DxH architecture connects Ektron to external systems, and shares data and content with third-party applications. DxH includes these components:

• Digital Experience Hub—The core component that transfers information between Ektron and external applications through application-specific connectors.
• Inbound Connector—Transfers information between Ektron and DxH.
• HubSpot Connector—Transfers information between HubSpot and DxH.
• Marketo Connector—Transfers information between Marketo Lead Manager and DxH.
• Microsoft Dynamics® Connector—Transfers information between Microsoft Dynamics CRM and DxH.
• Salesforce® Connector—Transfers information between Salesforce and DxH.
• SharePoint® Connector—Transfers information between SharePoint and DxH.

The following figure shows the relationship among DxH components, Ektron, and external applications.

You want to let customers alert you about an issue on your website and use that information to create a Salesforce case and subsequent customer contact.

1. An Ektron administrator has previously set up:
   • an inbound DxH connection, which exchanges information between Ektron and DxH
   • a Salesforce connection, which coordinates with the Salesforce administrator to determine path and authentication information
2. The Ektron user coordinates with their Salesforce business partner to determine what data is required to create a Salesforce case.
3. The Ektron user creates a form to capture customer information concerning an issue, such as name, contact information, product name, issue type and description.
4. The Ektron user maps the form's fields to fields in Salesforce.
5. The Ektron user publishes the form to the website.
6. A customer accesses the website and submits the form reporting an issue.
7. The form goes to DxH, which uses the Salesforce Connector to route the data to Salesforce.
8. Salesforce creates a case and, if applicable business logic is in place, routes the case to a call center.

For details about the using Salesforce with DxH, see Configuring DxH for Mapping Form Data.

You want to capture site visitor information, create a lead based on it, then display targeted content when that visitor revisits the site.

The Targeted Content widget lets you personalize your site visitors' experience by providing content that matches their interests, thereby placing your site information in the context of your users. For example, the search keywords used to find your site might determine the best offer to show a prospect. Or, site members might explicitly state their interests by adding to their user profile or filling out a survey. For information about the Targeted Content widget, see Using Widgets.

1. An Ektron administrator has previously set up:
   • DxH inbound connectionA special DxH connection type that updates Ektron content in response to content changes made in an external application.
   • Salesforce connection, coordinating with the Salesforce administrator to determine path and authentication information
2. Ektron user coordinates with a Salesforce business partner to determine data required to create a Salesforce lead.
3. Ektron user creates a form to capture required information from a customer, such as name, contact information, and product of interest.
4. Ektron user maps the form's fields to fields in Salesforce.
5. A customer accesses the website and submits the form.
6. The form goes to DxH, which uses the Salesforce Connector to route the data to Salesforce.
7. Salesforce creates a lead and, using the mapping, associates it with the visitor.
8. When the visitor returns to the site, DxH queries Salesforce for the associated lead properties.

For details about the DxH > Targeted Content connection, see Using the Targeted Content Widget with External Application Data.

You want to display SharePoint content on your website. The content is updated when changes are made in SharePoint.

1. An Ektron administrator has previously set up:
   • a DxH inbound connectionA special DxH connection type that updates Ektron content in response to content changes made in an external application.
   • a SharePoint connection, coordinating with the SharePoint administrator to determine path and authentication information.
2. A user places content into a SharePoint folder that is mapped to the Ektron Workarea. A copy of the content is updated in the Workarea.
3. As that content is updated in SharePoint, it is automatically updated in the Workarea.

For details on the DxH > SharePoint connection, see Setting Up the Import of SharePoint Files to Ektron.

Webinars

• Overview of DxH
• DxH Developer Webinar

API Reference

• DxHConnectionManager
• DxHUserConnectionManager
• DxHMappingManager

 

Sample DxH Connector and Documentation

• Ektron 8.6 or higher
• DxH version 1.1—See Also: Upgrading DxH to Version 1.1
• Server—Same as Installing Ektron
• Network—By default, DxH uses port 808 to communicate between Ektron and external applications. Whichever port you use, ensure it is open on your firewall.
  • You must enable the Microsoft Windows Net.TCP Port Sharing Service (see How to: Enable the Net.TCP Port Sharing Service).
• External applications
  • SharePoint®
    • SharePoint 2010: Foundation, Standard, or Enterprise Editions
  • Salesforce®—Group, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited Editions
  • Marketo—Spark, Professional, and Enterprise Editions
  • Microsoft Dynamics® CRM—Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, Workgroup, Professional, Enterprise, and Service Provider Editions
  • HubSpot®—Enterprise
• You have administrator privileges or privileges to install DxH and create database

Installing DxH

You can install DxH on the Ektron server or on its own server.

