Connectors - Microsoft Exchange

Your appointments, tasks and emails are important.

That's exactly why we created the Connector for Microsoft Exchange. This allows you to access almost all the information in your personal email inbox. The Connector enables you to create and extend almost any application with this information and to use the Exchange Server information in processes.

That means you could, for example, display a table in your CMS that accesses you personal mailbox, or just your inbox or outbox and then lists all mails that have the customer number of the currently selected customer in the subject. You could also add a contact to your personal address box with a click.

You do not work on copies of the data, but access your mailbox or mailboxes in real time, to which the respective users have assigned permissions via Microsoft Outlook. Although all elements of the Exchange server or personal mailbox can be accessed via the Connector for Microsoft Exchange, the Connector is not a "second Outlook WebAccess" or an Outlook replacement - these products are developed as email clients and naturally offer many more options.

However, the added value of using data from Microsoft Exchange Server in applications and processes greatly extends the overall functionality of your platform.

Functions at a glance:

  • Automatic transfer of appointments

  • Appointment invitations or entries flexible according to approval processes

  • Transfer or update contacts manually or automatically

  • Transfer of central mailbox entries into the Intrexx application

  • Convenient Groovy API to access Exchange mailbox elements in your own code

  • Can be used for Microsoft Exchange 2010-2019 and Exchange365.

Connector design

The Intrexx Microsoft Exchange Connector is made up of two separate components:

  • Connector for Microsoft Exchange in Intrexx

  • Intrexx MediaGateway

Intrexx MediaGateway is a piece of software that you must install and license separately. MediaGateway acts as an intermediary between Intrexx and the Exchange server. All queries will be forwarded from Intrexx to the Exchange server using the MediaGateway.

More information about the Media Gateway and its installation is available in the following sections:

Security

In order to use the MediaGateway with Microsoft Exchange Server Version 2003 or higher, a functional Outlook Web Access (OWA) is required. This is normally prepared and activated by Microsoft Exchange. The security protocols used for this (HTTPS, SSL) are also supported by MediaGateway. Communication between the MediaGateway and the server takes place via "CORBA" and is encrypted with a PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) called "RSA".

Authentication

Three options are available for authenticating to the Exchange Server or MediaGateway:

  • User name - password (basic)

  • OAuth2 (Microsoft 365)

  • Kerberos

For detailed information, see section Add a Microsoft Exchange data source (User name / Kerberos).

Implementing the connector

The Connector for Microsoft Exchange can be implemented like an Intrexx foreign data source. The connector allows you to create almost any application in Intrexx with information from the Microsoft Exchange server. This allows you, for example, to show a table in your customer management system that accesses your personal mailbox, the "Inbox" folder, or sent mails, listing all mails that have the customer number of the currently selected customer in their subject line. You could also add a contact to your personal address box with a click. With the Connector for Microsoft Exchange, you will not work with copies of the data, but will rather access, in real time, your mailbox or the mailboxes to which you have assigned rights to the current user via Outlook.

Permissions

The access to data takes place exclusively using the permissions of the user logged onto the Exchange server. This means that any data access that a user executes using the MediaGateway can also be executed using OWA. Via Microsoft Outlook, every user can make their mailbox accessible to other users, as well as restrict this access in multiple levels, such as only to read, or to read and write. In each case, this is enabled by the users themselves.

System requirements

  • Intrexx Portal Server

  • Intrexx licenses

  • Microsoft Exchange Server Version 2010 or higher

  • Aktivated Online Web Access (OWA) of the MS Exchange Server

The Visual Studio 2017 C++ Runtime Library from Microsoft needs to be installed for the ODBC connection. You can download it on the following page: Latest supported downloads for Visual C++