Create a dedicated Autotask API user with the correct permissions, then connect and configure the Field Nation connector end-to-end.
Complete the steps below in order. Steps 1–5 are completed inside Autotask by an Autotask administrator and can be handed off to them independently. Once they hand you the credentials, complete Steps 6–8 inside Field Nation.
Estimated setup time: 30–60 minutes for an Autotask administrator familiar with security roles.
Before starting, confirm your Autotask edition includes API access and that you know whether you need a custom Integration Code. See Before you begin on the Overview page.
Your Autotask subscription must include API access. This is available on Pro and Enterprise editions. Essentials-tier subscriptions do not include API access.
Confirm API access is available using any of these methods:
If none of these show API User, your subscription lacks API access. Contact your Autotask administrator to add it.
Create a new Security Level specifically for the Field Nation integration. Do not reuse an existing employee, technician, or admin security level.
In Autotask: Admin → Account Settings & Users → Resource/Users (HR) → Security Levels
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Security Level Name | Field Nation Integration (or similar descriptive name) |
| License Type | API User |
| Permission | Required level |
|---|---|
| Tickets — View | All |
| Tickets — Add | Yes |
| Tickets — Edit | Yes |
| Tickets — Delete | No |
| Ticket Notes — View | All |
| Ticket Notes — Add | Yes |
| Ticket Notes — Edit | No |
| Ticket Costs (Charges) — View | All |
| Ticket Costs (Charges) — Add | Yes |
| Ticket Costs (Charges) — Edit | Yes |
| Attachments — View / Download | Yes |
| Attachments — Add | Yes |
| Attachments — Delete | Yes |
Note on Time Entry permissions: Time Entries are not managed in the Service Desk module. Set these under the Contracts or Timesheets module — see the section below.
Note on Ticket Costs and Attachments: These may not appear as separate items in all Autotask editions. If not visible in Service Desk, check under Tickets sub-permissions or their respective modules.
These are required for account and contact lookups during ticket import.
| Permission | Required level |
|---|---|
| Accounts (Companies) — View | All |
| Account Physical Locations — View | All |
| Contacts — View | All |
| Permission | Required level |
|---|---|
| Time Entries — View | All |
| Time Entries — Add | Yes |
| Time Entries — Edit | Yes |
| Time Entries — Delete | Yes |
| Expenses — View | All (required only if expense sync is enabled) |
| Expenses — Add | Yes (required only if expense sync is enabled) |
| Expenses — Edit | All, or Mine (required only if expense sync is enabled) |
| Permission | Required level |
|---|---|
| Resources (Users) — View | Yes |
Do not grant beyond what is listed above. The following permissions are not required and should not be granted: Admin / System Settings access, user management, contract management (create/edit/delete), project management, billing/invoicing, or queue management.
Roles and Service Calls permissions may not appear in all Autotask editions — if not visible, skip them.
In Autotask: Admin → Resources (Users) → API User
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Resource Type | API User |
| Security Level | The Field Nation Integration security level created in Step 2 |
| Username (Key) | Service account format, e.g. svc-fieldnation@yourdomain.com |
| Password (Secret) | Minimum 16 characters, alphanumeric + standard symbols. Avoid <, >, and & — these can cause authentication errors. |
| Status | Active |
| Department | Required by Autotask — use IT or Integrations |
| Queue / Team assignment | Do not assign — this is an API-only user |
The API Tracking Identifier section appears on the Add API User form. This field is required for API v1.6 and later. Once set, it cannot be changed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Tracking Identifier type | Integration Vendor |
| Integration Vendor | Field Nation - Pre-packed integration with Autotask |
Select Integration Vendor — not "Custom (Internal Integration)". Then choose "Field Nation - Pre-packed integration with Autotask" from the dropdown. This links the API user to Field Nation's registered partner integration code automatically. If this field is not set correctly, the connector will fail to authenticate.
The Line of Business section controls which Autotask data this API user can access. Leave all items under Not Associated unless your organisation uses Line of Business to restrict data visibility. Check "Resource can view items with no assigned Line of Business" to ensure the API user can access all relevant tickets.
Security recommendation: Use a dedicated email alias for this service account (for example, autotask-integrations@yourdomain.com) so that password reset notifications do not go to a personal inbox. If the account is deactivated or the password changes, the integration will stop working.
Field Nation provides a registered partner integration code by default. For most customers, no action is required — leave the Integration Code field blank in the Field Nation connector and the Field Nation partner code is used automatically.