NOTE: If you previously installed DxH, you can upgrade to the current version. See Also: Upgrading DxH to Version 1.1

1. Contact your Ektron account manager to obtain a link to download the Digital Experience Hub. See Also: Contact Ektron.
2. If you want to install DxH on the Ektron server, log into the Ektron server as an administrator (or as a user with privileges to create a database).
3. Download DxHInstaller.exe to the server to which you will install it.
4. Run DxHInstaller.exe.
5. Accept the license agreement and click Next. The port setup screen appears.

   Port 808 is the default value. If you want to use a different port, change it on this screen then follow Step 14.

6. The SQL Server DB Setup screen appears. In the Server field, enter the machine hosting the Microsoft SQL database. By default, the field is populated with (local). If you are using SQLExpress, use machine_name\SQLExpress.

   You can use either a domain or SQL Server account when creating the DB. For Ektron, we typically create a dedicated domain or SQL Server account for the database.

7. Enter the Username and Password for the server. For Trusted Connections, leave the fields empty.
8. Click Next. The database connection is tested. If the test is passed, the Ready to Install the Program screen appears.
9. Click Install. The Setup Status screen appears, followed by several screens indicating components being installed.

10. The finish screen appears, displaying the URL for connecting to DxH from Ektron. Save this information for later use.

    NOTE: You can access this information at any time via the Windows Start button > All Programs > Ektron > Dxh > Dxh Connection URL.

    

    

11. Click Finish.
12. Open your siteroot/web.config file and find this tag:

    <endpoint address="net.tcp://localhost:808/EktronConnector/tcp/EktronFormService" binding="netTcpBinding" 
    bindingConfiguration="ContextBusNetTcpBinding" contract="IEktronFormService" name="NetTcpBinding_IEktronFormService" />

13. Change localhost to the site domain where DxH is installed. For example, if DxH is installed to the domain myDxhService, the endpoint address would be net.tcp://myDxhService:808/ContextBus/EktronConnector/tcpEktronFormService.
14. If you changed the port in Step 5, edit the port number in the following line of web.config.
    

    <endpoint address=”net.tcp://localhost:808/EktronConnector/tcpEktronFormService” binding=”netTcpBindding” contract=”IEktronFormService” name=”NetTcpBinding_IEktronFormService” />

Upgrading DxH to Version 1.1

Prerequisite

You downloaded DxH version 1.1. If you have not done that, contact your Ektron account manager.

To upgrade from version 1.0 to 1.1 of DxH:

1. Identify the port and database used by DxH. To find this information:

   1. Navigate to the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Ektron\DigitalxHub\ContextBusServiceHost.
   2. Open the CBSvcHost.exe.config file.
   3. Find the <endpoint tag.

      <endpoint name="ContextBus_IEventManager" address="net.tcp://SQA003:1234/ContextBus" binding="netTcpBinding" bindingConfiguration="ContextBusNetTcpBinding" contract="Ektron.DxH.Events.IEventManager">

   4. To find the port within the endpoint tag, locate the address field, following the server name. Write down the port number (red in the above example).
   5. Within CBSvcHost.exe.config, find the <connectionStrings tag.

      <add name="CBDatabase" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" connectionString="server=(local);database=EktronDxH;Integrated Security=true;user=;pwd=;" />

   6. To find the database within the add tag, locate the database field's first value (red in the above example).
2. Using SQL Server, back up the database you identified in Step 1f.
3. Uninstall DxH 1.0. If you are prompted to reboot, do so.
   

   

4. Install DxH 1.1. See Installing DxH.
5. When asked for port, use the port number you found in Step 1d.
6. Open C:\Program Files (x86)\Ektron\DigitalxHub\ContextBusServiceHost\CBSvcHost.exe.config.
7. Edit the CBDatabase entry to point to the database name you found in Step 1f.

Setting up a DxH Connection to Ektron

After installing DxH, set up a connection between DxH and Ektron.

NOTE: If you are setting up a SharePoint connection, and your SharePoint version contains multiple sites, create a connection for each SharePoint site with which you want to connect.

