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Action Tasks

Administrator

DataCentral goes beyond static reporting by allowing you to turn insights into immediate action. Action Tasks enable users to trigger external workflows, send emails, or update third-party systems directly from a Power BI visual.

1. What is an Action Task?​

An Action Task is a configured button or context menu option within a DataCentral report that sends a secure HTTP webhook to an external service.

When a user clicks the Action Task, DataCentral captures the data context of the selected visual (e.g., the specific Customer ID, Order Number, or Product SKU) and securely transmits it to the configured endpoint.

Common Use Cases​

  • CRM Updates: A user identifies a high-risk account in a report and clicks an Action Task to automatically create a "Follow Up" task in Salesforce or HubSpot.
  • Inventory Alerts: A user sees a stockout warning and triggers an Action Task to send a restock request to the procurement team's Slack channel.
  • Support Tickets: A user identifies a data anomaly and triggers a task to create a Jira or Zendesk ticket containing the relevant data points.

2. Configuring an Action Task​

To create an Action Task, you must have Tenant Administrator privileges.

  1. Navigate to Administration > Tasks.
  2. Click Create Task and select Action Task.
  3. Provide a Name (e.g., "Create Jira Ticket") and a brief Description.
  4. Define the Webhook URL. This is the endpoint that will receive the data payload (e.g., an Azure Logic App, Power Automate flow, Zapier webhook, or custom API).
  5. Select the HTTP Method (typically POST).
  6. (Optional) Configure any necessary HTTP Headers (e.g., Authorization tokens or API keys required by the receiving service).

3. Binding Tasks to Reports​

Once the Action Task is created, you must bind it to specific reports and visuals so users can trigger it.

  1. Open a report in DataCentral.
  2. Enter Edit Mode (if authorized).
  3. Select the visual you want to attach the task to.
  4. In the visual's context menu, select Bind Task.
  5. Choose the Action Task you created earlier.
  6. Map the data fields from the visual to the payload expected by your webhook. For example, map the visual's CustomerID field to the customer_id parameter in your JSON payload.

4. Security and Auditing​

Action Tasks are powerful, so security is paramount.

  • Role-Based Access: You can restrict which roles are allowed to execute specific Action Tasks. For example, only the "Sales Manager" role might be allowed to trigger the "Approve Discount" task.
  • Audit Logging: Every time an Action Task is executed, DataCentral logs the event, including the user who triggered it, the timestamp, the target URL, and the exact data payload that was sent. This provides a complete audit trail of all automated actions.