Lesson 7. Integration Diagrams — How to Read and Understand

Lesson 7. Integration Diagrams — How to Read and Understand#

Why This Matters#

An integration diagram is a visual representation of how data flows between services. Being able to read diagrams helps you understand project logic and communicate with developers.

Key Idea#

Integration diagram = map of data flow

You see: where data comes from, what happens to it, where it goes.

Diagram Elements#

1. Blocks (services)

Rectangles or service icons

Examples:

• 📱 Telegram Bot

• 📊 Google Sheets

• 💼 CRM (Bitrix24)

• 🤖 AI Agent (Zapier)

2. Arrows (data flow)

Arrows show the direction of data movement

Examples:

• Telegram → AI Agent (client messages the bot)

• AI Agent → Google Sheets (bot writes data)

3. Labels (what's transmitted)

Text above the arrow describes the data

Examples:

• "Name, phone, service"

• "Webhook: new order"

• "API: create lead"

Example Diagram 1: FAQ Bot#

What happens:

1. Client asks the bot a question in Telegram

2. Bot (AI agent in Zapier) receives the question

3. Agent searches for the answer in the knowledge base

4. Agent finds the answer and sends it to the client

Example Diagram 2: Lead Qualification#

What happens:

1. Client messages the bot

2. Agent asks questions (task, budget, timeline)

3. Client responds

4. Agent evaluates the lead

5. Agent writes data to Google Sheets

6. Manager sees the new lead and contacts the client

Example Diagram 3: CRM Integration#

What happens:

1. Client fills out a form on the website (name, phone, task)

2. Form sends a webhook to automation (n8n or Zapier)

3. Automation passes data to the AI agent

4. AI agent evaluates the lead (hot/warm/cold)

5. Automation creates a lead in CRM (Bitrix24)

6. Automation sends a notification to the manager in Telegram

How to Read a Diagram (Algorithm)#

1. Find the start — where data comes from (client, form, website)

2. Follow the arrows — where data moves

3. Read the labels — what's transmitted at each step

4. Find the end — where data ends up or what happens in the end

Practice: Diagram Analysis#

Diagram:

Analysis questions:

1. Where does the process start? → Client messages the bot in Telegram

2. What does the AI agent do? → Collects data (name, phone, service)

3. Where is the data recorded? → In Google Sheets

4. Who receives the notification? → Admin by email

Answers:

Client messages the bot → bot collects data → bot writes to Google Sheets → admin receives email notification

Test Your Knowledge#

Quiz: Integration Diagrams

Flashcards

Module Practice: Integration Analysis#

Task 1: Identify the Integration Type#

Scenarios:

1. Bot writes a request to Google Sheets → this is API (POST request)

2. Payment system notifies the bot about payment → this is Webhook

3. Client logs into service via Google account → this is OAuth 2.0

4. Bot reads data from Airtable → this is API (GET request)

Task 2: Read JSON#

Given JSON:

{

  "client_id": 42,

  "name": "Olga",

  "phone": "+7-999-555-66-77",

  "services": ["Manicure", "Pedicure"],

  "total_price": 4500

}

Questions:

1. What is the client's name? → Olga

2. What is the phone number? → +7-999-555-66-77

3. What services were ordered? → Manicure and Pedicure

4. Total price? → 4500 rubles

Task 3: Draw an Integration Diagram#

Task:

Client submits a request on the website (form). Data is sent to CRM (Bitrix24) and the manager receives a notification in Telegram at the same time.

Your diagram:

Check:

• Start: website form

• What's transmitted: name, phone, task

• Where to: CRM and Telegram

• How: via webhook and automation

Task 4: Zapier Practice — Connect Google Sheets#

Task:

Take one of the agents created in Module 4 (FAQ bot or qualification agent) and set up integration with Google Sheets for recording data.

What to do:

1. Create a table in Google Sheets:

   • Title: "Leads [Your niche]"

   • Columns: Date, Name, Contact, Question/Task, Status

2. Open your agent in Zapier (from Module 4)

3. Connect the Google Sheets plugin:

   • Go to Skills → Add Skill → Plugins

   • Find Google Sheets (or equivalent)

   • Configure credentials (grant access to the spreadsheet)

   • Specify the spreadsheet and sheet

4. Update the prompt:

   • Add instruction: "After talking with the client, write the data to Google Sheets: Date, Name, Contact, Question/Task, Status"

5. Test:

   • Message the bot in Telegram

   • Verify that data was written to the table

Checklist:

• Table created (correct columns)

• Google Sheets integration connected to chatbot/Zap in Zapier

• Prompt updated (instruction for writing data)

• Testing passed (data was written)

• Data format is correct (date, name, contact are correct)

What you'll get:

A working "Zapier → Google Sheets" integration. All bot conversations will now be automatically recorded in the table for analytics.

Time: 20-30 minutes

Templates and Artifacts#

Term Glossary (Cheat Sheet)#

API — way for services to communicate (request → response)

Webhook — notification from a service when something happens

JSON — data format as "key: value" pairs

Authorization — way to prove you have access (key, token)

Integration — connection between services for data exchange

Database — structured data storage

OAuth — authorization via third-party service (e.g., "Sign in with Google")

GET — request to retrieve data

POST — request to send data

Token (Bearer Token) — temporary key for API access

Checklist: How to Understand an Integration Diagram#

• Find the start (where data comes from)

• Follow the arrows (where data goes)

• Read the labels (what's transmitted)

• Find the endpoint (where data ends up or what happens)

• Identify integration types (API, webhook, OAuth)

Simple Integration Template#

Example filled in:

Review Questions#

1. What is an integration and why is it needed?

2. How does API differ from Webhook?

3. What is JSON and where is it used?

4. What types of API requests exist? Give examples.

5. What is authorization and what types are there?

6. Why are Google Sheets convenient as a database for beginners?

7. How do you read an integration diagram?

8. What happens when a client pays for an order and the system sends a webhook?

Correct answers:

1. Integration is a connection between services for automatic data exchange. It's needed so you don't have to copy data manually.

2. API is when you ask the service ("show me data"), Webhook is when the service notifies you ("an event occurred").

3. JSON is a format for structured data as "key: value" pairs. Used in APIs for transmitting information.

4. GET (retrieve data), POST (send data), PUT (update), DELETE (remove). Example: POST to add a client to the database.

5. Authorization is a way to confirm access to the API. Types: API Key, Bearer Token, OAuth.

6. Google Sheets are free, intuitive (like Excel), easy to integrate, and accessible to the team.

7. Find the start (data source) → follow the arrows → read the labels (what's transmitted) → find the end (where data ends up).

8. The payment system (e.g., Stripe) sends a webhook to your server with payment data. The server receives the notification and performs an action (e.g., sends receipt to client and notification to manager).

Module Summary#

You've learned:

• what integrations are and why they're needed

• how API and Webhook work

• what JSON is and how to read it

• types of authorization (API Key, Bearer Token, OAuth)

• how to use Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion as databases

• how to read integration diagrams

You can:

• explain how data moves between services

• read simple JSON

• analyze an integration diagram

• ask the right questions to a developer

Next step: Module 7 — how to write prompts and technical specifications for AI agents.

Test Your Knowledge#

Quiz: Basic IT Terms#

Flashcards for Key Terms#

Materials for Website#