1. Go to Workarea > Settings > Digital Experience Hub > Connect to DxH. The Connection to the Digital Experience Hub screen appears.
2. Insert the URL that you obtained in Step 10 of Installing DxH and click Test Connection.

   NOTE: You can access this information from Windows Start menu > All Programs > Ektron > DxH > DxH Connection URL.

   

   

3. Click Connect to DxH. If everything is working properly, you see a message that the connection was successful.
4. You are prompted to set up an inbound connectionA special DxH connection type that updates Ektron content in response to content changes made in an external application.. See Configuring an Inbound Connection.

Configuring an Inbound Connection

After installing and connecting DxH to Ektron, you can establish an inbound connectionA special DxH connection type that updates Ektron content in response to content changes made in an external application., which lets you transfer information between Ektron and DxH. From DxH, the information can be sent to external applications. See Also: Setting Up the Digital Experience Hub

1. Go to Workarea > Settings > Digital Experience Hub > Connections. The View All Digital Experience Hub Connections screen appears.
2. Click Add Connection > Add Inbound Connection. The Add Inbound Connection dialog appears.
   

   

3. In the Connection Name field, enter a unique, user-friendly name.
4. Optionally change the UserID field (which defaults to the logged-in user) to the Ektron administrator who will act as the connection manager.

   IMPORTANT: Enter an Ektron Administrators group member. Many DxH features use the Inbound Connector user, not the logged-in user, to perform DxH functions. Administrative privileges are required to complete many DxH tasks.

5. Enter the password for the user.
6. If Active Directory is being used for authentication, enter your Active Directory server Domain.
7. If you are using a multi-site setup, select another instance in the Site URL field (which defaults to the current Ektron instance).
8. Click Test Connection. If the test fails, check your credentials and Site URL and try again.
9. When the connection test is successful, click Save Connection.
10. Click OK. The View All Digital Experience Hub connections screen appears.

Configuring a Connection to an External Application

Setting up the SharePoint Receiver

The SharePoint Receiver automatically transfers updated SharePoint content to Ektron. Any edit to a SharePoint document/file or its properties triggers an update.

After you import SharePoint content to Ektron (as described in Importing SharePoint Files, Lists, and Libraries to Ektron), the receiver monitors that content, and transfers updated files from SharePoint to Ektron with no intervention. The imported file overwrites the current version, if one exists.

This section explains how to set up the SharePoint Receiver.

NOTE: Do not confuse the SharePoint Receiver (described above) with a SharePoint connection. A connection specifies an endpoint (URL or API path) and authentication credentials that allows communication between 2 software instances.

Prerequisites

• The SharePoint Receiver installation file. Contact your Ektron account manager to obtain a link to download this file.
• Permission to install and edit files on the SharePoint server.

Importing SharePoint Files, Lists, and Libraries to Ektron

This section explains the importing of SharePoint files to Ektron. This process, which maps SharePoint lists, libraries, or individual files to an Ektron folder, accomplishes 2 tasks:

• Immediately starts to import selected SharePoint files, lists, and libraries.
• If the SharePoint Receivera software module that automatically transfers updated SharePoint content to Ektron. is activated, all updates to SharePoint files trigger an automatic update to the version stored in Ektron. Also, new files added to SharePoint lists and libraries are automatically copied to the mapped Ektron folder.

To set up the SharePoint-to-Ektron mapping:

1. On the Ektron Workarea's Content tab, navigate to the destination folder.
2. Choose New > DxH Content > Add SharePoint Content.

3. Select a SharePoint connection from the drop-down menu and click Next.
   

4. Select SharePoint content to import. You can select:
   • One or more document libraries and custom lists—click the top radio button.
     —More information—

     You can choose any number of libraries and custom lists. After you choose libraries and custom lists, they appear in the lower section of the screen. As indicated, you can remove items from the list before importing.

     IMPORTANT: If you select a document library or custom list, all child folders, their documents or list items are automatically selected. And, any files added to that folder in the future will be automatically imported into Ektron by the SharePoint Receivera software module that automatically transfers updated SharePoint content to Ektron..

     

     

   • Items from lists and libraries—click the lower radio button. When you click a list or library, its items appear in the top right grid. As you check items to import, they appear in the lower grid.
     

