payments/internal/connectors/plugins/public/column

Column Connector

The Column connector integrates Formance with Column, a modern banking-as-a-service platform that provides access to banking infrastructure through a simple API.

Installation

To install the Column connector, use the following configuration:

{
  "name": "column",
  "pollingPeriod": "30s",
  "endpoint": "https://api.column.com",
  "apiKey": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  "pageSize": 1
}

Configuration Parameters

Parameter	Description	Required
name	The name of the connector	Yes
pollingPeriod	The frequency at which the connector polls for updates	Yes
endpoint	The Column API endpoint	Yes
apiKey	Your Column API key	Yes
pageSize	The number of items to fetch per page	No

Features

The Column connector supports the following capabilities:

• Fetch accounts
• Fetch balances
• Fetch external accounts
• Fetch payments
• Create bank accounts
• Create transfers (internal transfers between accounts)
• Create payouts (external transfers to counterparties)
• Reverse payouts (for ACH transfers)
• Webhook integration

Usage Examples

Creating a Bank Account

To create a bank account, use the following payload:

{
  "name": "Gitstart Union Bank",
  "accountNumber": "123457809012",
  "country": "US",
  "metadata": {
    "com.column.spec/routing_number": "021000021",
    "com.column.spec/routing_number_type": "aba",
    "com.column.spec/account_type": "checking",
    "com.column.spec/wire_drawdown_allowed": "false",
    "com.column.spec/address_line1": "123 Main Street",
    "com.column.spec/address_line2": "Apt 4B",
    "com.column.spec/city": "San Francisco",
    "com.column.spec/state": "CA",
    "com.column.spec/postal_code": "94105",
    "com.column.spec/email": "[email protected]"
  }
}

Internal Transfers

To create an internal transfer between Column accounts:

{
  "amount": 50,
  "reference": "ba_407772345",
  "connectorID": "eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9",
  "asset": "USD/2",
  "type": "TRANSFER",
  "description": "Salary payment for March 2024",
  "DestinationAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJiYWNjXzJzdGMzRFRSbnpNbmszSmxHOUVhUDhXVDlpMSJ9",
  "SourceAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJiYWNjXzJzdGM2U3Jrd3VGdHFhZTBKbmtGcTVJbHA4NyJ9",
  "metadata": { // metadata is optional
    "com.column.spec/hold": "false",
    "com.column.spec/allow_overdraft": "false",
  }
}

External Payouts

The Column connector supports several types of external payouts:

ACH Payout

{
  "amount": 50,
  "reference": "ba_271422875",
  "connectorID": "eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9",
  "asset": "USD/2",
  "type": "PAYOUT",
  "description": "Salary payment for March 2024",
  "DestinationAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJjcHR5XzJ0ekpuTGhmNXlERk1vRnVmWEdGOFplSWp6YiJ9",
  "SourceAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJiYWNjXzJzdGMzRFRSbnpNbmszSmxHOUVhUDhXVDlpMSJ9",
  "metadata": {
    "com.column.spec/payout_type": "ach",
    "com.column.spec/type": "DEBIT",
    "com.column.spec/entry_class_code": "PPD"
  }
}

Wire Payout

{
  "amount": 50,
  "reference": "ba_987622000",
  "connectorID": "eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9",
  "asset": "USD/2",
  "type": "PAYOUT",
  "description": "Salary payment for March 2024",
  "DestinationAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJjcHR5XzJ0ekpuTGhmNXlERk1vRnVmWEdGOFplSWp6YiJ9",
  "SourceAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJiYWNjXzJzdGMzRFRSbnpNbmszSmxHOUVhUDhXVDlpMSJ9",
  "metadata": {
    "com.column.spec/payout_type": "wire"
  }
}

International Wire Payout

{
  "amount": 500,
  "reference": "ba_987651480",
  "connectorID": "eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9",
  "type": "PAYOUT",
  "asset": "USD/2",
  "description": "International supplier payment",
  "DestinationAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJjcHR5XzJ0VXdva0ZjSGdEY3VDWjlnbkNYaVdjVTdmbCJ9",
  "SourceAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJiYWNjXzJzdGMzRFRSbnpNbmszSmxHOUVhUDhXVDlpMSJ9",
  "metadata": {
    "com.column.spec/allow_overdraft": "true",
    "com.column.spec/charge_bearer": "SHAR",
    "com.column.spec/general_info": "March 2024 inventory payment",
    "com.column.spec/beneficiary_reference": "SUPPLIER-REF-001",
    "com.column.spec/payout_type": "international-wire"
  }
}

