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Data Source

Follow the instructions below to create a new data flow that ingests data from a BigCommerce Store Management source in Nexla.
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BigCommerce Store Management

Create a New Data Flow​

  1. To create a new data flow, navigate to the Integrate section, and click the New Data Flow button. Then, select the desired flow type from the list, and click the Create button.

  2. Select the BigCommerce Store Management connector tile from the list of available connectors. Then, select the credential that will be used to connect to the BigCommerce Store Management instance, and click Next; or, create a new BigCommerce Store Management credential for use in this flow.

  3. In Nexla, BigCommerce Store Management data sources can be created using pre-built endpoint templates, which expedite source setup for common BigCommerce Store Management endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding BigCommerce Store Management endpoint, making source configuration easy and efficient.
    • To configure this source using a template, follow the instructions in Configure Using a Template.

    BigCommerce Store Management sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from BigCommerce Store Management endpoints not included in the pre-built templates or apply further customizations to exactly suit your needs.
    • To configure this source manually, follow the instructions in Configure Manually.

Configure Using a Template​

Nexla provides pre-built templates that can be used to rapidly configure data sources to ingest data from common BigCommerce Store Management endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding BigCommerce Store Management endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.

Endpoint Settings​

  • Select the endpoint from which this source will fetch data from the Endpoint pulldown menu. Available endpoint templates are listed in the expandable boxes below. Click on an endpoint to see more information about it and how to configure your data source for this endpoint.

    View Store Information

    This endpoint retrieves metadata and information about your BigCommerce store. Use this endpoint when you need to access store settings, configuration, or general store information.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves store information. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses GET requests to the BigCommerce Store Management API endpoint (https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/{store_hash}/v2/store). The endpoint URL is automatically constructed based on your credential's store hash configuration.
    • The endpoint will return store metadata and information. The response data is returned at the root level of the JSON response ($), containing store details, settings, and configuration information.
    • The endpoint does not use pagination and returns store information in a single request.

    This endpoint retrieves store metadata in a single request. The endpoint does not use pagination and returns all available store information. The endpoint requires API key authentication with the X-Auth-Token header, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration. For detailed information about the Store Information API, including available fields and response formats, see the BigCommerce API documentation.

    Fetch Resources of a Type

    This endpoint retrieves all store resources of a specified type from your BigCommerce store. Use this endpoint when you need to access products, categories, orders, customers, or other store resources. This endpoint fetches a maximum of 1000 responses based on the selected filter criteria and pagination settings.

    • Enter the resource path in the Resource Path field. This should be the resource category and resource name in the format resourceCategory/resourceName. For example:

      • catalog/brands - For fetching brands
      • catalog/categories - For fetching categories (default)
      • catalog/products - For fetching products
      • orders - For fetching orders
      • customers - For fetching customers

      The default value is catalog/categories if not specified.

    • Select the API version from the API Version dropdown menu. Available options are:

      • v3: BigCommerce API v3 (default, recommended)
      • v2: BigCommerce API v2 (legacy)

      The default value is v3 if not specified.

    • Enter the maximum number of items to fetch per page in the Items per page field. This determines how many items will be retrieved in each API request. The default value is 50 if not specified. The endpoint will fetch a maximum of 1000 total responses based on the selected filter criteria.

    • The endpoint uses GET requests to the BigCommerce Store Management API endpoint (https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/{store_hash}/{api_version}/{resource_type}). The endpoint URL is automatically constructed based on your credential's store hash configuration and the selected API version and resource type.
    • The endpoint uses incrementing page-based pagination, automatically fetching additional pages as needed using the page and limit query parameters. The endpoint starts from page 1 and continues fetching pages until all available resources have been retrieved (up to the maximum of 1000 responses).
    • The endpoint will return all resources of the specified type. The response data is extracted from the data array in the API response ($.data[*]), with each resource record processed individually.

    This endpoint requires a valid resource path in the format resourceCategory/resourceName. The endpoint uses incrementing page-based pagination (iteration.type: paging.incrementing) through the page and limit query parameters. The endpoint starts from page 1 and uses the specified page limit to fetch resources. The endpoint will fetch a maximum of 1000 total responses. The endpoint requires API key authentication with the X-Auth-Token header, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration. For detailed information about available resource types, API versions, and response formats, see the BigCommerce API documentation.

