Resources · Zapier integration

BigML Zapier integrationAutomate BigML with Zapier.

The BigML Zapier integration brings 1 trigger, 4 actions and 1 search. It lets the rest of your tools ask a trained BigML model for an answer, a prediction, an anomaly score, a cluster or a set of topics, and react when a new resource shows up in your account.

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Overview

What the BigML Zapier integration is for

BigML is a machine learning platform: you train models on your data there, then use them to classify, forecast, spot outliers or group similar records. Through Zapier, those models stop living only in the BigML dashboard. Another app can send a record, get the model's answer back, and pass it on to the next step.

Three results that map onto real operations. A score on every incoming record: Create Prediction runs a model, a logistic regression or a deepnet against the values you map, so a lead or a ticket arrives with the model's verdict attached. An outlier flag: Create Anomaly Score tells you how unusual a record looks compared with what the model has learned. A group or a theme: Create Centroid returns the closest cluster, and Create Topic Distribution gives the topic probabilities of a document.

What Zapier does not do here: it does not train anything. There is no action to upload a dataset, build a model or delete a resource, so the learning part stays in BigML. The only trigger watches for new resources, not for a changed model. Think of Zapier as the messenger between your apps and models you already built. If you want to compare, there is a BigML Make integration page, and the n8n vs Zapier comparison covers the choice of tool.

Vocabulary

Zapier words, in plain English

Eight terms keep coming back below. One line each, and then they are used as is.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run every time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event in an app that starts the Zap. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for that event and reacts to it.
Action
What the Zap does after it starts: the step that writes, sends or, with BigML, asks a model for a result.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action your Zap completes successfully. Your plan is a count of those tasks.
Polling vs instant
A polling trigger is checked by Zapier on a timer. An instant one is pushed by the app the moment the event happens.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap continue only when what arrived meets the condition you set, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something already in an app, so the following steps can use what it found.
Connection
Your BigML account linked to Zapier once, then reused by every BigML step in every Zap you build.
Cost

What a BigML Zap costs in tasks

BigML is not a premium app, so it runs on the free plan. Zapier bills the work done, not the watching.

  • Free plan100 tasks per month
  • Free Zap sizeTwo steps: one trigger, one action
  • Premium appNo
  • Trigger costZero tasks

The New Resource trigger never costs a task, and Zapier checking for new resources is free however often it looks. Each prediction, score, centroid or topic distribution that comes back successfully is one task; a failed call is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and two-step Zaps only. Add a filter, a second action or the Find a Resource step and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan.

Connect

Connect BigML to Zapier

  1. 01

    Start from Apps

    Open Apps in your Zapier account and click + Add connection. You need a BigML account, plus access to any project or resource that someone else owns and the Zap should use.

  2. 02

    Pick BigML

    Search for BigML in the dialog, select it and click Add connection. Sign in to BigML in the tab that opens, with the account whose models the Zap will call.

  3. 03

    Allow access

    Grant Zapier access to that account. The connection is then shared by every BigML step you add, whether it is a prediction, a score or a search, across all your Zaps.

First Zap

Your first BigML Zap: sanity-check every new model

GoalEach time a new ensemble appears in BigML, run a prediction on a reference case you know the answer to.

  1. 01

    Build: choose the trigger

    Create a Zap, pick BigML as the app and New Resource as the event. Select the BigML connection you added in the previous section.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent resources of the account, so you can map the next steps on a real one, not on placeholders.

  3. 03

    Narrow it with a filter

    Add Filter from the plus icon: the resource ID as field, a text rule, and ensemble/ as value, so only new ensembles go on. This step makes the Zap multi-step, so a paid plan.

  4. 04

    Add Create Prediction

    Choose Create Prediction, map the resource from the trigger into the required Resource field, then type the values of your reference case.

  5. 05

    Test, then Publish

    Test the action and compare the answer with what you expect from that case. Then click Publish. Resources created before this moment are not picked up.

Triggers

The BigML trigger

1 event starts a Zap when something happens in BigML. Zapier checks for them at the interval your plan allows.

1

New Resource

Polling trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new resource is created.”

Starts the Zap when a new resource is created in your BigML account. It is the only signal BigML sends out through Zapier, so it is the only way an event in BigML can start a Zap.

How it fires
Zapier goes and looks at regular intervals, and how often depends on your plan: every 15 minutes on the free one
When to use it
a data team that retrains models often and wants each new one checked on a known case, or announced to the people who rely on it.
Watch out
it is the only trigger and it is not instant. On the free plan, a new resource can wait up to 15 minutes before the Zap notices it.
Actions

The 4 BigML actions

BigML gives you 4 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Create Anomaly Score

Action

In Zapier“Calculates the anomaly score of a data instance.”

Measures how unusual one record is, based on an anomaly detector you trained in BigML. The score travels on to the next step.

When to use it
an order or a payment looks routine at first glance and you want a second opinion before someone processes it.
Watch out
the Resource must be an anomaly detector you built; the Zap cannot create one for you.
2

Create Centroid

Action

In Zapier“Find out the closest cluster to your data instance.”

Finds which cluster a record is closest to, using a cluster model from your account. Handy when segments come from the data rather than from rules.

