Introduction
Data sources allow you to populate elements in your dynamic forms with data that is either centrally defined or pulled from an external source such as an API. For example, you could use a data source to populate the options for a drop down menu that is used on several different forms.
Data Sources Overview
Go to Self Service > Data Sources to see an overview of all data sources currently configured in HelloID.
By default, there is one data source available: HelloID Groups. This is a native data source containing all user groups currently in your HelloID environment. It cannot be modified or removed.
The following is displayed for each data source:
- Name
A data source's name is used to identify it when building a dynamic form. Names can be edited by selecting the Edit link under the Actions column. - Type
The data source type indicates where its data comes from. More information on these types is available below. - Actions
The links under this column allow you to modify or remove a data source.
Data source types
There are four types of data sources available in HelloID.
Native data source
Native data sources come packaged with HelloID, and can be neither created nor deleted. An example of a native data source is the HelloID Groups data source.
Static data source
Static data sources are manually configured lists of data. They do not rely on outside sources or scripts. They are useful for simple form elements used across multiple forms, whose options don't change very often.
Task data source
Task data sources rely on PowerShell tasks to populate their data. For example, a task data source can populate a form element with data from an API.
PowerShell data source
PowerShell data sources provide similar functionality to task data sources. In comparison to task data sources, PowerShell data sources:
- Directly encapsulate your PowerShell script, so you don't need to create a separate PowerShell task. This is analogous to how tasks themselves can be encapsulated inside other objects. This provides a tighter grouping of your script and data source.
- Have more powerful testing options, including JSON input.
- In some cases, provide faster performance.
- Use pure native PowerShell. Task data sources use custom HelloID cmdlets for logging and returning results, which can interfere with running scripts on your local machine.
- Let you choose a specific Agent Pool.
- Show the script results on the same screen, so you don't have to navigate away.