You only need to act if your organization requires a customer-specific integration code:
If you are unsure, leave the field blank. You can update it later without disrupting the connection.
The Field Nation integration service makes outbound HTTPS (port 443) calls to your Autotask zone URL (for example, webservices2.autotask.net or webservices4.autotask.net).
Once Steps 1–5 are complete, log in to Field Nation as a Company Admin and navigate to Integrations → Field Services → Autotask.
Enter the values below. Use the input fields to save them to your browser — they'll appear in the reference sheet at the bottom of this page.
Saved in your browser · appears in the reference sheet below
Password — Enter the API user password directly in the Field Nation connector settings. Do not store it here. Use the password set in Step 3 — minimum 16 characters, no <, >, or & characters.
Saved in your browser · appears in the reference sheet below
Time entry sync is only supported when Service Object Name is set to ticket. If you select ServiceCall or Project, ticket create/update and field mappings will work, but all time entry writes will be silently skipped — no error is raised and no alert is sent. Only use ServiceCall or Project if time entry sync is not required for your workflow.
Saved in your browser · appears in the reference sheet below
Save the configuration. The connector performs zone discovery automatically — it resolves your Autotask instance URL from the username and does not require you to enter it manually.
The trigger URL is the endpoint Autotask POSTs ticket IDs to when you want automated inbound imports — for example, when a ticket reaches a specific status.
Field Nation provides this URL. Your Field Nation account team will supply your trigger URL directly. You can also generate one yourself from within the connector settings:
In Field Nation: Integrations → Field Services → Autotask → Trigger URL
The URL follows this pattern:
https://micro.fieldnation.com/v1/broker/inbound?client_token={your-client-token}Copy and store the full URL including the security token. The token authenticates all inbound requests — treat it as a secret.
The trigger URL is required for automated inbound operations (Autotask → Field Nation). Ensure you have successfully retrieved the trigger URL from your Field Nation integration settings before configuring the Autotask webhook. Without it, the Autotask → Field Nation flow will not function automatically.
Without a trigger URL configured in Autotask, inbound imports are initiated manually — a Field Nation admin provides the ticket ID on demand. If your team wants Autotask to push tickets automatically (for example, when a ticket reaches a specific status), configure an Autotask webhook to POST the ticket ID to this URL.
Before configuring field mappings, click Refresh Fields to discover the available fields from your Autotask instance.
In Field Nation: Integrations → Field Service → Autotask → Manage → Settings → Refresh Fields
The connector queries the Autotask API and retrieves:
If you add new UDFs to Autotask after the connector is set up, click Refresh Fields again to make them available. The connector discovers UDFs at connection time only.
Field mappings define how data translates between Autotask and Field Nation. Configure mappings for both directions in Integrations → Field Services → Autotask → Field Mappings.
Runs when an Autotask ticket is imported into Field Nation.
| Autotask field | Field Nation field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Title | title | Direct copy |
Description | description | Direct copy |
Status | status_id | Use Status Mapping (Step 10) |
DueDateTime | time_window.end | Date Convert action recommended |
Account.AccountName | location.name | Related entity field |
UserDefinedField.{udf_name} | Custom field | UDFs discovered after Refresh Fields |
Runs when a Field Nation work order event fires (time entry logged, expense submitted, etc.).
| Field Nation field | Autotask field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
title | Ticket:Title | Required for Outbound Create |
status | Ticket:Status | Required for Outbound Create — values are Autotask status IDs |
| — | Ticket:Priority | Required for Outbound Create — sourced from Autotask |
| — | Ticket:AccountID | Required for Outbound Create — sourced from Autotask |
| — | Ticket:QueueID | Required for Outbound Create — sourced from Autotask |
time_window.start | Ticket:DueDateTime | Required for Outbound Create |
notes | Resolution | Direct copy |
time_logs[0].StartDateTime | TimeEntry.[0].StartDateTime | Array field — index replaces [0] at runtime |
expenses[0].amount | expense.items[0].ExpenseAmount | Array field |
When Outbound Create is enabled, every new Field Nation work order creates an Autotask ticket via the SOAP API. Autotask requires six fields on every ticket creation call. If any are missing, the sync fails with an error and no ticket is created.
These six mappings are mandatory when Outbound Create is enabled. Missing any one will silently fail ticket creation — you will receive a notification email if one is configured, but no retry occurs.
