Custom Delivery Channels in PI Notifications (newer versions)
Originally posted on PI Square at https://pisquare.osisoft.com/ideas/3778-custom-delivery-channels-in-pi-notifications-newer-versions
Customer would like to have the Custom Delivery Channels in PI Notifications 2012 upgraded to the newer versions. This limitation is preventing him from updating to the latest technology.
Originally posted on UserVoice
ADMIN RESPONSE
Aug 20, 2022
We currently do not have any plans to provide a migration path for customer delivery channels from Notifications 2012 to Notification Rules.
This seems too broad. How would you be using it, and why don't the current ones satisfy the customer's need? The current ones certainly can't do everything, but what is this specific use case for why the customer needs something custom.
In response to Hahnming Lee, "This seems too broad. How would you be u..."
Hey Hahn, I am not sure why but the description I wrote was not posted in User Voice. Please, see if this description makes more sense to you.
In response to Felipe Rejes, "Hey Hahn, I am not sure why but the desc..."
I think we're looking for the specific use case of the delivery channel. What does it do? What is the limitation right now?
The underlying architecture of the legacy notifications and the new notification rules are completely different. Additionally, since a customer delivery channel could've performed any number of tasks, there's really no way for us to do any kind of testing. In short, we do not have good confidence that we can provide a migration path to unknown code that anyone could've written.
A work around, particularly if you are using AF 2017, is to build a web service. PI notifications can then connect to that web service using the Web service DC (Delivery Channel). AF 2017 supports SOAP and REST style web services. Writing a Web Service now days is trivially easy. To be honest I would probably stick with this architecture even if OSIsoft did provide custom DC's; I would rather OSIsoft delivered a really robust notifications system and web service DC.
We are in the process of changing our PI SAP integration to use this architecture (on top of Web Methods).
Without knowing your exact use case I can't comment on the applicability of this architecture.
In response to Hahnming Lee, "This seems too broad. How would you be u..."
Specific to my case, i would like to use AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS) to handle Notifications. AWS have a very nice system based on endpoint. When you create an endpoint at AWS, you can send e-mail, push (android and/or iOS), SMS and many other notifications. With very simple Custom Delivery Endpoint and AWS SDK we can integrate that. That's a good case why client need custom delivery endpoint.
In response to Stephen Kwan, "The underlying architecture of the legac..."
Most of the problems I have with the new Notifications version are related to accesing AD contacts infromation and message formatting.
I previously used PI Notifications 2012 to send SMS through a corporate SMS gateway accessible through a Web Service.
This shouldn't be a problem with the new version.
The problem is I can't access AD contacts' mobile number and I cannot format the message.