Endpoint Testing​

Once the selected endpoint template has been configured, Nexla can retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched according to the current settings. This allows users to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.

  • To test the current endpoint configuration, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu. Sample data will be fetched & displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right.

  • If the sample data is not as expected, review the selected endpoint and associated settings, and make any necessary adjustments. Then, click the Test button again, and check the sample data to ensure that the correct information is displayed.

Configure Manually​

BigCommerce Store Management data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid BigCommerce Store Management API endpoint. Manual configuration provides maximum flexibility for accessing endpoints not covered by pre-built templates or when you need custom API configurations.

With manual configuration, you can also create more complex BigCommerce Store Management sources, such as sources that use chained API calls to fetch data from multiple endpoints or sources that require custom authentication headers or request parameters.

API Method​

  1. To manually configure this source, select the Advanced tab at the top of the configuration screen.

  2. Select the API method that will be used for calls to the BigCommerce Store Management API from the Method pulldown menu. The BigCommerce Store Management API primarily uses GET requests for data retrieval operations. The most common methods are:

    • GET: For retrieving data from the API (most common for BigCommerce Store Management)
    • POST: For creating resources
    • PUT: For updating existing data
    • PATCH: For partial updates to existing data
    • DELETE: For removing data

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the BigCommerce Store Management API endpoint from which this source will fetch data in the Set API URL field. This should be the complete URL including the protocol (https://) and any required path parameters. BigCommerce Store Management API endpoints typically follow the pattern https://api.bigcommerce.com/stores/{store_hash}/{api_version}/{resource_path} where {store_hash} is your store hash, {api_version} is the API version (e.g., v2, v3), and {resource_path} is the specific resource path (e.g., catalog/products, orders, customers).

Ensure the API endpoint URL is correct and accessible with your current credentials. The BigCommerce Store Management API endpoint URL is automatically constructed based on your credential's store hash configuration. You can test the endpoint using the Test button after configuring the URL. BigCommerce Store Management API requests require API key authentication with the X-Auth-Token header, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration. For detailed information about BigCommerce Store Management API endpoints and available resources, see the BigCommerce API documentation.

Date/Time Macros (API URL)​

Optional

Optionally, the API URL can be customized using macros—all macros added to the API URL will be converted into values when Nexla executes the API call. Macros are dynamic placeholders that allow you to create flexible API endpoints that can adapt to different time periods or data requirements.

Macros are particularly useful for APIs that require date ranges, pagination parameters, or other dynamic values that change between data ingestion runs.

  1. To add a macro, type { at the appropriate position in the API URL (within the Set API URL field), and select the desired macro from the dropdown list.

    • {now} – The current datetime
    • {now-1} – The datetime one time unit before the current datetime
    • {now+1} – The datetime one time unit after the current datetime
    • custom – Datetime macros can reference any number of time units before or after the current datetime—for example, enter (now-4) to indicate the datetime four time units before the current datetime

  2. Select the format that will be applied to datetime macros from the Date Format for Date/Time Macro pulldown menu. This format will be applied to the base datetime value of the macro—i.e., the value of {now} in {now-1}.

  3. Select the datetime unit that will be used to perform mathematical operations in the included macro(s) from the Time Unit for Operations pulldown menu—for example, for the macro {now-1}, when Day is selected, {now-1} will be converted to the datetime one day before the current datetime.

Lookup-Based Macros (API URL)​

Optional

Column values from existing lookups can also be included as macros in the API URL. Lookup-based macros allow you to reference data from previously configured data sources or lookups, enabling dynamic API endpoints that can adapt based on existing data.

Lookup-based macros are useful when you need to create API endpoints that reference specific IDs, values, or parameters from other data sources in your Nexla environment.

  1. To include a lookup column value macro, select the relevant lookup from the Add Lookups to Supported Macros pulldown menu.