Testing tip: You can use Set Static Values with a hardcoded ID to get started quickly and verify the connection works end-to-end. Once confirmed, replace the static value with a custom field mapping if your workflow requires dynamic values per work order.
| Autotask required field | How to get the value |
|---|---|
Ticket:Title | Map from the Field Nation work order title (title). Use Sync Values for a direct copy, or Concat Values to combine fields. |
Ticket:Status | Sourced from your Autotask instance. Represents the ticket status on creation. The valid values are the numeric status IDs from your Autotask instance — see the Default Autotask status list in Step 10 for reference. Use Set Static Values to assign a fixed status (e.g. New) when a ticket is created, or Array Map to translate Field Nation status values to Autotask status IDs. |
Ticket:Priority | Sourced from your Autotask instance. Priority IDs are discovered via Refresh Fields after connecting. Use Set Static Values with a hardcoded Autotask Priority ID to test, or a custom field for dynamic mapping. |
Ticket:AccountID | Sourced from your Autotask instance. Navigate to Admin → Accounts → [Account name] in Autotask. Copy the Account ID from the URL or account details panel. Use Set Static Values with the Autotask Account ID to test, or a custom field to route to different accounts per work order. |
Ticket:QueueID | Sourced from your Autotask instance. Navigate to Admin → Service Desk → Queues → [Queue name] in Autotask. Copy the Queue ID from the URL. Use Set Static Values with the Autotask Queue ID to test, or a custom field for dynamic routing. Alternatively, supply both AssignedResourceID and AssignedResourceRoleID in place of a queue ID. |
Ticket:DueDateTime | Map from the work order's scheduled start date in Field Nation (time_window.start). Use Sync Values for a direct copy, or Date Convert if a timezone conversion is required. |
How to add each required mapping:
Ticket:AccountID) from the right dropdown.Ticket:AccountID and Ticket:QueueID are specific to your Autotask instance. Every customer will have different values. Do not copy these IDs from another organisation's configuration.
Choose the Field Nation field from the left dropdown (inbound) or the Autotask field from the left dropdown (outbound).
Choose the corresponding field in the other system from the right dropdown.
| Action type | When to use |
|---|---|
| Direct | Values are identical or require no transformation |
| Array Map | Value needs to be translated (e.g., picklist label → enum value) |
| Status Mapping | Autotask status values → Field Nation status IDs |
| Date Convert | Date format or timezone conversion required |
| Concat Values | Combine multiple fields into one |
| Custom Action | Complex transformation via Jsonnet |
Click Save Mapping. Repeat for all required fields.
Status mapping translates Autotask status picklist values to Field Nation status IDs. Configure it under Field Mappings → Status in the connector settings.
Autotask stores each status as a numeric ID internally. The status label shown in the UI (for example, "In Progress") is not the same as the ID the API uses. You need the numeric ID when configuring the mapping.
Method A — Browser inspector (fastest)
Log in to Autotask as an administrator and navigate to Admin → Features & Settings → Task & Ticket Statuses.
Press F12 (Windows) or Cmd + Option + I (Mac) to open the developer tools panel, then select the Elements tab.
Click the inspector cursor icon and click on any status row in the table. In the Elements panel, locate the <tr> element — it will have a data-row-key attribute. That numeric value is the status ID.
<tr class="Display" data-row-key="10" data-editable="true">In this example, the status with data-row-key="10" has internal ID 10. Repeat for each status you want to map.
Method B — Autotask REST API
Query the Ticket entity's field definitions to retrieve all status picklist values and their IDs in one call:
curl -s \
-H "UserName: YOUR_API_USERNAME" \
-H "Secret: YOUR_API_PASSWORD" \
-H "ApiIntegrationCode: YOUR_INTEGRATION_CODE" \
"https://YOUR_ZONE.autotask.net/atservicesrest/v1.0/Tickets/entityInformation/fields" \
| python3 -c "
import json, sys
fields = json.load(sys.stdin)['fields']
status = next(f for f in fields if f['name'] == 'Status')
for v in status['picklistValues']:
print(v['value'], '-', v['label'])
"Replace YOUR_ZONE with your zone URL (for example, webservices2). The output lists every status ID and label in your instance:
1 - New
5 - In Progress
10 - Waiting Customer
20 - Complete
21 - CancelledYour zone URL is in the response from the zone discovery command on the Overview page. If you ran the curl command during setup, the url field contains your base URL.
