tags. A Flow will only include a registration if it meets all specified filter rules.

Note: For custom fields, you can only select enumerated questions (Select, Multi-select, Checkbox, Radio).

Flow Destination

Select Webhooks from the list of integrations configured for your account. You can click New Connection to create a new connection if needed.

Setting up a Destination

1. Name the Destination.

2. Select the Connection to use.

3. Select Webhook as the Action.

4. Select or create Mappings.

Mappings

Mappings define how each target field in the third-party application matches a source field in Certain. You can have two mappings: one for the Payload and one for the Http Header if needed.

Transformations (optional) for each field include:

Note: You can apply multiple transformations to a single field.

If a mapping exists, you can Edit Mapping or Preview Mapping. Save the mapping when finished.

Metrics Dashboard

Click Metrics in the left navigation to view account statistics. The Insights tab presents data such as Changes Processed, Unique Registrations, Actions Triggered, Actions Not Triggered, Active Flows, Leads Created, Leads Updated, Registration Activity in Certain, and a Processing Status pie chart. The Troubleshooting tab shows Retry Queue details and related metrics. The Activity Feed tab provides a rolling history of processed registrations.

The Retry Queue

When an action fails, it joins the Retry Queue. Up to three automatic retries occur before the item is abandoned. You can view the Retry Queue from Flows > Retry. Causes of failure include untagged statuses or a down connection. Resolving the cause allows the retry to succeed. If unresolved, contact an administrator or Certain for help. Retry intervals depend on failure severity.

Filtering the Queue

You can filter the Retry Queue by Integration, Status, and Category.

Submitting to the Queue

Selecting a queued item shows its details. If the issue is resolved, you can Submit to Retry Queue to move it to the front of the queue.

Replaying a Flow

If you modify a Flow while it has been running, you can request Certain to replay the Flow for the same registrations. This may be constrained by date range or event.

What is Signal? How does it work?

Signal processes data from events in real-time and transfers it to the target application via webhooks. The real-time integration empowers automation teams to act on right-time data. Most setup occurs at the account level, but event-level data relies on the Tags attached to events.

Opening Certain Signal

To access Certain Signal from the Certain Platform, use the Account Settings > Implementation > Signal Real-Time Data Integration option. Signal opens in a separate window, and you can return to the platform with a link.

Setting up a Connection (Summary)

Setting Up Flows (Summary)

Flow Data Source (Summary)

Flow Filters (Summary)

Flow Destination and Mappings (Summary)

Metrics Dashboard (Summary)

The Retry Queue (Summary)

Replaying a Flow (Summary)

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