     

Changing the Language of Imported Content

NOTE: You can translate content imported from SharePoint, but the translated content resides only in Ektron and is not associated with SharePoint. See Also: Creating Multi-language Content

Prerequisite

You need the ID of the language in which SharePoint® content will be imported. To obtain the language ID, go to Workarea > Settings > Localization > Languages and Regions, and look in the ID column.

By default, SharePoint content is imported in US English (ID 1033). To import it in another language:

1. Open C\Program Files (x86)\Ektron\DigitalxHub\ContextBusServiceHostCBSvcHost.exe.config.
2. Find the <appSettings> section.
3. Add the following line

   <add key=”ek_DefaultContentLanguage” value=”xxxx” /> 

   where xxxx is the desired language ID. For example, the ID for Español [Spanish] is 1034.

4. Restart the Ektron ContextBus Service Host service.

Updating SharePoint Content Manually

This section explains how to manually transfer SharePoint files to Ektron. Typically, the SharePoint Receivera software module that automatically transfers updated SharePoint content to Ektron. handles this task for you. You only need the manual import if the SharePoint receiver is not installed or is inactive. See Also: Setting up the SharePoint Receiver

Prerequisite

You have 1 of the following Ektron designations:

• Administrators group member
• DxH Connection User RoleA limited or specific administrator privilege that you can assign to users who do not require full administrator privileges.
• Folder-Admin role
• Edit permissionPermissions determine which actions users and user group members can perform on content, library items, and content folders. You can set permissions for a folder and content.s for the folder containing SharePoint content

Use the manual update feature to transfer a file to Ektron immediately. You also can manually transfer an updated image file that is embedded within SharePoint content. Without a manual update, that image only transfers to Ektron when the related SharePoint content is updated.

1. In SharePoint, edit either the SharePoint document/file or its properties.
2. Navigate to the folder that contains the content you want to update.
3. Click the arrow to the right of the content title.
4. Click Update DxH Content.
   

   

NOTE: When a user imports a SharePoint content item to an Ektron folder that already contains the item, that action also updates the Ektron content.

Creating a Mapped Form

1. Obtain the following from the external application's administrator:
   • Form/record name

     NOTE: Only these forms are supported:
     * Marketo Lead Management—Lead
     * Salesforce—Lead, Contact, Account
     * Microsoft Dynamics CRM—Lead, Contact, Account
     * HubSpot—Contacts
     

   • Form fields that you will map to an Ektron form.
   • Data type for each form field. Only these types are available in Ektron, so the external application field's data types must match one of them.
     • Checkbox—User’s response is checked or unchecked (boolean)
     • Choices—Several choices available. User selects any number of choices
     • Calendar—A date
     • Text—Free text

     IMPORTANT: Coordination is critical when mapping form fields to external applications. Before creating a form, contact your business partner for the application and determine which fields are required to complete the desired action.

2. Create a new HTML form. See Also: Creating a Form

   NOTE: You may only create a form in the Ektron default language.See Also: Working with Multi-Language Content

3. On the second screen of the Create Form wizard, check DxH Mapping.
   

   

4. Complete the steps for creating the form. When inserting form fields, refer to information collected in Step 1.
5. Publish the form.
6. Edit the form and, from its toolbar, click Map to DxH. The Map Form to DxH screen appears.
7. Enter a name for this mapping. It must be unique and easy to recognize.
8. Select the connection to the external application. You created this in Configuring a Connection to an External Application.
9. From the Object Type drop-down, select the external form with which to map this Ektron form. The following forms are supported:
   • Marketo Lead Management—Lead
   • Salesforce—Lead, Contact, Account
   • Microsoft Dynamics CRM—Lead, Contact, Account
   • HubSpot—Contact

   NOTE: You obtained the form name in Step 1.

10. Click Next. The Map Required Form Fields screen appears. All required external fields appear in the left column. Use the drop-down in the right column to map one Ektron form field to each required field.

    IMPORTANT: The external application field's data type must match the Ektron form field .

    

    

11. When the Map Optional Form Fields screen appears, follow instructions in Step 10 to map Ektron form fields to optional external fields.
12. Click Publish. The Form Mapping Completed screen appears.
13. Click Test Form Mapping. A new form appears, showing fields that you mapped.
14. Enter sample data into each field and click Test Mapping. You are notified if the sample data is valid.
15. Click OK.

