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Canny Data Source

The Canny connector enables you to ingest customer feedback data such as boards, posts, comments, votes, companies, and users into Nexla. Follow the instructions below to create a new data flow that ingests data from a Canny source in Nexla.
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Canny

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

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

    Canny sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from Canny 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 Canny endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Canny 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.

    List Boards

    This endpoint returns a list of all boards in your Canny workspace. Boards are the highest level of organization in Canny and are used to keep feedback for distinct products or areas separate. Use this endpoint when you need a catalog of your boards or their identifiers for use with other endpoints.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all boards accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • Board records include details such as the board name, post counts, and creation date.

    Board identifiers returned by this endpoint can be used to filter or create records on other Canny endpoints, such as the List Posts and Create Tag endpoints. For complete field details, see the Canny API reference.

    List Categories

    This endpoint returns a list of all categories in your Canny workspace. Categories provide an additional way to organize feedback within boards. Use this endpoint when you need to analyze how feedback is grouped or to retrieve category identifiers.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all categories accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    Each category is associated with a board. Use the List Boards endpoint to retrieve board details that correspond to the categories returned here.

    List Changelog Entries

    This endpoint returns a list of all changelog entries in your Canny workspace. Changelog entries communicate product updates such as new features, fixes, and improvements to your users. Use this endpoint to ingest your published changelog for reporting or to syndicate updates to other systems.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all changelog entries accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    Changelog entries can include details such as the title, status, publication date, and any linked posts. For complete field details, see the Canny API reference.

    List Comments

    This endpoint returns a list of all comments in your Canny workspace. Comments are user discussions attached to feedback posts. Use this endpoint to analyze user engagement or to bring comment threads into other systems for support or analysis.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all comments accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    Each comment references the post and author it is associated with. Use the List Posts and List Users endpoints to retrieve the corresponding post and author details.

    List Companies

    This endpoint returns a list of all companies in your Canny workspace. Companies group users by the organization they belong to, enabling account-level analysis of feedback. Use this endpoint to ingest company records for segmentation or reporting.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all companies accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    Company records can include custom fields and monthly spend data, which are useful for prioritizing feedback by account value.

    List Posts

    This endpoint returns a list of all posts in your Canny workspace. Posts are individual feedback items, such as feature requests or bug reports, submitted by users. Use this endpoint to ingest the core feedback data that drives prioritization and roadmap decisions.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all posts accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    Post records include details such as the title, status, vote count, author, board, and category. Use the corresponding List endpoints to enrich posts with related board, category, and user details.

    List Status Changes

    This endpoint returns a list of all status changes in your Canny workspace. Status changes record each time a post moves between states such as open, under review, planned, in progress, or complete. Use this endpoint to track how feedback progresses over time.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all status changes accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    Each status change references the post it applies to. Use the List Posts endpoint to retrieve the corresponding post details.

    List Tags

    This endpoint returns a list of all tags in your Canny workspace. Tags are per-board labels, visible only to admins, that help further organize feedback when product areas are not distinct enough to warrant separate boards. Use this endpoint to ingest your tag taxonomy.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all tags accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    Each tag is associated with a board. Tag identifiers returned here can be used with the Add Tag to Post destination endpoint.

    List Users

    This endpoint returns a list of all users in your Canny workspace. Users are the people who submit and vote on feedback. Use this endpoint to ingest user records for analysis, segmentation, or to associate feedback activity with individual people.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all users accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    User records can include details such as name, email, and the company a user belongs to. Use the List Companies endpoint to retrieve the corresponding company details.

    List Votes

    This endpoint returns a list of all votes in your Canny workspace. Votes indicate how much demand exists for each piece of feedback by recording which users have voted on which posts. Use this endpoint to analyze demand or to feed prioritization models.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all votes accessible with your credential. No additional configuration is required beyond selecting this endpoint template.
    • The endpoint uses offset-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently, automatically fetching additional pages until all records are retrieved.

    Each vote references both the post and the voter. Use the List Posts and List Users endpoints to retrieve the corresponding post and user details.

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​

Canny data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid Canny 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 Canny sources, such as sources that use chained API calls to fetch data from multiple endpoints or sources that require custom 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 Canny API from the Method pulldown menu. Canny list endpoints use the POST method, with parameters supplied in the request body. The most common methods are:

    • GET: For retrieving data from the API
    • POST: For sending data to the API or triggering actions
    • 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 Canny 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. Canny API endpoints follow the pattern https://canny.io/api/v1/{resource}/list (for example, https://canny.io/api/v1/posts/list).

Ensure the API endpoint URL is correct and accessible with your current credentials. You can test the endpoint using the Test button after configuring the URL.

Path to Data​

Optional

If only a subset of the data returned by the 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 do not need for your analysis.

Canny list endpoints return the relevant records inside a top-level array named after the resource. For example, a call to the posts list endpoint returns the records inside a posts array.

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. Canny responses are in JSON format, so enter the JSON path that points to the array of records. JSON paths use dot notation (for example, $.posts[*] to access the array of posts).

    Path to Data Example:

    For the List Posts endpoint, the response includes a top-level array named posts, so the path to the relevant data would be entered as $.posts[*]. For other endpoints, substitute the corresponding array name, such as $.boards[*], $.comments[*], or $.users[*].

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.

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 requirements.

    You do not need to include any headers already present in the credentials. The x-api-key authentication header is handled automatically by Nexla based on 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 Canny 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.