Once you have your status IDs, click Refresh Fields (Integrations → Field Service → Autotask → Manage → Settings → Refresh Fields) to load the live status values, then configure each mapping.
Status IDs are unique per Autotask instance. The same status name ("Complete", "In Progress") will have a different numeric ID in every Autotask account. The connector codebase confirms this — no standard ID mapping exists. Always look up your actual IDs using Method A or B above. Never copy IDs from another organisation's configuration.
Two connector defaults to know before mapping:
| Behaviour | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Outbound Create — new ticket default status | 1 (New) | Hardcoded in connector |
| Tickets excluded from inbound load | Status marked as Complete | Resolved by your instance's Complete ID |
The table below lists the default statuses from a typical Autotask configuration. Use it as a reference when configuring your mappings — your instance may have additional or differently named statuses.
Array Map transforms a source field value to a target value using a JSON lookup table. Use it wherever you need to translate between Autotask picklist labels and Field Nation enum values — for example, priority levels, issue types, or custom UDF values.
In the connector's Field Mappings section, select Array Map as the action type and enter a JSON configuration:
{
"source_field": "Priority",
"target_field": "priority",
"map": [
{ "source_value": "Critical", "target_value": "urgent" },
{ "source_value": "High", "target_value": "urgent" },
{ "source_value": "Medium", "target_value": "normal" },
{ "source_value": "Low", "target_value": "low" }
],
"default": "normal"
}| Property | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
source_field | Yes | Field name in the source system |
target_field | Yes | Field name in the target system |
map | Yes | Array of source_value → target_value pairs |
default | No | Value used when no match is found; omit to leave the field empty on no match |
Common uses for Array Map:
By default, the connector only syncs data to Autotask tickets that were previously imported into Field Nation (inbound flow). Enable Outbound Create to have every new Field Nation work order automatically create a new Autotask ticket.
Field Nation → Integrations → Field Services → Autotask → Manage → Settings → Outbound Create (toggle)
Requires the API user to have Tickets — Add permission (Step 2).
When a provider submits an expense or charge in Field Nation, configure where it lands in Autotask. Only one destination applies per connector — you cannot split routing between both. For full details on what data syncs for each destination, see Expenses/charges sync.
| Setting | Destination in Autotask | Entity written |
|---|---|---|
| Blank (default) | Expense module | ExpenseReport + ExpenseItem |
charge | Service Desk | TicketCost |
Field Nation → Integrations → Field Services → Autotask → Manage → Additional Charges
Requires the API user to have the corresponding permissions (Expense module or Ticket Costs) from Step 2.
If attachment sync is enabled for your account, files uploaded to a Field Nation work order are synced to the Autotask ticket automatically. Contact your Field Nation account team to enable attachment sync.
FILE_ATTACHMENT).URL).Requires the API user to have Attachments — View, Add, and Delete permissions (Step 2).
There is no separate Test Connection button. When you save the connector configuration, Field Nation automatically tests the connection using the credentials you entered.
After saving:
If the connection fails:
| Symptom | Likely cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication fails entirely | Resource Type is not set to API User | Change the resource type to API User in Autotask Admin |
| Authentication errors on specific operations | Password contains <, >, or & | Reset the password using only alphanumeric characters and standard symbols |
| Permission denied or authentication rejected | Integration code mismatch | Try leaving the Integration Code blank to use the Field Nation default |
| Work orders not creating in Autotask | Ticket Add permission missing or Outbound Create is off | Grant Ticket Add permission and enable the Outbound Create toggle |
| Time entry deletions not reflected in Autotask | Time Entry Delete permission missing | Add Time Entry Delete permission to the security level |
| Expense sync errors | Expense permissions not granted | Add Expense permissions to the security level |
| Connection times out | Network egress restriction | Allow outbound port 443 to *.autotask.net |
| Entity | View | Add | Edit | Delete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ticket | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| TimeEntry | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| TicketNote | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| TicketCost ¹ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Expenses ¹ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Attachment ² | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Account | ✓ | |||
| AccountLocation | ✓ | |||
| Resource | ✓ |
¹ Required only if expense or charge sync is enabled. ² Required only if attachment sync is enabled.
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Overview
Connect Autotask PSA to Field Nation to sync work orders, time entries, expenses/charges, notes, and attachments bidirectionally — no manual hand-off required.
Workflow Setup
Configure outbound sync, automated inbound triggers, webhook conditions, and data loading for the Field Nation–Autotask connector.