Core Features and Capabilities

Core Features and Capabilities

Workflows provide a comprehensive suite of features for building robust automations:

• Integrations (Activities): Access a library of out-of-the-box activities for solutions such as Catalyst Center, Catalyst SDWAN, Cisco ISE, ServiceNow, and more. Quickly create workflows by dragging and dropping components in the workflow editor.

• Data Transformation: Use built-in activities like JSON Path Query and Table adapters to extract, parse, and manipulate data, converting raw inputs into meaningful outputs.

• Logic and Control Flow: Implement branching logic and iterative loops (such as "for each" and "while") to create dynamic and responsive workflows tailored to varying data and conditions.

• AI LLM Actions: Integrate artificial intelligence into workflows with LLM actions. Configure connections to AI platforms (such as OpenAI or Azure AI) and use chat-based prompts to enable context-aware processing, data correlation, and advanced output formatting.

• Python Integration: Run custom Python scripts within your workflows using the Python adapter—map workflow variables into and out of scripts, combining the benefits of code flexibility with workflow automation.

• Programmatic Access with Webhooks: Launch and control workflows from external systems using webhooks. Workflows can be initiated by HTTP requests, allowing dynamic parameters to be passed for flexible automation across different platforms.

Key Components of Workflows

• Workspace: Filter and search workflows by category or name, as well as run and edit workflows directly from the workspace. For more information, see Workflows.

• Targets: Define the systems or services that workflows interact with, such as Meraki, ISE, Catalyst Center, web services, or third-party APIs. Before a workflow can interact with a target, you must configure its connection details and provide the necessary credentials. For more information, see Targets.

• Account Keys: Manage and store the credentials required to access targets. After an account key (such as an API key for Meraki or other services) is added, it can be reused for any future targets of the same type. For more information, see Account Keys.

• Rules: Set up automation triggers, including webhooks, scheduled calendar events, and other custom rules to initiate workflows automatically based on specific conditions. For more information, see Rules.

• Variables: Use variables to store and share information within and across workflows. Variables enable efficient data management and communication between workflows and can be defined as input, output, or local. They support various data types, such as text strings and arrays, making it easy to handle different kinds of workflow data. For more information, see Variables.

• Exchange: Access an expanding library of out-of-the-box workflows from Cisco, partners, and the community. Browse, install, and manage these workflows from within the Meraki dashboard to enhance your automation capabilities. For more information, see Exchange.