Using an expression in an integration is primarily used for which purpose?

The primary purpose of using an expression in an integration is to facilitate querying data. In Appian, expressions are powerful constructs that allow you to fetch and manipulate data efficiently. When you integrate with external data sources, the ability to compose expressions lets you specify exactly what data you want to retrieve, filter, or transform before it is returned to the application.

Expressions provide a way to define complex query logic, utilize conditional statements, and apply functions that help pinpoint specific datasets, thereby enabling precise data retrieval. This functionality is essential for scenarios where you need to display or utilize information from various data sources in your applications, ensuring that the right data is accessed and presented to the user in a meaningful way.

Although modifications to existing data and creating data records are also important aspects of data integration, these processes generally require different mechanisms or approaches than those employed primarily for querying purposes. Connecting with external services similarly requires specific integration configurations rather than expressions aimed mainly for data querying.