Partner Integration Engineering Learning Path

Owned by Kate Grusemann (Deactivated)
Last updated: Mar 19, 2024 by Rod Madden
4 min read

The training cost for all official Pricefx partners is €450/$450.

What background is expected for this training program:

Currently, the Integration Engineering program learning path is a short two-day ( 4 hours per day ) program intended to provide the student with information needed to build and maintain integrations between Pricefx and outside systems. Once the ILT training is accomplished, the students can take a certification exam.

Note that the training on day 2 of this learning path significantly differs from day 1 in that a much more robust technical background is typically desirable.

Day 1 training

  • What is covered

    • Pricefx Platform Manager tool and the associated Integration Manager tool.

    • Concepts of Pricefx Integration Templates to integrate non-Pricefx systems into the Pricefx environment.

    • Configuring and testing basic integrations

  • Recommended student background

Day 1 requires a minimal technical background and is suitable for students with solid development experience. The recommended student knowledge is an understanding of the basic concepts of Integration challenges ( different table/column structures between disparate systems, different file types used for export/import of data between systems, additional transport requirements for export/import of data between systems)

Day 2 training

  • What is covered

    • Pricefx Integration Templates affect data integration between Pricefx and other systems—discussing available templates and usage recommendations.

    • Configuration / Selection of the default Pricefx Integration Templates for integration-specific needs ( SAP, SalesForce, CSV-based integrations, File based integrations, etc. ). Pricefx recommendations for integration.

    • Modification of the Pricefx Integration Templates to accommodate business-specific requirements

    • Usage of GitHub to access the Pricefx Integration Templates

    • Use IntelliJ Idea to manipulate, adjust, and test modifications to the Pricefx Integration Templates.

    • Running Pricefx integrations from a local development environment

  • Recommended student background

    • Basic requirements outlined for Day 1 students

    • Professional programming experience of at least two years of object-oriented programming, ideally Java, Groovy, or C++.

    • Understand data structures (Arrays, Maps, etc.), algorithmising and coding skills (variables, loops, conditions), and Groovy language features (syntax, operators, closures).

    • Solid working knowledge of a modern IDE (IntelliJ Idea or other) and GIT (feature branches, checkout, pull, push, commit, rebase, amend, merge, stash).

    • Good understanding of the Apache Camel integration framework. Specifically, the XML DSL variant.

 

The expected outcome of the Integration Engineer program:

  • The candidate shall be able to work with the Platform Manager tool to create Integration Manager instances and associated Integration Routes. Routes are the basic framework for integrating outside systems with Pricefx. More specifically, routes refer to an Apache Camel-based construct that che Camel based construct which enables disparate systems to communicate with a minimum of configuration.

  • The candidate will understand the steps to customize the Pricefx Template-based Routes.

  • The candidate will understand the location and the proper way to access the various code components created after implementing a Template in a partition and how to assign permissions to access the various code components created after implementing a Template in a partition. 

  • The candidate will understand the need for Data Cleansing before implementing a Template-based route.

 

The detailed steps associated with the Integration Engineering Learning Path (IELP)

Step 1:  Student Preparation

The prospective student should ensure that they understand the purpose of the IELP and the requisite knowledge required to engage with the course successfully. Note that Self-study ( versus instructor-led) versions of these courses are available.

Recommended Learning Management System courses:

Basic understanding of the Pricefx environment and associated tables. Knowledge of this material is essential for understanding where integrated data will be placed in the Pricefx system.

Recommended Learning Management System courses:

The Configuration Engineering Learning Path provides the student with a detailed understanding of the basic development elements in the Pricefx environment. It serves as a foundation for many of the subsequent technical classes.

https://trainingportal.pricefx.com/catalog/info/id:292

Self Study - assumed knowledge.

  • Working with a modern IDE ( Eclipse, IntelliJ, etc. )

  • Comfort level with XML structures

  • Very comfortable with Java, C, C++, or Groovy

  • Experience using both Git for source code repository management and Maven for build projects. 

  • Familiar with and comfortable working in a GitLab environment. In particular, they should be aware of the process for creating and managing Git branches. 

  • Basic understanding of Apache Camel syntax and components

Apache Camel is foundational to the Pricefx Integration Manager (IM) and the Template-based integrations managed by IM. Pricefx strongly encourages students to be familiar with this framework before the second day of class.

Step 2:  Enroll in Integration Engineering and prepare for class

Step 3:  The student attends the class

The Integration Engineering class is currently a two 2 class, 4 hours each day. As mentioned earlier, this class does not require a solid technical background for day 1 of the course; however, for day 2, a careful review of Step 1 - Student Preparation should be made.

Step 4:  Pricefx Integration Engineering Certification

Student enrolls in the Pricefx Integration Engineer Certification Exam. This exam is allocated a 5-hour timeframe and will cover primarily the Pricefx Integration Manager Templating topics covered in the 2-day course. Note that the exam is in 2 parts, with the first part being the actual development of the required Routes and the second part a one-on-one interview with the exam proctor where questions will be asked of the student to ensure a satisfactory level of comprehension of the subject of Pricefx Integration related topics.

https://trainingportal.pricefx.com/catalog/info/id:268

Step 5:  Post Certification

  • Deep dive into the custom solution (if existing project) 

  • Shadowing of the Pricefx team (if ongoing project) 

 

Course Schedule and Registration