Understanding the Chatbot Architecture

Chat Client

The chat client in PeopleSoft is a web based client that users use as the interface to converse with the chatbot. The chat client is rendered with the help of the Web SDK which contains the JavaScript to embed the client to any web page and to handle the communication with the chat server.

Chat client can be rendered as a a stand alone page or as an embedded widget within a component.

Web Channel

The Web Channel (in ODA) works as the communication end point between the Digital Assistant and the chat client.

Twilio

The Text Channel (in ODA) works as the communication end point between the Digital Assistant and the chat client.

Skill/Bot

The skill governs the actual interaction between the user and ODA. The skill has the natural language processing (NLP) capability that enables it to recognize the intent of a request and route it accordingly to the appropriate dialogue flow.

NodeJS API

The NodeJS API contains custom components for the ODA. They are hosted as a service in an embedded container in ODA and can be called from the different dialog flows.

It can be used to generate custom components by providing the Application Service metadata.

The NodeJS API also contains the PeopleSoft Library which is a set of JavaScript for efficient connection and methods to the PeopleSoft Application Service.

PeopleSoft Application Service

The PeopleSoft Application Service allows users to expose the application logic in Application classes. They are exposed as REST services which have a structure very common to the ODA custom component services. New service is created and registered using the PeopleSoft Application Service Framework

Setup Information

This is a set of PeopleSoft setup pages that control the chatbot definition in PeopleSoft.

Event Mapping Application Class/ Component PeopleCode ( for Web channel)

The chat client can be delivered as a stand-alone page or as a floating window (widget) in PeopleSoft Application pages. The Event Mapping configuration controls the application pages and the users that have access to the chat client and renders the floating window (Widget).

Twilio (for Text channel)

Chatbot User can also access the PeopleSoft Chatbots on SMS clients through the Twilio channel. In this method, the user sends messages directly to the skills’ designated Twilio number. The authentication is handled through the PeopleSoft REST service. Apart from the client and explicit authentication, the backend invocation flow is same for the Web channel and Twilio channel.