Client Overview
Our client is one of the UK’s most respected children’s hospital charities, dedicated to providing the best treatment and care to seriously ill children. They aim to leave no child behind and offer them a happy childhood. The charity supports medical research on critical diseases and illnesses, cutting-edge treatments, and family-centered care to help all children across the UK.
Business Objective
The charity was seeking a solution that could streamline the process of onboarding data management from partner agencies. The existing setup necessitated a custom data integration process for each agency, leading to costly maintenance and scalability issues. They aim for a solution that streamlines agency onboarding, unifies data ingestion, reduces manual dependency, and ensures consistent data flow.
Challenges Faced by the Charity
The existing legacy approach had significant limitations:
- Manual onboarding for each agency was time-consuming and costly.
- Agencies submitted data in various formats and through different channels, resulting in inconsistent file formats and delivery methods.
- Knowledge management became fragmented due to different logic and profiles per agency.
- Due to tight coupling with Salesforce logic, any changes to staging objects require updates across Boomi, increasing complexity.
Boomi API Capabilities
Boomi has comprehensive API management capabilities designed to streamline and secure API-led integrations. The Key components of the Boomi API are:
- API Management – Boomi API Management allows users to design, deploy, version, monitor, and manage APIs from a centralized interface. It supports policy enforcement, tracks usage, and ensures consistent governance.
- API Gateway – The API Gateway created by Boomi provides a secure entry point for all API traffic, supporting features such as authentication, rate limiting, traffic control, and routing. The gateway can be deployed in clustered, single-tenant environments for scalability and isolation.
- Developer Portal – The Boomi Developer Portal is a self-service interface that allows external partners to discover APIs, access documentation, subscribe to APIs, and manage their credentials. It eases the process of partner onboarding and promotes secure, controlled API access.
How NeosAlpha Helped?
The charity needed a fundamental shift from rigid, legacy-based integrations to a scalable, API-led model. As a Boomi Partner, we leveraged the full potential of the Boomi API Gateway and Developer Portal to replace fragmented processes with a unified solution. Here is how we helped the charity firm to build scalable solutions:
1. Designed a Scalable API Architecture
We developed two core APIs: the Supporter API and the Income API, to streamline the process by which the charity receives and authenticates data from agencies. This approach eliminated the need to build a custom Boomi process for each agency, making onboarding more predictable, quicker, and less prone to errors.
The Supporter API was designed for supporter/donor information, and the Income API was designed to manage both donation and limited supporter data, simplifying the process for agencies to make a single API call.
2. API Gateway and Developer Portal Enablement
As part of our ongoing API modernization efforts, we identified the need for a centralized API Gateway and Developer Portal to improve governance, security, and discoverability. Previously, APIs were being consumed in a fragmented manner, lacking consistent access control and visibility.
We utilized Boomi to establish the API Gateway and Developer Portal, providing secure access to our APIs. We locally deployed the gateway within our network, supporting clustered, single-tenant configurations on either shared or separate VMs.
Each agency is onboarded through Azure AD and authenticated API keys. Agencies must subscribe to APIs; once approved, they receive unique API keys for access. All API requests are validated by the Boomi Gateway, ensuring secure and authorized usage. The Developer Portal provides a centralized interface for agencies to discover, subscribe to, and manage their API access.
3. Enabled Dynamic Record Processing Using Data Categories
We introduced the data category-driven approach to move away from hardcoded rules. Each agency was assigned a category that linked to specific processing logic through a cross-reference table. This enabled Salesforce staging processes to determine the proper action (insert, update, etc.) based on incoming data—without manual intervention or custom configurations per agency.
4. Simplified Data Handling with Smart Field Logic
Not all fields can be provided by agencies, so we implemented internal logic within Boomi to populate missing or derived values. Only a minimal set of fields was required in the API payload, allowing our client to fill in the gaps directly in Salesforce staging whenever needed.
We also reduced the complexity by referencing other values or internal tables to manage optional and calculated fields automatically.
5. Secured and Controlled Integration Access
Our team set up Boomi API Management with external authentication via Azure IDP and API Key control, giving the charity full governance over who and how anyone can access their APIs.
We enabled a dedicated developer portal in the testing environment to facilitate safe testing, ensuring agencies could try integrations in a controlled space. For each agency and environment, our team implemented separate keys, client credentials, and expiration controls to provide flexibility while ensuring security.
6. Established a Long-Term Operational Model
As a Boomi expert, we build solutions that align with our clients’ future objectives. With reusable APIs, editable cross-reference tables, and minimal ongoing dependency on custom logic, today our client is now positioned to onboard agencies independently, managing all changes internally and quickly adapting to future requirements without re-entering integrations.
Technology Stack
- Boomi
- Salesforce
- Azure Identity Provider
- Boomi API Gateway & Developer Portal
- Internal Network Storage / FTP
Results
As a Boomi and API expert, we helped the charity to build a future-ready data platform with significant improvements:
- Reduced agency onboarding time by up to 70%
- Improved data consistency across partners through standardized API payloads
- Simplified integration, maintenance with reusable processes, and dynamic cross-referencing
- Secured access management with environment-specific authentication and granular API keys
- Fewer custom builds and lower ongoing development costs.
