Connecting Bold BI to Web data source

Bold BI dashboard designer supports connecting almost all web services that has a REST API interface. A live connection in Bold BI is more powerful than an extract connection because it won’t store data in the data process. However, it is different from the Direct Query since it will fetch the data from your server rather than connecting directly to it.

What is Live Connection?

A live connection feature is available for WEB API data sources. Live web API connections do not store data in the data process. The fetched data will be cleared from the data process once all widgets have been visualized in the dashboard.

Advantages

1. Dashboard can automatically update with live data.
2. Data will no longer be stored on the data process, making it more secure.
3. No need to configure refresh setting for data refresh.
4. Shared and Joined more than one live data sources.
5. The Dashboard parameter is supported in Live connection, which is a global placeholder value such as a number, string, or date.
6. Pick up a selected column from the Web API schema.

Limitations

Some of the limitations associated with the Bold BI Web API LIVE Connection are as follows:

1. For optimum performance in live mode Web API, records are restricted to 5000 by default. Use the Extract mode for more than 5000 records. Change the limit from the Max Rows option to fetch more records.
2. It is a bit slower than the extract mode connection because the data will be fetched from your server for every action.

Workflow of live connections in Bold BI

1. At the beginning, the Live Web API can fetch data from a connected server and move it to a connected data process.
2. Widgets on the dashboard are rendered based on fetched data.
3. Data will be cleared from the data process once the dashboard data has been rendered.

Choose web data source

To configure the web data source, follow the below steps:

1. Click the Data Sources button in the configuration panel to add a new data connection.

   

2. Click CREATE NEW to launch a new connection from the connection panel.

3. Select the Web connection in the connection panel.

   

NOTE: You can also create a data source from the home page by clicking the Data Sources menu from left menu panel and Create Data Source from the data sources page.

Create web data source

After clicking the data source, the NEW DATA SOURCE configuration panel opens. Follow the below steps to create web data source:

1. Enter a name and description (optional) for the data source.

2. Enter a valid REST API endpoint in the URL text box.

3. Choose one of the Method Type from the combo box for the provided REST API. Options are GET and POST.

4. If required by the REST API, provide key value pairs in Headers. To get details about headers, refer to Query Parameters.

5. Choose a time interval for Refresh Settings using the combo box to trigger the Rest API request periodically to keep the data in sync with our dashboard.

6. Choose a Data Format from the combo box based on the response of your provided REST API. Options are JSON, CSV, and XML.

7. Choose an Authentication Type supported by the data source. Options are Basic http authentication and None. Learn more about Authentication Types.

8. Choose a Pagination Type supported by the data source from the combo box.

   

You can also edit the connection information set here using the Edit Connection option.

Preview and Data Import

• Click Preview & Connect to connect with the configurations set.

• The Choose Table(s) dialog opens. The schema represents the key data fields retrieved from the Web Rest API request. This dialog displays a list of schemas in treeview and their corresponding values in the grid for preview. Select the required schema(s) from the treeview to use in the designer and click Connect.

  

• Now, the data design view page with the selected table schema opens. Drag and drop the table.

  

• Click Save to save the data source with a relevant name.

Pagination Types

Options are None, Offset, Next Page, Next Token, and Next URL.

Note: In accordance with the pagination type, the response data must match the provided JSON format.

None

It can be used when the REST API does not need to be paginated. This will return the first set of records alone.

Offset

The number of records to be skipped before starting paginating.

For example, connect the OData REST API in the web data source with the pagination parameters as follows:

Sample for total records

Sample for data indicator path

Next Page

The number of pages to be fetched with the specific number of records per page.

For example, connect the Smartsheet REST API in the web data source with the pagination parameters as follows:

Sample for total pages

Sample for data indicator path

Next Token

Iterate the next set of records using a token.

For example, let’s connect the Google AdSense REST API in the web data source with the pagination parameters as follows:

Sample response

Next URL

Iterate the next set of records using url obtained from the response.

For example, let’s connect the GitHub REST API in the web data source with the pagination parameters as follows:

NOTE: To do pagination, you must provide any one of the field values, either the Total Records Path or Data Indicator Path. If both values are provided, the Total Records Path will be considered.

Query Parameters

1. If required by the Rest API, pass required values as key-value pairs in Headers.
2. For POST method type, if required, pass required values as key-value pairs in Parameter(s).
3. Use either Parameter(s) or Raw for POST request.

Authentication Types

1. If your data source supports authentication directly through REST API URL, choose None under Authentication Type.
2. If your data source supports API Key/API Token authentication, pass these values under Header(s) by clicking +Add. Choose None under Authentication Type.
3. If your data source has Basic HTTP authentication, choose Basic http Authentication under Authentication Type and input the username and password.

Connecting Web API data source with API Key Authentication

API Key is one of the most commonly used authentication types for REST API. API Key will be assigned to a user by the provider at the time of user creation or when enabling the API Key authentication to access the data via REST API.

