How to Integrate Google Dialogflow with Microsoft SharePoint

Set Up Google Dialogflow

• Create a Dialogflow account at the Dialogflow console: https://dialogflow.cloud.google.com.

 

• Create a new agent in Dialogflow, which will serve as the virtual assistant you want to integrate with SharePoint.

 

• Navigate to the agent’s settings and click on "Export and Import." Export the current agent state if needed to have a backup.

 

• Create intents, entities, and fulfillment logic as per your application needs. Test your agent within the Dialogflow console.

 

• Enable the "Webhook" feature in the fulfillment section to allow external requests to your server.

Build the Middleware Service

• Set up a server using a cloud platform like Google Cloud, AWS, or a local server to host a middleware service. This service will facilitate communication between Dialogflow and SharePoint.

 

• Create a webhook endpoint on your server that Dialogflow can call when an intent is matched. Implement the logic to handle requests and responses.

 

• Install necessary dependencies for handling HTTP requests and responses, using Node.js as an example:

 

npm install express body-parser

 

• Use the following template for a basic Node.js server setup:

 

const express = require('express');
const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
const app = express();

app.use(bodyParser.json());

app.post('/webhook', (req, res) => {
    const intentName = req.body.queryResult.intent.displayName;
    // Process the intent and interact with SharePoint as needed
    // Example: if (intentName === 'GetDocument') { /* SharePoint logic */ }
    res.json({ fulfillmentText: 'This is a response from your webhook' });
});

const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3000;
app.listen(PORT, () => {
    console.log(`Server is running on port ${PORT}`);
});

 

• Ensure your server is accessible from the web by deploying your local server to a platform like Heroku or Google Cloud App Engine.

Integrate with Microsoft SharePoint

• Set up authentication to access SharePoint resources using an API. This might involve registering an app in Azure AD to obtain client credentials.

 

• Use the Microsoft Graph API or SharePoint REST API to interact with SharePoint. Here's an example of how to fetch data from a SharePoint list using Node.js:

 

const request = require('request');

const options = {
    url: 'https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/sites/{site-id}/lists/{list-id}/items',
    headers: {
        'Authorization': 'Bearer ' + accessToken
    }
};

request.get(options, (error, response, body) => {
    if (!error && response.statusCode === 200) {
        const data = JSON.parse(body);
        console.log('SharePoint List Items:', data.value);
    }
});

 

• Replace `{site-id}` and `{list-id}` with your actual SharePoint site and list identifiers.

 

• Integrate the above logic into your middleware service to perform operations on SharePoint based on Dialogflow intents.

 

Test and Deploy

• Ensure your Dialogflow webhook correctly handles requests and returns appropriate responses.

 

• Test the overall integration by calling intents and verifying if the expected data is being fetched or manipulated in SharePoint.

 

• Deploy the middleware service to a reliable hosting service and connect it to your active Dialogflow agent on the settings page, under the "Fulfillment" tab.

 

• Monitor logs and analytics to ensure the integration performs optimally and addresses user needs effectively.