Creating a Custom Connector for SolarWinds API Using Power Automate

In today’s digital landscape, automation is key to optimizing workflows and improving efficiency. If you’re managing IT operations or network monitoring with SolarWinds, integrating it with other tools and services can be incredibly valuable. Power Automate, part of Microsoft Power Platform, allows you to automate workflows by connecting to various services, including SolarWinds, through custom connectors.

In this blog post, we'll walk you through the process of creating a custom connector in Power Automate to interact with the SolarWinds API. This will allow you to automate tasks such as retrieving network data, monitoring alerts, or even integrating SolarWinds with other business applications.

Step 1: Understanding the SolarWinds API

Before diving into the connector creation, it's important to familiarize yourself with the SolarWinds API. SolarWinds provides a RESTful API that allows you to access various resources, such as nodes, alerts, and network configurations.

API Documentation: Start by reviewing the official SolarWinds API documentation to understand the endpoints, required parameters, and authentication methods. You’ll need this information when configuring your custom connector.

Step 2: Setting Up the Custom Connector in Power Automate

1. Access Power Automate:
2. Navigate to Data > Custom Connectors:
3. Create a New Custom Connector:
4. Enter General Information:

Step 3: Configuring the Connector

1. Set Up the Security:

1. Define the API URL:
2. Define the Request Actions:
3. Click on Import from sample.
4. Content-Type: application/json
5. Accept: application/vnd.samanage.v2.1+json

Select GET as the verb and enter the URL https://api.samanage.com/changes.json.

Define the Response

1. Click on default response.
2. Define the Response: Import

1. [

{

"id": 123,

"change_number": "CHG00123",

"change_name": "Server Upgrade",

"title": "Server Upgrade",

"state": "pending",

"priority": "high",

"created_at": "2023-05-01T12:00:00Z",

"updated_at": "2023-05-01T13:00:00Z",

"planned_start_at": "2023-05-10T08:00:00Z",

"planned_end_at": "2023-05-10T12:00:00Z",

"href": "https://api.samanage.com/changes/123",

"requester": {

"id": 1,

"name": "John Doe",

"email": "[email protected]"

},

"assignee": {

"id": 2,

"name": "Jane Smith",

"email": "[email protected]"

}

},

{

"id": 124,

"change_number": "CHG00124",

"change_name": "Network Configuration Change",

"title": "Network Configuration Change",

"state": "pending",

"priority": "medium",

"created_at": "2023-05-02T09:00:00Z",

"updated_at": "2023-05-02T10:00:00Z",

"planned_start_at": "2023-05-15T10:00:00Z",

"planned_end_at": "2023-05-15T11:00:00Z",

"href": "https://api.samanage.com/changes/124",

"requester": {

"id": 3,

"name": "Alice Johnson",

"email": "[email protected]"

},

"assignee": {

"id": 4,

"name": "Bob Brown",

"email": "[email protected]"

}

}

]

Step 4: Testing the Connector

Create a new Connection and enter Token Key to test connection.

Test the Connection: Add your Token bearer key.

Step 5: Using the Custom Connector in Power Automate

1. Create a Flow:
2. Automate a Task:
3. Monitor and Optimize:
4. Example Power Automate Flow Action

1. Trigger: Recurrence (e.g., every day).
2. Action: Custom Connector (GetPendingChangeRequests).
3. Action: Apply to each (loop through each change request). Action: Create item (in SharePoint list). Site Address: Select your SharePoint site. List Name: Select your SharePoint list (e.g., "SolarWinds Change Requests"). Change Number: Map to the change_number field from the SolarWinds data. Change Name: Map to the change_name field from the SolarWinds data. Title: Map to the title field from the SolarWinds data. State: Map to the state field from the SolarWinds data. Priority: Map to the priority field from the SolarWinds data. Created At: Map to the created_at field from the SolarWinds data. Updated At: Map to the updated_at field from the SolarWinds data. Planned Start At: Map to the planned_start_at field from the SolarWinds data. Planned End At: Map to the planned_end_at field from the SolarWinds data. Requester: Map to the requester.name field from the SolarWinds data. Assignee: Map to the assignee.name field from the SolarWinds data.

Conclusion

Creating a custom connector for the SolarWinds API in Power Automate opens up numerous possibilities for automating network monitoring and management tasks. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can integrate SolarWinds with other applications and services, enhancing your IT operations' efficiency and responsiveness.

Whether you’re looking to automate routine tasks or create complex workflows that span multiple systems, a custom connector is a powerful tool in your automation toolkit. Get started today and see how you can streamline your processes with Power Automate and SolarWinds!