API Key can be used in following places which have listed below.

• Authorization/Custom Header (Basic or Bearer).
• Query String.
• Body Data.

Adding Authorization/Custom header for API Key

To connect REST API for adding API Key in the header, you can follow below steps to connect the API in Bold BI.

• Add header in Web API data source as below.

  

• You need to select the Authentication Type as None.

  

• Header value can be either basic or bearer based on the application that you are connecting.

• Most of the API Key authentication connect using Authorization header. You can also change the name of the header key as per your need.

  

Adding API Key in Query String Parameter

Query String parameter will be added within the URL, so you can access the REST API without adding any header or body.

• No additional steps may require for connecting API using Query String type of API Key authentication.

• You need to select the Authentication Type as None since its API Key added in the Query String parameter.

  

Adding API Key in the Body Data for Post method REST APIs

Body Data usually be added for Post method API calls. If the application designed to send the API Key over the Body Data of REST API, you can follow the below steps.

• Choose POST method in Web API data source to add Body Data and add the API Key as below with relevant property names.

  

• You need to select the Authentication Type as None since its API Key added as Body Data.

  

Dashboard Parameter

Use Dashboard parameters with Live Web API connection. The Web API live connection in combination with the dashboard parameter will help to achieve many of the use cases. The following are some examples of dashboard parameters with Live web connections.

Dashboard parameters can be used in the Web API connection’s URL, Headers, and Parameters.

Example 1: Filtering the dashboards based on Literal Mode.

Follow these steps to use the feature.

1. Connect the REST API to the live web data source.

https://services.odata.org/V4/OData/OData.svc/Products 2. Once you have connected the data source, create the StartDate and EndDate under the Literal Mode dashboard parameters. 3. Save the data source. Then, click the edit data source to reconnect the dashboard parameter URL as given and save the changes. Example:http://services.odata.org/V4/OData/OData.svc/Products?%24filter=ReleaseDate%20gt%20@{{:LiteralDS.StartDate}}T00:00:00Z%20and%20ReleaseDate%20lt%20@{{:LiteralDS.EndDate}}T00:00:00Z

4. Create the dashboard with the data source and publish it.

>  **NOTE:** A dashboard is rendered according to the date range configured in the dashboard parameter when the data source is created.

5. Click the dashboard parameter icon and adjust the date range to render the dashboard with the specified values. 6. Real-time data will be displayed on the dashboard based on the selected date range.

Example 2: Filtering the dashboards based on Iterative Mode.

Note: The Live Web data sources do not support multiple iterative Modes for optimum performance and time delay.

Follow these steps to use the feature.

1. Connect the REST API to the live web data source.

https://gorest.co.in/public/v2/users

2. Once you’ve connected the data source, create the User ID under the Iterative Mode of the dashboard parameters. Refer to the document to add the Iterative Mode dashboard parameter.

3. Save the data source. Then, click the edit data source to reconnect the dashboard parameter URL as given and save the changes. Example:https://gorest.co.in/public/v2/users/@{{:IterativeDS.User ID}}

4. Create the dashboard with the data source and publish it.

   NOTE: A dashboard is rendered according to the User ID’s range configured in the dashboard parameter when the data source is created.

   

5. Click the dashboard parameter icon and select the User IDs to render the dashboard with the specified values.

6. Real-time data will be displayed on the dashboard based on the selected User ID’s range.

Limitation Information

Configuring Date Parameters

You can configure the URL of the API request with templates containing date queries. The queries will be updated with respective date values.

Syntax{{:today()}}:It is used for single calendar related method.

Or

Syntax{{:today().adddays(1)}}:It is used when more than one method is added.

For example,a dummy API is used to explain here

Now, this URL will be parsed, and templates will be matched, hence the templates will be replaced with dates accordingly. This helps you to fetch data between the start date and end date.

Functions supported in date parameters

You can configure parameters as numeric values for the following functions: AddMinutes, Addhours, AddDays, AddWeeks, AddMonths, AddYears, AddQuarters, SetDayStart, and SetMonthStart.

All the Add methods should not have parameter as 0, the SetDayStart should have a numerical value between 0 and 6, and the SetMonthStart should have a numerical value between 1 and 12.

String parameters are used in the next set of functions which are start, end, format, and SetTimeZone. Both start and end functions support four string parameters which are week, month, quarter, and year. The format function is used to change the format of date and time, and the parameter is matched with the date and time format supported in C#. A support for epoch time is also made available in the format function. The SetTimeZone is used to change the time zone of the date and the parameter is matched with TimeZoneInfo IDs present in C#.

Today function does not hold any parameters. Here for example concern we are using today()as 11/16/2018 12:17

NOTE: Each template should mandatorily start with today function. For a template, if the format function is used, it should be the last function call.

Related links

Data Transformation

Editing a Data Connection

Dashboard Designer Walkthrough