Connect_System_Design_Flashcards

Question 1

$.External Attributes

Answer 1

Key value pairs returned by a Lambda invoke block in Connect. Only available after the Lambda runs successfully. Persist until another Lambda is invoked in the flow. If the Lambda errors

Question 2

$.Attributes

Answer 2

Contact attributes already stored on the contact. Set by Set Contact Attributes blocks

Question 3

Storing a Lambda ARN vs Invoking It

Answer 3

Storing an ARN in a Set Contact Attributes block just saves the ARN string as text on the contact. It does not execute the Lambda. You need an Invoke Lambda block to actually call it. Common pattern is to store ARNs early in the flow so modules can reference them dynamically later.

Question 4

STRING_MAP Response Validation

Answer 4

Setting on a Lambda invoke block that tells Connect to expect a flat key value map where every value is a string. If any value in the Lambda response is undefined or null

Question 5

Set Contact Attributes Block

Answer 5

Block that writes key value pairs to the contact. Can read from $.External (Lambda response)

Question 6

Contact Attribute Overwrite Risk

Answer 6

Any Set Contact Attributes block in any flow or module can overwrite any user defined attribute. There is no protection. If a downstream module writes AccountName = empty it wipes whatever an earlier flow set. Hard to catch without tracing the full path in CloudWatch logs.

Question 7

CultureCode Branching

Answer 7

Pattern where a Check Contact Attributes block reads the CultureCode attribute and branches the contact to different paths based on language. Each language path (en-US

Question 8

HostedWidget Attributes

Answer 8

Participant attributes passed in by the chat widget through the StartChatContact API. Available as $.Attributes.HostedWidget-* before the first block in the flow runs. Not set by any block in the flow. Includes accountId

Question 9

HostedWidget-accountId

Answer 9

The AccountId passed by the chat widget when the customer starts a chat. Identifies which client or brand the customer is chatting from. Available immediately on contact initiation before any flow block runs.

Question 10

HostedWidget-culture

Answer 10

The language and culture code passed by the chat widget. Values like en-US

Question 11

Account Lookup Pattern

Answer 11

Lambda invoke block takes AccountId as input and queries DynamoDB by AccountId and Dnis = Chat. Returns account config including AccountName. A Set Contact Attributes block then maps the Lambda response from $.External to user defined contact attributes so the values persist in the CTR.

Question 12

Pre-Branch Lookup Placement

Answer 12

Account lookup should happen before any language or region branching in the flow. If the lookup is inside a specific branch like en-GB only

Question 13

Connect Flow Logs

Answer 13

CloudWatch log entries that show block by block execution of a Connect flow. Each entry includes contact ID

Question 14

Lambda Logs vs Flow Logs

Answer 14

Lambda logs show what happened inside the Lambda function including input

Question 15

Contact Trace Record (CTR)

Answer 15

Record generated for every completed contact. Contains all contact attributes

Question 16

PathLog Attribute

Answer 16

A user defined attribute that logs the path a contact takes through flow modules. Each entry is a module or decision point. Useful for tracing where a contact entered

Question 17

ConfigurationByDNIS Lambda

Answer 17

Lambda designed for voice contacts. Looks up account config by DNIS (phone number). For chat contacts there is no phone number so it may return empty results. Used in voice path and some UK modules. Different from configurationByAccountId which uses AccountId.

Question 18

configurationByAccountId Lambda

Answer 18

Lambda that takes AccountId as input and queries a DynamoDB table by AccountID-index where Dnis = Chat. Returns AccountName and full account config including RoutingType

Question 19

DynamoDB Table Name as Environment Variable

Answer 19

Lambda functions store their target DynamoDB table name as an environment variable usually called DYNAMODB_TABLE_NAME. Check this in the Lambda console under Configuration then Environment variables to find which table the Lambda reads from.

Question 20

Test Chat Tool in Connect

Answer 20

Built-in testing tool under Channels in the Connect console. Allows setting the Contact Flow and Contact Attributes as JSON to simulate a real chat. Useful when hosted widget URLs are not accessible in lower environments like qa1.

Question 21

Test Chat Contact Attributes Format

Answer 21

Flat JSON object with key value pairs. Simulates widget attributes. Example: {“HostedWidget-accountId”:”ff464f63”

Question 22

Before and After Testing Pattern

Answer 22

Revert to old flow and run a test to get a CTR confirming broken behavior (before record). Publish the fix and run the same test with same settings to get a CTR confirming the fix (after record). Timestamps prove which flow version generated each result.

Question 23

Lambda Null Check Bug Pattern

Answer 23

When Lambda code accesses a property on a value that might be undefined without checking first. Example: currentPageURL.indexOf(“/wize-chat”) crashes with TypeError if currentPageURL is undefined. Always check for null or undefined before calling methods on variables.

Question 24

Error Handling for Optional Lambda Invokes

Answer 24

Wire the error output of the Lambda invoke block to the same next block as the success output. If the Lambda fails the flow continues normally. The optional attribute like AccountName stays null but the chat is not broken for the customer.

Question 25

Flow Rollback in Connect

Answer 25

Open the flow in the designer and click the Audit history dropdown. Select the previous published version and republish it. Connect keeps version history so you can always go back. No need for screenshots of the old wiring.

Question 26

QA1 vs Prod Data Gaps

Answer 26

Lower environments like qa1 often have incomplete or stale DynamoDB data compared to prod. A Lambda that works in prod might return empty in qa1 because the table is missing records. Always verify table contents when testing in lower environments.

Question 27

CFT Overwrite Risk

Answer 27

If a Connect flow is managed by CloudFormation and you make a manual change in prod

Question 28

Downstream Module Overwrite

Answer 28

A flow module that runs after the landing flow can overwrite contact attributes set earlier. Example: WizeConnect_Welcome_UK_ChatV2 has a Set Client Id block that writes AccountId

Question 29

$.External Persistence Across Blocks

Answer 29

$.External values from a Lambda response persist until another Lambda invoke block is executed. If you move a Lambda invoke earlier in the flow

Question 30

Custom Contact Attribute Filter in Contact Search

Answer 30

In Contact search click Add filter and select Custom contact attribute. Enter a key (like AccountId or AccountName) and a value to filter contacts that have that specific attribute set. Useful for finding working vs broken contacts in the same date range.

Question 31

Environment Specific Lambda ARNs

Answer 31

Each environment has its own Lambda functions with environment suffix in the name. Example: configurationByAccountId-prod-01-v2 vs configurationByAccountId-qa1-01-v1. The flow stores the correct ARN per environment in the PROD Set Lex and Lambda Attributes block or equivalent.

Question 32

Connect Instance ID

Answer 32

Unique identifier for a Connect instance. Found in the AWS console or in contact attributes as aws:connect:instanceId. Different per environment. Used to scope IAM policies

Question 33

Chat Channel vs Voice Channel in Connect Flows

Answer 33

Same landing flow can handle both channels. Use a Check Contact Attributes block checking $.Channel to branch CHAT vs VOICE. Chat contacts get attributes from the widget. Voice contacts get attributes from DNIS and system endpoint. Different Lambdas may be needed for each.