  2. Type { at the appropriate position in the API URL, and select the lookup column-based macro from the dropdown list. Lookup-based macros are automatically populated into the macro list when a lookup is selected in the Add Lookups to Supported Macros pulldown menu.

Path to Data​

Optional

If only a subset of the data that will be returned by API endpoint is needed, you can designate the part(s) of the response that should be included in the Nexset(s) produced from this source by specifying the path to the relevant data within the response. This is particularly useful when API responses contain metadata, pagination information, or other data that you don't need for your analysis.

For example, when a request call is used to fetch a list of items, the API will typically return an array of records, along with metadata, in the response. By entering the path to the relevant data, you can configure Nexla to treat each element of the returned array as a record.

Path to Data is essential when API responses have nested structures. Without specifying the correct path, Nexla might not be able to properly parse and organize your data into usable records.

  • To specify which data should be treated as relevant in responses from this source, enter the path to the relevant data in the Set Path to Data in Response field.

    • For responses in JSON format enter the JSON path that points to the object or array that should be treated as relevant data. JSON paths use dot notation (e.g., $.data[*] to access an array of items within a response object).

    • For responses in XML format, enter the XPath that points to the object/array containing relevant data. XPath uses slash notation (e.g., /response/data/item to access item elements within a data element).

    Path to Data Example:

    If the API response is in JSON format and includes a top-level object with an array named data that contains the relevant data, the path to the response would be entered as $.data[*].

Autogenerate Path Suggestions​

Nexla can also autogenerate data path suggestions based on the response from the API endpoint. These suggested paths can be used as-is or modified to exactly suit your needs.

  • To use this feature, click the Test button next to the Set API URL field to fetch a sample response from the API endpoint. Suggested data paths generated based on the content & format of the response will be displayed in the Suggestions box below the Set Path to Data in Response field.

  • Click on a suggestion to automatically populate the Set Path to Data in Response field with the corresponding path. The populated path can be modified directly within the field if further customization is needed.

    PathSuggestions.png

Metadata​

If metadata is included in the response but is located outside of the defined path to relevant data, you can configure Nexla to include this data as common metadata in each record. This is useful when you want to preserve important contextual information that applies to all records but isn't part of the main data array.

For example, when a request call is used to fetch a list of items, the API response will typically include an array of records along with metadata such as total count, pagination information, or request timestamps. In this case, if you have specified the path to the relevant data but metadata of interest is located in a different part of the response, you can specify a path to this metadata to include it with each record in the generated Nexset(s).

Metadata paths are particularly useful for preserving API response context like request IDs, timestamps, or summary statistics that apply to all records in the response.

  • To specify the location of metadata that should be included with each record, enter the path to the relevant metadata in the Path to Metadata in Response field.

    • For responses in JSON format, enter the JSON path to the object or array that contains the metadata, and for responses in XML format, enter the XPath.

Request Headers​

Optional

  • If Nexla should include any additional request headers in API calls to this source, enter the headers & corresponding values as comma-separated pairs in the Request Headers field (e.g., header1:value1,header2:value2). Additional headers are often required for API versioning, content type specifications, or custom authentication requirements.

    You do not need to include any headers already present in the credentials. Common headers like Authorization, Content-Type, and Accept are typically handled automatically by Nexla based on your credential configuration. BigCommerce Store Management API requests require API key authentication with the X-Auth-Token header, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration.

Endpoint Testing​

After configuring all settings for the selected endpoint, Nexla can retrieve a sample of the data that will be fetched according to the current configuration. This allows users to verify that the source is configured correctly before saving.

  • To test the current endpoint configuration, click the Test button to the right of the endpoint selection menu. Sample data will be fetched & displayed in the Endpoint Test Result panel on the right.

  • If the sample data is not as expected, review the selected endpoint and associated settings, and make any necessary adjustments. Then, click the Test button again, and check the sample data to ensure that the correct information is displayed.

Save & Activate the Source​

  1. Once all of the relevant steps in the above sections have been completed, click the Create button in the upper right corner of the screen to save and create the new BigCommerce Store Management data source. Nexla will now begin ingesting data from the configured endpoint and will organize any data that it finds into one or more Nexsets.