When to use it
a new customer should land in the segment your clustering found, so the right team follows up.
Watch out
point the required Resource field at a cluster, not at a prediction model.
3

Create Prediction

Action

In Zapier“Predict using a model, logistic regression, or deepnets.”

Sends a record to a trained model, a logistic regression or a deepnet, and returns its prediction to the next steps of the Zap.

When to use it
a new deal or a support request should arrive in your other tools already labeled by the model.
Watch out
the Resource field is required and takes an ID like ensemble/12344567 from the address bar.
4

Create Topic Distribution

Action

In Zapier“Calculate all topic probabilities for a given document.”

Reads a document through a topic model and returns the probability of every topic it knows. Text goes in, themes come out.

When to use it
incoming articles, reviews or emails should be routed by what they talk about instead of by keywords.
Watch out
it needs a topic model as Resource, trained beforehand in BigML on similar text.
Searches

The BigML search

1 search step looks for data that already exists in BigML, so a later step can use it.

A search step looks something up before acting. In the action-event list, searches sit at the bottom, under the SEARCH heading. Three settings decide what happens when the lookup does not go as planned.

1

Find a Resource

Search

In Zapier“Finds a resource.”

Looks up a resource that already exists in your BigML account and hands it to the following steps, so an action can use it without a hard-coded ID.

When to use it
your Zap should always run predictions on whichever model you pick by search, rather than on an ID typed once and forgotten.
Watch out
how closely it matches what you type is decided by BigML, not by Zapier, so test it on a resource that really exists.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left on its default, a search that finds nothing stops the Zap there and skips the steps that depended on it. Switch it on and the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create X if it doesn't exist yet?
    This box turns a search into find-or-create on apps that offer it. Find a Resource has no such variant, so on BigML you will not get one.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Three ways out when several resources match: keep the first one (the default), stop the Zap, or pass all of them on at once.
When it breaks

When a BigML Zap breaks

Zapier links no help article to BigML. What breaks is what breaks on any Zap, and with models it shows up in a few predictable spots.

The usual suspects are the Resource ID and timing. A Zap reacts to events that happen after it is published, and each action is pinned to the resource you chose. When a check below does not explain the problem, the Zapier troubleshooting page is the next stop.

  • Old resources are ignored

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after it is switched on. Models created before you published will not start it; handling them is a separate job.

  • Watch for a self-feeding loop

    A Zap that writes into the very place its own trigger watches sets itself off again and again. Check whether your actions create new resources that New Resource then sees.

  • A burst after a bulk job

    If a big batch of resources appears at once, after an import or a migration, Zapier's flood protection can hold the trigger back instead of running everything.

  • Each resource counts once

    Zapier remembers which resources it has already seen on this polling trigger, so the same one never starts the Zap twice.
Need help

Need help automating BigML with Zapier?

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FAQ

BigML Zapier integration: common questions

01Is the BigML Zapier integration free?
Yes. BigML is not a premium app, so it works on the free Zapier plan. That plan gives you 100 tasks a month and unlimited Zaps, each limited to two steps: one trigger and one action. New Resource followed by Create Prediction fits. A filter, a second action or the Find a Resource step makes the Zap multi-step, and multi-step Zaps need a paid plan. Prices are not listed here because they change too often to stay accurate.
02How many tasks does a BigML Zap use?
One task for each action that completes successfully. Every prediction, anomaly score, centroid or topic distribution that comes back counts as one. The trigger costs nothing, and Zapier checking BigML for new resources costs nothing either, however often it checks. A call that fails is not counted. If you chain Create Prediction and Create Anomaly Score in the same Zap, each successful run uses two tasks, because each action is counted on its own.
03Does BigML trigger in real time on Zapier?
No. New Resource is a polling trigger: Zapier asks BigML for new resources at a fixed interval, every 15 minutes on the free plan, every 2 minutes on Professional, every minute on Team and Enterprise. The type is set by the app and cannot be changed in the editor. On paid plans you can also run a check by hand from the editor. The actions themselves run as soon as the Zap reaches them.
04What does connecting BigML to Zapier require?
A BigML account, plus access to any resource or project owned by someone else that the Zap needs. You add the connection once from the Apps page with + Add connection, sign in to BigML and grant access. Before building, make sure the model exists: every action requires a Resource ID, which you read in the address bar of that resource in BigML. Without that ID, no action can run. Note it down first.
05Can Zapier train or retrain a BigML model?
No. The integration only uses models you have already built. The four actions ask an existing resource for a prediction, an anomaly score, a centroid or a topic distribution, and Find a Resource looks one up. There is no action to upload data, create a dataset or launch training. Retraining stays in BigML, and New Resource is how a Zap learns that a new model appeared so it can start using or testing it.
06What if the BigML operation you need is not on Zapier?
Then the Zap cannot perform it with BigML today. The six visible operations cover new resources, four kinds of results and one search, nothing else. A common workaround is to let BigML do the heavy work on its side and use Zapier only to feed records in and carry results out. It is also worth opening the BigML page of other automation tools before choosing, to see what each one exposes.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for BigML?
Compare them on criteria, not on a ranking. Coverage: on Zapier, BigML gives one polling trigger, four result actions and one search; check what each tool exposes for the same app. Cost: Zapier bills each successful action and nothing for watching, which suits a flow that scores records one by one. Volume: if you score many records per run, count tasks carefully before you pick. Choose on your own numbers.
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