Manage Connected Data in Templates

Connected Data allows you to include data in your templates A document/file that can be added to a DocGen Package. Data can be filled into the document/file. or output documents from data sources other than records in your Salesforce org, such as files attached to your record, Salesforce Reports, or other Excel templates in your DocGen Package.

Connect data supports the following:

• Salesforce reports
• Runtime CSV/Excel files attached to your records
• Microsoft Excel templates

Nintex DocGen gets the data from the reports, runtime CSV or Excel files, and adds the data directly into documents using the tags A prefilled word block that DocGen selects for fields in your DocGen Package. The tag is a placeholder for the value being retrieved from Salesforce and it gets replaced with the relevant information when the document is generated. that you set in a template file for example, Microsoft Word.

To watch video tutorials on how to use this Nintex capability, take the CERT: Nintex Document Generation Expert - Nintex DocGen for Salesforce in Nintex University.

Supported file types for Connected Data

Below are the supported file types that can be used to connect data to your templates:

Connected Data type	Microsoft Word	Microsoft PowerPoint	Microsoft Excel
Salesforce Report
Runtime CSV or Excel File
Excel Template

Connect data to Templates

This section describes how to connect data from your Salesforce reports, runtime CSVs or Excel files, or Excel template file types to your Word, PowerPoint, or Excel templates in Salesforce Lightning Designer.

Salesforce reports data

Before you configure a DocGen Package to include data from multiple Salesforce reports, you need to connect the Salesforce report data into your templates. You'd want to connect Salesforce report data into templates for situations where you have multiple Salesforce reports with data that you want to be consolidated into a single document, like a PDF or an Excel file. After you create a Salesforce report, associate that report with a tagged template in a DocGen Package. Nintex DocGen will get the data from the report and add it to the output document, using the tags that you specify in the template. For more information, see Tag templates for Connected Data.

1. Go to your DocGen Package Templates, and click to initiate edit mode.

2. Scroll down to the bottom of the Connected Data section, click Salesforce Report. The Select a Salesforce Report pane appears.

3. Select the Salesforce Report that you want and do one of the following for Word/PowerPoint, or Excel templates:

   For Word/PowerPoint templates:

   1. Enter a name for the report in the Alias field. This name will be used as a tag in the template. The tag displays in the File pane.

   Example: If you type Pizza in the Alias field, the tags in your template will start with Pizza_ for example, Pizza_Start.
   See Tag a template for Salesforce Reports.

   2. Optional: Enter dynamic filters in the Filter Parameter field by entering pv0=filter. To use this field, you will need to have added filters to your Salesforce report so that they can be referenced in this field.
      

   Note:  If you enter pv0=filter as a filter parameter, then 0 is equal to the first filter in your Salesforce report that you created, and filter represents the filter that you had set in your Salesforce report. Each subsequent filter parameter is pv1=, pv2=, etc. Filter values can be static or dynamic tags.

   Example: pv0=<<account_id>>&pv1=<<Account_Status>>&pv2=<<account_open_date>>

   For Excel templates:

   1. Enter the Sheet name in your Excel template that you wish to push your Salesforce Report data into.

      Example: 
      
      See Tag a template for Salesforce Reports.

   2. Enter dynamic filters in the Filter Parameter field.

4. Click Save.

Runtime CSVs or Excel file data attached to your records or templates

Note: These instructions only apply to the Classic run experience.

You can add data from a runtime CSV or Excel files that have been attached to your records, then add them to your templates. Let's say you're an insurance company that stores illustration data from another third-party source. You want to use that data with your Salesforce data, and combine them in a document.

Before you start, do the following:

• Attach a CSV or an Excel file to a record that your users will generate documents from.
• Under the Additional Documents, click Ad Hoc Files and select Allow or Required in your DocGen Package.

1. Go to your DocGen Package Templates, and click to initiate edit mode.

2. At the bottom of the Connected Data section, click CSV/Excel File From to Runtime Record.

3. In the Tag and End User Label field, enter a value that will be used for:

   • The tag for your Word template document. See Tag a Word template.
   • The sheet name for your Excel template document. See Tag an Excel template.
   • The display name that your users will see at runtime.
     

   When importing Excel files attached to your record, the sheet name for the data that you want to import must match the value of this field.

4. Click Save.

Named Ranges from Excel Templates

This feature is formerly known as Excel as Middleware. When you connect an Excel template, you can use the capabilities of Excel to transform data and perform tasks such as charting sales information before it is included in your output document. Nintex DocGen will take the data from the report and add it to a tagged output document such as a Word or PowerPoint template, by using the tags that you specify in the Excel template. See Tag templates for Connected Data for more information.

Important: Include your Excel template only once in your DocGen Package for connected data.

Before you add the Excel file to your DocGen Package, create a Named Range in your Excel file for the data that you want to pull in.

1. Open a DocGen Package, and click the Documents tab.
2. Upload or select the Excel template with a Named Range that you created.
3. Click Add Template and upload or select a tagged output template (Word or PowerPoint). The tagged output template is where the data from the Excel template in step 2 will go into.
4. For the target output template from step 3, click to initiate edit mode.
5. At the bottom of the Connected Data section, click Named Ranges from Excel Template.
6. In the Excel File (Excel Template) drop-down, select the Excel file that was added in step 2.
7. In the Named Range for Tag field, enter the Named Range that was created in your Excel template. The tag for the Named Range (for example, <<SalesQuotes_Start>>) displays in the File pane and can be used to tag your template. Tag templates for Connected Data
8. Optional: Click Add Range Name to Use as Tags and enter another Named Range for Tag.

9. Click Save.

Note: When you use a single-cell Named Range while tagging your documents, you must remove _Start from the tag even though it currently displays as <<SalesTotal_Start>> in the file pane. For example, <<SalesTotal>>.

Remove Connected Data from templates

There are two ways to remove connected data from templates. You can remove the Connected Data in both View Mode and Edit Mode. Go to the template that you want to remove connected data from and do one the following methods:

Method 1 (view mode): Under Connected Data, click  for the connected data that you want to remove, and click Remove.

The connected data is removed from the template.

Method 2 (edit mode): Do the following:

1. In the Templates tab, click to initiate edit mode.
2. Under Connected Data, click  for the connected data that you want to remove, and click Remove.
3. Click Save.

Edit Connected Data

You can edit Connected Data configurations only in edit mode.

1. Click to initiate edit mode.
2. Make any applicable changes to your Connected Data.
3. Click Save.