Workflow Automation & Integrations Course
A free Elysiate course for building reliable workflow automations across SaaS apps, APIs, webhooks, spreadsheets, CRMs, support systems, ecommerce stacks, AI agents, and governance-heavy business operations.
This course is being structured as a real operator curriculum for automation builders, revops teams, service teams, and technical generalists, not as a pile of platform tutorials. Draft lessons are already scaffolded in the repository so slugs, course order, and internal linking stay stable while the public writing catches up.
Why this course exists
Workflow automation has become a huge surface area. Teams now juggle Zapier, Make, n8n, Power Automate, Apps Script, webhooks, APIs, spreadsheets, CRM automations, support queues, ecommerce events, and fast-moving AI agent tooling. Most content in the market is either too shallow, too platform-specific, or too hype-driven to help people design systems they can actually trust.
This curriculum is organized as 15 tracks and 200 lessons so a beginner can start at the model level, an operator can jump directly into the platform they use today, and a technical team can go deep on APIs, auth, observability, and governance without losing the operational context.
The 15 course tracks
Work through the tracks in order if you are learning the space from scratch, or jump directly into the platform, workflow type, or governance problem that is currently slowing the team down.
Workflow Automation Foundations
14/14 liveStart here if you are still defining the model. This track covers what workflow automation actually is, how integrations fit into it, when automation is worth doing, how to map a workflow cleanly, and which use cases create leverage instead of chaos.
- • What Is Workflow Automation
- • What Is an Integration and How Does It Work
- • Workflow Automation vs RPA vs iPaaS
APIs, Webhooks, and Integration Basics
14/14 liveThe technical core of modern automations: APIs, webhooks, authentication, retries, quotas, schemas, and error handling. This track is where non-technical operators stop feeling blocked and technical builders stop shipping brittle workflows.
- • APIs for Workflow Automation Explained
- • What Is a Webhook and How Does It Work
- • Polling vs Webhooks
Zapier Workflows
13/13 liveA practical track for teams standardizing on Zapier. Learn how Zaps are structured, how to use built-in tools like Formatter, Filters, Paths, and Webhooks, what task usage really means, and where Zapier is strong or weak compared with other platforms.
- • What Is Zapier and How Does It Work
- • Zapier vs Make vs n8n
- • Best Zapier Alternatives
Make.com Automations
13/13 liveA focused track on building reliable Make scenarios: webhooks, routers, iterators, aggregators, data stores, scheduling, error handlers, and the execution model that makes Make powerful when you need visual branching without giving up depth.
- • What Is Make and How Does It Work
- • Make vs Zapier vs n8n
- • How to Build Your First Scenario in Make
n8n Workflows and Self-Hosted Automation
13/13 liveThis track covers where n8n shines: self-hosted control, code-friendly workflows, webhooks, nodes, credentials, queue mode, and AI-agent patterns. It is built for teams that need more control than purely hosted no-code tools usually allow.
- • What Is n8n and How Does It Work
- • n8n vs Zapier vs Make
- • How to Self-Host n8n
Microsoft Power Automate
13/13 liveThe Microsoft automation track: cloud flows, desktop flows, connectors, approvals, expressions, licensing, monitoring, and the practical line between Power Automate as business workflow automation versus Power Automate as desktop RPA.
- • What Is Microsoft Power Automate
- • Power Automate Cloud Flows vs Desktop Flows
- • Power Automate vs Zapier vs Make
Google Workspace Automation and Apps Script
13/13 liveA practical path through Google-native automation: Apps Script, Sheets, Gmail, Forms, Calendar, approval flows, triggers, quotas, and the difference between lightweight Google Workspace scripting and broader external orchestration platforms.
- • Google Apps Script Explained for Workflow Automation
- • Apps Script vs Zapier vs Make
- • How to Write Your First Apps Script Automation
Spreadsheet Automation and Operational Spreadsheets
13/13 liveThis track treats spreadsheets as real operational systems: lookup tables, control panels, reporting layers, CSV bridges, and automation endpoints. It covers when spreadsheets are good enough and when they become fragile.
- • Spreadsheet Automation Explained
- • Excel vs Google Sheets for Automation
- • How to Clean Spreadsheet Data Before Automation
CRM and Sales Automation
13/13 liveA dedicated sales and revops track covering lead capture, routing, deduplication, handoffs, sequencing, spreadsheets, and the practical workflows that keep CRM data cleaner while reducing manual follow-up work.
- • CRM Automation Explained
- • Lead Routing Automation Best Practices
- • How to Automate Lead Capture from Forms
Support and Service Operations Automation
13/13 liveSupport teams rarely need more tickets; they need cleaner routing, clearer escalations, safer handoffs, and less manual triage. This track focuses on help desk, service desk, and customer-support automation that improves response quality instead of just moving queue pain around.
- • Help Desk Automation Explained
- • Ticket Routing Automation Best Practices
- • SLA and Escalation Automation Explained
Ecommerce and Order Automation
13/13 liveA commerce-focused track covering inventory sync, abandoned carts, order routing, fulfillment handoffs, post-purchase messaging, returns, and the duplicate-event problems that make ecommerce automation harder than it first looks.
