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Version: 6.0.0

Outlook Connector User Documentation

Overview​

The Outlook Connector is a powerful integration tool designed to connect your Microsoft Outlook account with the platform. It enables seamless extraction of email data for analysis and use in various applications. This connector allows super admins to securely configure essential credentials, while end users can specify their preferences, such as the time range for retrieving emails. Additionally, it supports recurring runs, enabling automated data extraction at defined intervals.

Table of Contents​

Setup Instructions​

Credentials Configured by Super Admins​

Super admins are responsible for setting up the following critical credentials to ensure secure and proper integration with Microsoft Outlook:

  • Client ID: The unique identifier for your application in the Azure portal, used for authenticating with the Microsoft API.
  • Client Secret: A secure key provided by Microsoft, ensuring encrypted communication between the application and the Microsoft server.
  • Tenant ID: The unique identifier of your Azure Active Directory instance, required to authenticate and authorize API requests.

Super admins must ensure these credentials are correctly configured for the connector to function properly.

Credentials Configured by Users​

Users can customize the connector settings to retrieve specific email data based on their needs:

  • Months: Specify the number of past months (up to 6 months) from which emails should be fetched. For example, selecting "3" will retrieve emails from the last 3 months.

Recurring Runs​

The Outlook Connector supports automated, recurring runs to ensure email data is regularly updated without manual intervention. Users can define the interval for these runs as follows:

  • Hours: Set the frequency to run every specified number of hours.
  • Days: Schedule the runs to occur daily or every few days.
  • Months: Opt for monthly recurring runs to capture new email data over extended periods.

Recurring runs help maintain up-to-date email data, improving efficiency and reliability for ongoing projects.

Configuration Example​

Credentials Configured by Super Admins​

  • Client ID: 12345abcde-67890fghi-jklmnopqrst-uvwxyz123456 (A unique identifier for your app registered in Azure AD)
  • Client Secret: ABCDEF1234567GHIJKLMNOP890 (A secure key generated in Azure AD for the app registration)
  • Tenant ID: abcdefgh-1234-5678-ijklmnopqrst (The identifier for your organization's Azure Active Directory instance)

Credentials Configured by Users​

  • Months: 3 (Specifies fetching emails from the past 3 months)

Recurring​

  • Interval:
    • Hours: Every 6 hours
    • Days: Every 2 days
    • Months: Every 1 month

Supported Entities​

The Outlook Connector extracts and makes available the following email components:

  • Email subject
  • Email body
  • Sender information
  • Received date and time

Setting Up Azure App Registration​

To use the Outlook Connector, you must first register an application in Azure:

  1. Sign in to the Azure Portal
  2. Navigate to Azure Active Directory > App registrations > New registration
  3. Enter a name for your application
  4. Select the appropriate supported account type (usually "Accounts in this organizational directory only")
  5. Leave the Redirect URI blank (it's not required for this connector)
  6. Click Register

After registration, configure the following:

  1. Under API Permissions, add:
    • Microsoft Graph > Application permissions > Mail.Read
    • Microsoft Graph > Application permissions > Mail.ReadBasic
  2. Click Grant Admin consent for these permissions
  3. Under Certificates & secrets, create a new client secret and copy its value

Security Considerations​

When using the Outlook Connector, consider the following security best practices:

  • Limit Access: Only grant the connector the minimum permissions needed
  • Rotate Secrets: Regularly update the Client Secret
  • Audit Usage: Monitor the connector's access and usage patterns
  • Secure Credentials: Store credentials securely and never share them
  • Data Privacy: Only extract emails relevant to your business needs

Troubleshooting​

IssueSolution
Authentication failedVerify Client ID, Client Secret, and Tenant ID are correct
No emails retrievedCheck the Months setting and ensure it's not set to 0
Recurring run failuresVerify Azure AD permissions haven't expired or been revoked
Rate limitingAdjust recurring runs to be less frequent
Incomplete email dataEnsure all required API permissions are granted

Best Practices​

  • Start with a small time range (1-2 months) to test the connector
  • Set recurring runs at appropriate intervals based on your email volume
  • Use specific filters to limit the amount of data retrieved
  • Regularly review and clean up extracted email data
  • Monitor Azure AD audit logs for any unusual connector activity

By following these guidelines, you can effectively utilize the Outlook Connector to integrate email data with your platform's search and chat functionalities.