Developer Deep Dive: Using the .do SDKs for Business Automation

Run Your Business Operations as Code: A Developer's Introduction

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, businesses constantly seek ways to improve efficiency, scale operations, and reduce manual overhead. Traditional business processes are often complex, difficult to manage, and don't scale easily. Enter Business-as-Code, a paradigm shift where business logic and operational workflows are defined, managed, and executed using software development principles. This is where businesses.do comes in.

The .do platform empowers you to transform intricate business processes into automated, scalable Services-as-Software, accessible via simple APIs. For developers, this means integrating complex operations into applications becomes significantly easier. This post provides a deep dive into using the .do SDKs – your primary tool for bringing Business-as-Code to life.

What Exactly is Business-as-Code?

As defined in our FAQs, Business-as-Code is the practice of codifying business processes. Think of it like Infrastructure-as-Code, but for operations. Instead of flowcharts hidden in documents or manual task lists, you define processes in a structured, version-controlled, and executable format.

For developers, this offers numerous advantages:

• Automation: Execute complex workflows reliably and automatically.
• Scalability: Handle increasing workloads without proportional increases in manual effort.
• Version Control: Track changes, collaborate, and rollback operations just like code.
• Testability: Implement automated tests for your business logic.
• Integration: Seamlessly connect business operations with other software systems via APIs.

Introducing the .do SDKs

The .do SDKs (Software Development Kits) are libraries designed to make interacting with the .do platform's API straightforward and intuitive for developers. Instead of crafting raw HTTP requests, you can use familiar programming language constructs to trigger and manage your agentic workflows.

Our SDKs abstract away the underlying API complexities, allowing you to focus on integrating automated business processes into your applications.

Getting Started: Prerequisites

Before you can start automating, you'll need a couple of things:

1. Sign Up: Register for an account on businesses.do.
2. API Key: Obtain your unique API key from your account dashboard. Treat this key securely, like any other credential.
3. Install the SDK: Add the relevant SDK package to your project. For instance, if you're using TypeScript/JavaScript:

   npm install @do/sdk
   # or
   yarn add @do/sdk
   

Triggering Your First Workflow: A Code Example

The most common action you'll perform with the SDK is triggering an existing workflow. Workflows represent the codified business processes (e.g., onboarding a customer, processing a payment, generating a report) defined within the .do platform.

Let's look at the TypeScript example for onboarding a new business customer:

import { Do } from '@do/sdk';

// Initialize the Do client
const doClient = new Do({ apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY' });

// Onboard a new business customer
async function onboardBusiness(name: string, email: string) {
  try {
    const result = await doClient.workflows.trigger('business-onboarding', {
      customerName: name,
      contactEmail: email,
      plan: 'enterprise',
      setupTask: true
    });
    console.log('Onboarding initiated:', result.workflowRunId);
    // You can store workflowRunId to track status later
    return result;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Failed to onboard business:', error);
  }
}

onboardBusiness('Acme Corp', 'contact@acme.com');

Breaking down the code:

1. import { Do } from '@do/sdk';: Imports the necessary components from the SDK.
2. const doClient = new Do({ apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY' });: Initializes the client, authenticating your requests using your API key.
3. doClient.workflows.trigger(...): This is the core function call.
   • 'business-onboarding': This is the unique identifier (or slug) of the workflow you want to run. This workflow would be pre-defined in your .do account.
   • { customerName: name, ... }: This is the input payload – the data required for the workflow to execute. The specific fields depend entirely on how the business-onboarding workflow was defined.
4. result.workflowRunId: Upon successful triggering, the API returns a unique ID for this specific execution instance. This ID is crucial for tracking the workflow's progress and outcome asynchronously.
5. try...catch: Essential error handling to manage potential issues during the API call (e.g., network problems, invalid input, authentication failure).

The Power of Abstraction

Notice how the calling code doesn't need to know the details of the onboarding process. Does it involve creating database records, setting up billing, sending welcome emails, assigning an account manager, and performing compliance checks? Maybe.

The beauty of the .do platform and Business-as-Code is that all that complexity is encapsulated within the business-onboarding workflow itself. Your application code simply needs to provide the necessary starting data and trigger the workflow via the SDK. The agentic workflow orchestrates the rest, potentially interacting with various internal or external systems as defined.

Benefits for Your Development Workflow

Integrating the .do SDKs streamlines development:

• Focus: Application developers focus on user interfaces and core application logic, while business process logic resides in manageable workflows.
• Speed: Integrate complex operations quickly by simply triggering the relevant workflow.
• Maintainability: Update business processes (workflows) without necessarily needing to redeploy your main application code.
• Collaboration: Business analysts or operations experts can potentially define or refine workflows, while developers integrate them.

Start Automating Today

The .do SDKs provide a powerful yet simple interface for developers to harness the capabilities of the .do agentic workflow platform. By embracing Business-as-Code, you can move away from brittle, manual processes and build robust, scalable, and automated operations delivered as Services-as-Software.

Ready to transform your business operations?

1. Sign up for businesses.do
2. Explore our Documentation for more detailed guides.
3. Start building and triggering your first workflows using the SDK!