- • Ecommerce Automation Explained
- • Order Management Automation Best Practices
- • Ecommerce Inventory Sync Explained
Marketing and Content Automation
13/13 liveMarketing automation is broader than email drips. This track covers content handoffs, publishing flows, forms, webinars, attribution, approvals, UTM hygiene, newsletters, and how AI fits into content operations without turning everything into generic sludge.
- • Marketing Automation Explained
- • Email Automation vs Campaign Automation
- • How to Automate Content Briefs and Content Handoffs
Data Sync Reporting and Multi-App Operations
13/13 liveThis track is about moving data safely: one-way syncs, two-way syncs, ETL patterns, reporting refreshes, systems of record, deletions, field normalization, and the small design mistakes that create giant reconciliation problems later.
- • Data Sync Automation Explained
- • One-Way Sync vs Two-Way Sync
- • ETL vs ELT vs Reverse ETL for Automation Teams
AI Agents and Human-in-the-Loop Automation
14/14 liveA current AI automation track grounded in real workflow design rather than hype. It covers agentic tools, structured outputs, knowledge retrieval, confidence thresholds, human approvals, evaluation, and where AI belongs or does not belong in production automations.
- • AI Workflow Automation Explained
- • AI Agents vs Rules-Based Automation
- • Where AI Fits in Workflow Automation
Security Governance and Reliability for Automation Teams
15/15 liveThe operational hardening track: secrets, least privilege, audit logs, testing, staging, retries, idempotency, documentation, change management, monitoring, governance, and the practices that keep automations trustworthy as they scale.
- • Workflow Automation Security Explained
- • How to Document an Automation Before It Ships
- • Least Privilege for Automation Accounts
Best lessons to publish first
These are the highest-leverage entry points because they cover the language of automation itself, the major platforms people are comparing today, the API and webhook foundations that make or break real workflows, and the governance topics teams hit as soon as automations start to matter.
- Lesson 1Workflow Automation FoundationsLiveWhat Is Workflow Automation
- Lesson 3Workflow Automation FoundationsLiveWorkflow Automation vs RPA vs iPaaS
- Lesson 1Zapier WorkflowsLiveWhat Is Zapier and How Does It Work
- Lesson 1Make.com AutomationsLiveWhat Is Make and How Does It Work
- Lesson 1n8n Workflows and Self-Hosted AutomationLiveWhat Is n8n and How Does It Work
- Lesson 1Microsoft Power AutomateLiveWhat Is Microsoft Power Automate
- Lesson 1Google Workspace Automation and Apps ScriptLiveGoogle Apps Script Explained for Workflow Automation
- Lesson 2APIs, Webhooks, and Integration BasicsLiveWhat Is a Webhook and How Does It Work
- Lesson 3APIs, Webhooks, and Integration BasicsLivePolling vs Webhooks
- Lesson 7APIs, Webhooks, and Integration BasicsLiveAPI Keys vs OAuth vs Service Accounts
- Lesson 12APIs, Webhooks, and Integration BasicsLiveOpenAPI and Swagger for Automation Builders
- Lesson 11Workflow Automation FoundationsLiveWorkflow Automation ROI Explained
- Lesson 14Workflow Automation FoundationsLiveBest Workflow Automation Use Cases for Small Teams
- Lesson 1Spreadsheet Automation and Operational SpreadsheetsLiveSpreadsheet Automation Explained
- Lesson 1CRM and Sales AutomationLiveCRM Automation Explained
- Lesson 1Support and Service Operations AutomationLiveHelp Desk Automation Explained
- Lesson 1Ecommerce and Order AutomationLiveEcommerce Automation Explained
- Lesson 1Marketing and Content AutomationLiveMarketing Automation Explained
- Lesson 1Data Sync Reporting and Multi-App OperationsLiveData Sync Automation Explained
- Lesson 1AI Agents and Human-in-the-Loop AutomationLiveAI Workflow Automation Explained
- Lesson 1Security Governance and Reliability for Automation TeamsLiveWorkflow Automation Security Explained
- Lesson 15Security Governance and Reliability for Automation TeamsLiveHow to Scale Automations Without Losing Control
Use these tools alongside the course
Free, privacy-first utilities in your browser — no uploads required for most workflows.
- OpenAPI ValidatorValidate OpenAPI JSON or YAML structure before you build clients or webhook automations around it.
- OpenAPI TypeScript Client GeneratorGenerate a lightweight fetch client from an OpenAPI spec for internal tools and automation glue code.
- OAuth Redirect URI BuilderBuild encoded authorize URLs and redirect URIs for OAuth-heavy automation projects.
- JSON Formatter & ValidatorInspect, validate, and normalize JSON payloads while debugging field mapping and webhook bodies.
- URL Builder & EncoderAssemble clean URLs with query strings, encoded params, and UTM blocks for workflow steps and callbacks.
Where to go next
If you are still defining the model, start withWorkflow Automation FoundationsandAPIs, Webhooks, and Integration Basics. If you already know the model but need platform help, jump directly intoZapier,Make,n8n, orPower Automate. If the team is already running automations and now needs guardrails, go straight toSecurity, Governance, and Reliability.