IBM® watsonx Orchestrate® Chat

Integrate IBM watsonx Orchestrate Chat with OpenPages® to enable users to interact with AI agents through conversational chat, access contextual insights, and perform actions directly within their workflow.

IBM watsonx Orchestrate Chat brings AI-powered conversational capabilities directly into the OpenPages user interface. Users can ask questions, get insights, and execute tasks through natural language interactions with AI agents. The chat interface is context-aware, understanding the user's current location and object context within OpenPages to provide relevant, personalized responses.

Key capabilities

IBM watsonx Orchestrate Chat provides the following capabilities:

  • Contextual AI interactions - The chat agent understands where users are in OpenPages and what object they are viewing, enabling context-specific responses and actions.
  • Secure authentication - User authentication tokens are securely passed from OpenPages to IBM watsonx Orchestrate, ensuring that users can only access data and perform actions they are authorized for.
  • Custom tools and skills - Agents can be configured with custom tools, including those exposed through Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, to extend functionality and integrate with OpenPages APIs.
  • Natural language queries - Users can ask questions in natural language and receive intelligent responses based on their current context and permissions.

Using contextual information sent to IBM watsonx Orchestrate

Through the integration with IBM watsonx Orchestrate, OpenPages shares contextual information about the user session. This information enables IBM watsonx Orchestrate to understand the user's profile, current location in the UI, and the object being viewed. The agent can then use this context to query the OpenPages API, retrieve relevant information, or perform actions on behalf of the user.

Use the following variables in IBM watsonx Orchestrate to reference contextual data from OpenPages:

Table 1. Context variables available to IBM watsonx Orchestrate
Variable Description When the data is sent to IBM watsonx Orchestrate
op_username Username Securely passed with each chat interaction to authenticate API calls to OpenPages.
op_user_profile_name User Profile Name When the chat is first initiated within a new profile session.
op_user_profile_id User Profile ID When the chat is first initiated within a new profile session.
op_user_locale User locale When the chat is first initiated within a new profile session.
op_base_url URL of the OpenPages instance When the chat is first initiated within an OpenPages session.
op_view_type View Type, such as Grid, Creation, Task, or Admin view Once per chat interaction. Sends the View Type for the currently active object.
op_view_name View Name Once per chat interaction. Sends the View Name for the currently active object.
op_object_type_name Object Type Once per chat interaction. Sends the type of the currently active object.
op_object_id Object ID, which allows the API to retrieve information related to the object Once per chat interaction. Sends the ID of the currently active object.
op_object_name Object Name Once per chat interaction. Sends the title of the currently active object.
op_workflow_stage Workflow stage Once per chat interaction. Sends the workflow actions available for the currently active object if the object is in a workflow.

Configuration overview

Complete the following steps to configure IBM watsonx Orchestrate Chat:

  1. Create and configure an agent in the IBM watsonx Orchestrate console. For more information, see Configuring an agent in IBM watsonx Orchestrate.
  2. Integrate the agent with OpenPages. For more information, see Configuring the integration between an agent and OpenPages.

When an agent is configured, the chat interface is available to users with the appropriate application permissions.

Example use case: Querying issues for a Control object

In this example, a user is viewing a Control object and wants to see open issues that are due within the next two days for that control.

  1. The user opens the IBM watsonx Orchestrate Chat interface while viewing the Control object.
  2. The user asks: "Show me my open issues due within the next two days for this control."
  3. OpenPages sends the following contextual information to the agent:
    • User authentication JWT token
    • Current object context (Control ID and type)
    • User profile information
  4. The agent uses the context variables to:
    • Authenticate the API call using the user's JWT token
    • Query the OpenPages API for issues owned by the user
    • Filter issues associated with the current Control
    • Apply date filters for issues due within two days
  5. The agent returns a list of relevant issues that meet the criteria, respecting the user's security permissions.

This demonstrates how IBM watsonx Orchestrate Chat uses contextual information to provide intelligent, secure, and personalized responses within the user's workflow.