Integrating Microsoft Exchange with AskCody

AskCody is built native to Microsoft Exchange. This article explains how to establish the integration between your Exchange environment and the AskCody Platform. It is written for the IT Admin setting up AskCody for the first time.

How AskCody connects depends on your Exchange environment:

• Exchange Online (Microsoft 365): AskCody connects through Microsoft Graph, the API Microsoft provides for working with Microsoft 365 data. Your Global Administrator grants consent to the AskCody enterprise application once. No service account, password, or EWS URL is stored or shared with AskCody.
• Exchange Server (on-premises and hybrid): AskCody connects through Exchange Web Services (EWS) using a service account. See the section for Exchange Server below, and read How to handle Hybrid Exchange Setups if you run both.

Set up the integration with Exchange Online (Microsoft Graph)

(These steps should be performed by an employee with the Microsoft 365 Global Administrator role)

1. Log in to the AskCody Portal with the credentials created when creating your organizational account on the signup page.
2. Click on the Admin Center in the left menubar.
3. Click Integrations and choose MS Exchange Integrations.
4. Click Add and choose Microsoft Exchange Online (MS Graph).
   
   
5. Click Integrate. You are redirected to the Microsoft sign-in page, where you log in with your Global Administrator account.
6. Review the requested permissions and click Accept.

The integration uses the following application permissions: Calendars.Read, Calendars.ReadWrite, GroupMember.Read.All, and User.Read.All. The purpose of each permission is documented in Permissions used and required connecting AskCody with MS Graph and Entra ID.

If you do not get an error, your integration is established and you can start adding calendars to AskCody.

Set up the integration with Exchange Server (on-premises and hybrid)

Exchange Server integrations connect through EWS with a service account. Before you set up the integration:

1. Create a service account using PowerShell or the Exchange Admin Center.
2. Assign the service account the required role, as described in Why Basic Authentication requires Application Impersonation.
3. In the AskCody Management Portal, go to Admin Center, click MS Exchange Integrations, choose Microsoft Exchange Server and click Add, and choose your Exchange Server version.
4. Fill in the details in the form, including the service account credentials, your EWS URL and the Exchange Version and click Integrate.

Note: Microsoft is retiring EWS for Exchange Online, but EWS remains supported for Exchange Server. If you are planning a move from Exchange Server to Exchange Online, read Transitioning from a Microsoft Exchange Server to Exchange Online in AskCody.

How to test if the integration is set up correctly

After clicking Integrate, the system attempts to establish the integration. If you do not get an error message, your integration is enabled and ready.

If you see an error:

• Exchange Online (Microsoft Graph): the most common cause is that admin consent was not completed, or was granted by an account without the Global Administrator role. Repeat the consent step, or check the enterprise application in Entra ID as described in How to Grant Enterprise Application Permissions to AskCody in Azure.
• Exchange Server (EWS): the most common causes are incorrect service account credentials, a wrong Exchange version selection, or a mistyped EWS URL. In the troubleshooting section of our Help Center, you will find explanations for the different error codes and solutions to them.

Now the Exchange integration is set up. The next step is to add your resources in the AskCody Portal.