Real-time Payout

{
  "amount": 50,
  "reference": "ba_982751800",
  "connectorID": "eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9",
  "type": "PAYOUT",
  "asset": "USD/2",
  "description": "International Supplier payment (Real time)",
  "DestinationAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJjcHR5XzJ0ekpuTGhmNXlERk1vRnVmWEdGOFplSWp6YiJ9",
  "SourceAccountID": "eyJDb25uZWN0b3JJRCI6eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9LCJSZWZlcmVuY2UiOiJiYWNjXzJzdGMzRFRSbnpNbmszSmxHOUVhUDhXVDlpMSJ9",
  "metadata": {
    "com.column.spec/allow_overdraft": "true",
    "com.column.spec/payout_type": "realtime"
  }
}

Reversing ACH Payouts

Only ACH transactions can be reversed. To reverse an ACH payout:

1. First, create an ACH transfer and note the PaymentInitiationID from the response:

{
  "description": "Salary payment for March 2024",
  "amount": 50,
  "bank_account_id": "bacc_2stc3DTRnzMnk3JlG9EaP8WT9i1",
  "counterparty_id": "cpty_2tzJnLhf5yDFMoFufXGF8ZeIjzb",
  "currency_code": "USD",
  "type": "DEBIT",
  "entry_class_code": "PPD"
}

2. Then, use the PaymentInitiationID to create a reversal:

POST /v3/payment-initiations/:paymentInitiationID/reverse
{
    "description": "Salary payment for March 2024",
    "asset": "USD/2",
    "Reference": "Anything",
    "amount": 50,
    "metadata": {
        "com.column.spec/reason": "incorrect_amount"
    }
}

Valid reasons for reversal include:

• duplicated_entry
• incorrect_amount
• incorrect_receiver_account
• debit_earlier_than_intended
• credit_later_than_intended

Webhook Integration

The Column connector supports webhook integration to receive real-time updates about transaction statuses.

Setting Up Webhooks

1. Add the following environment variable to the payments_worker service in your docker-compose file:

   STACK_PUBLIC_URL: <Your edge URL>
   

2. Configure webhook endpoints in the webhooks_config table in your database:

   ID	Name	ConnectorID	URLPath
   0	book.transfer.completed		/book/transfer/completed
   1	wire.outgoing_transfer.completed		/wire/outgoing_transfer/completed
   2	ach.outgoing_transfer.settled		/ach/outgoing_transfer/settled
   3	swift.outgoing_transfer.completed		/swift/outgoing_transfer/completed
   4	realtime.outgoing_transfer.completed		/realtime/outgoing_transfer/completed

Testing Webhooks

1. Get the Reference ID (e.g., acht_2u0NyJbNrEkAFDYPhgWchRfXwHW) from the workflow. The status should be INITIATED.

2. Settle the ACH payment:

   POST {{base_url}}/simulate/transfers/ach/settle
   {
       "ach_transfer_id": "acht_2u0NyJbNrEkAFDYPhgWchRfXwHW"
   }
   

3. Get the Column webhook endpoints:

   GET https://api.column.com/webhook-endpoints
   

4. For the event you want to test, get the ID for that URL and send a webhook verify event:

   POST https://api.column.com/webhook-endpoints/whep_2txFEjfex72J2VkHEXlaW1ZlkfT/verify
   {
       "event_type": "ach.outgoing_transfer.settled"
   }
   

5. From the summary in the ngrok dashboard, get the request body and Column Signature header.

6. Run the webhook:

   POST http://localhost:8080/v3/connectors/webhooks/eyJQcm92aWRlciI6ImNvbHVtbiIsIlJlZmVyZW5jZSI6IjkwNmEzODkyLTQyZmQtNDhkYi1iMGZlLWRhOTQwOTEwZmVmMSJ9/ach/outgoing_transfer/settled
   

   Include the Column Signature header and use the request body from the ngrok dashboard.

7. In the workflow, search for RunHandleWebhooks to ensure it completed successfully.

Metadata Keys

The Column connector uses the following metadata keys with the namespace com.column.spec/:

Bank Account Creation

• routing_number - The routing number of the bank
• routing_number_type - The type of routing number (e.g., "aba")
• account_type - The type of account (e.g., "checking")
• wire_drawdown_allowed - Whether wire drawdown is allowed ("true" or "false")
• address_line1 - First line of the address
• address_line2 - Second line of the address
• city - City
• state - State
• postal_code - Postal code
• email - Email address
• phone - Phone number
• legal_id - Legal ID
• legal_type - Legal type
• local_bank_code - Local bank code
• local_account_number - Local account number

Payouts

• payout_type - Type of payout ("ach", "wire", "international-wire", "realtime")
• allow_overdraft - Whether to allow overdraft ("true" or "false")
• type - Type of ACH transfer ("DEBIT" or "CREDIT")
• entry_class_code - Entry class code for ACH transfers (e.g., "PPD")
• charge_bearer - Charge bearer for international wires (e.g., "SHAR")
• general_info - General information for international wires
• beneficiary_reference - Beneficiary reference for international wires

Reversal

• reason - Reason for reversal (one of the valid reversal reasons)