IMPORTANT: The Form Mapping Complete dialog indicates that mapping between form fields and the external application object has been established, but does not indicate that the mapping is valid. You should perform end-to-end system testing to ensure that form fields pass successfully between systems.

When a site visitor submits a mapped form, the external application creates a record (Lead, Account, or Contact). You may edit the record in the external application.

Mapping an Existing Form to an External Application

1. Go to Workarea > Content > the folder that contains the form.
2. Click the form. The View Form screen appears.
3. Click Map to DxH. The Map Form to the Digital Experience Hub dialog appears.
4. Enter a name for this mapping. It must be unique and easy to recognize.
5. Select the connection to the external application. You created this in Configuring a Connection to an External Application.
6. From the Object Type drop-down, select the external form with which to map this Ektron form. The following forms are supported:
   • Marketo Lead Management—Lead
   • Salesforce—Lead, Contact, Account
   • Microsoft Dynamics CRM—Lead, Contact, Account
   • HubSpot—Contact

   NOTE: You obtained the form name in Step 1.

7. Click Next. The Map Required Form Fields screen appears. All required external fields appear in the left column. Use the drop-down in the right column to map one Ektron form field to each required field.

   IMPORTANT: The external application field's data type must match the Ektron form field .

   

   

8. When the Map Optional Form Fields screen appears, follow instructions in Step 7 to map Ektron form fields to optional external fields.
9. Click Publish. The Form Mapping Completed screen appears.
10. Click Test Form Mapping. A new form appears, showing fields that you mapped.
11. Enter sample data into each field and click Test Mapping. You are notified if the sample data is valid.
12. Click OK.

Editing a Form Mapping to an External Application

After a form is mapped to an external application, you can edit the map properties.

1. Go to Workarea > Content > the folder that contains the form.
2. Click the form. The View Form screen appears.
3. Click Edit DxH Mapping. The Map Form to the Digital Experience Hub dialog appears.
4. Edit the form properties as required.
5. Click Publish. The Form Mapping Completed dialog box appears.
6. Click Close.

Deleting a Mapped Form

If you try to delete a form mapped to an external application, a dialog notifies you that by deleting the form, you are also deleting the mapping. Click Delete to delete the form and mapping.

Using the Targeted Content Widget with External Application Data

You can use data collected through Ektron forms and stored in an external application in a Targeted Content widget. When a user submits a mapped form, the external application connector writes a user ID for that login back to Ektron. This enables the delivery of targeted content based on the user's identity.

You can use the Targeted Content widget to personalize a Web page by displaying content based on information from a user-completed form. For example, if the Salesforce lead's industry is healthcare, the page may display content of interest to healthcare professionals. See Also: Using Widgets

To use DxH with a Targeted Content widget:

1. Determine Targeted Content widget criteria from the external application forms and fields in the siteroot/dxhTargetingRules.config file. The following sample shows a portion of this file (which are

   in the file by default).

   —Sample of dxhTargetingRules.config file—

   <dxhRules> <Adapter name="Salesforce"> <AdapterObject name="Lead"> <add name="Company Name" value="Company"/> <add name="Industry" value="Industry"/> <add name="Number of Employees" value="NumberOfEmployees"/> <add name="Revenue" value="AnnualRevenue"/> <add name="Products Owned" value="Products Owned"/> <add name="Product Interest" value="ProductInterest"/> <add name="Score" value="Rating"/> </AdapterObject> </Adapter>

   —Tag Descriptions—

   • dxhRules—The file's root tag.
   • Adapter—The adapter for which to display object rules, such as Salesforce or MSDynamics. It is not the connection name (for example, marketingSF).
   • AdapterObject—The system name of the object within the specified adapter. For example, to enter a Salesforce lead, insert the system name Lead (case-sensitive).
   • add—The field. The name attribute contains text that the end user sees (as shown in the following image). The value attribute contains the system name of the field.
     

     

   NOTE: The field's datatype is recognized and automatically surfaced into the correct rule type; numeric rule for an integer or decimal, string rule for a string, a multi-select rule for a pick list, and so on.

2. Access either a Targeted Content widget or a Targeted Content configuration. See Also: Using Widgets; Using Targeted Content Configurations
3. Click the Or+ button to add a criterion for the widget.
4. Select an adapter and field. For example, Salesforce Lead > Industry.
5. Enter additional fields as you would in any Targeted Content widget or configuration.
6. Save the widget and test it.