4 Ways of SaaS integrations: Direct Integration (Part 1/4)
In this series with tool integrations I will detail the four ways of tool integrations: Direct integrations, Third-party aggregators, User Interface Automation/RPA, Custom development using APIs.
Happy automation Friday!
Today I will start a series of four emails to detail various ways of integrating applications. We'll present the advantages and disadvantages of each one, with some use cases.
There are four ways to integrate tools:
In the end, it should be clearer when to use a direct integration or a third-party app. Additionally, you will know how to approach a custom solution for integration and how to choose the right use cases for user interface automation.
Direct Integration
This is the easiest way to connect two different apps. For the majority of SaaS applications, there are many integrations available in their marketplaces, built by their developers or by the community.
This is the easiest way to implement automation in a small company or for someone who just wants to experience having some integrations. Check their marketplaces to see if there is any integration available with another tool you have, and take a look at the use cases.
Most marketplaces are designed for beginners, providing many examples and complete documentation. For most apps, using their marketplace won't involve any additional cost.
Unfortunately, the use cases are limited. They only cover simple flows. These flows have no variation or "ifs" in the process. They lack complete API integration.
Another major disadvantage for complex businesses with many needs is maintenance. After a few months of direct integrations, you will lose control. The need for maintenance will grow significantly.
Advantages
It's easy to start the process.
A variety of integrations are available in each app.
No extra cost in most cases.
Disadvantages
Not a viable solution for complex integration.
Very difficult to manage in the long term.
Use cases
Example 1.
As an agency, I want to get a notification on the “accounting” Slack each time an invoice is issued in my Stripe account (or any other tool that you are using for invoicing) so that I can add the value as an income to my cash flow spreadsheet.
Why you can use a direct integration for this use case?
The simple rule is that you receive the message whenever we've issued an invoice. The integration is already available in the Slack Marketplace (or Stripe Marketplace). You can set up the integration in a few minutes.
When you can’t use direct integration?
If you want to add some condition to this notification as:
only three days before the payment is due
only if the invoice hasn’t been paid yet
Use a dedicated Slack channel for each client.
Example 2
As a client, I want to be informed on the Slack channel each time when a task is moved to the “Client testing” stage in ClickUp so that I can test it and confirm that it meets my acceptance criteria as a client.
Why you can use a direct integration for this use case?
It is straightforward each time when a task enters the “Client testing” stage.
The integration is already available in one of the marketplaces (Slack or ClickUp).
The integration could be up and running in a few minutes.
When you can’t use direct integration?
If you want to add some condition on this notification as:
I want this integration only for tasks marked with a specific tag.
I want a weekly summary of all the tasks from the previous weeks that are in the “Client testing” stage,
I want another notification if the task is in that stage for more than two days.
I hope now is a bit more clear the use cases for a direct integration. In the next email, we'll talk about third-party automation aggregators.
Keep in touch
For any further questions, I’m waiting for your email at cristian@filimon.tech with your automation challenges (not tasks).
I’m happy to discuss and talk through them, to find the right solution. The only condition is to publish a case study in this newsletter about it (with all the data anonymized, of course).
See you soon!
Cristian