Google Forms API Data Source
Google Forms API
Create a New Data Flow
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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.
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Select the Google Forms API connector tile from the list of available connectors. Then, select the credential that will be used to connect to the Google Forms API, and click Next; or, create a new Google Forms API credential for use in this flow.
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In Nexla, Google Forms API data sources can be created using pre-built endpoint templates, which expedite source setup for common Google Forms API endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Google Forms API endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.
• To configure this source using a template, follow the instructions in Configure Using a Template.Google Forms API sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from Google Forms API 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 Google Forms API endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Google Forms API endpoint, making data source setup easy and efficient.
Endpoint Settings
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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.
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.
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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.
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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
Google Forms API sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from Google Forms API endpoints not included in the pre-built templates or apply further customizations to exactly suit your needs.
First, select the method that will be used for calls to the Google Forms API from the Method pulldown menu. The Google Forms API is a read-only API for most operations, so GET is the most commonly used method:
- GET: For retrieving form data, form responses, and form metadata.
- POST: For creating forms or watch subscriptions (if your credential scopes include write access).
API Endpoint URL
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Enter the URL of the Google Forms 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.Common Google Forms API endpoints include:
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Get Form: Retrieves the full structure, questions, and settings of a specific form.
- URL:
https://forms.googleapis.com/v1/forms/{formId} - Replace
{formId}with the ID of the Google Form you want to access. The form ID can be found in the form's URL in your browser (e.g.,https://docs.google.com/forms/d/FORM_ID_HERE/edit).
- URL:
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List Form Responses: Retrieves all responses submitted to a specific form.
- URL:
https://forms.googleapis.com/v1/forms/{formId}/responses - Replace
{formId}with the ID of the target Google Form.
- URL:
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Get a Specific Response: Retrieves a single response by its response ID.
- URL:
https://forms.googleapis.com/v1/forms/{formId}/responses/{responseId} - Replace
{formId}and{responseId}with the appropriate identifiers.
- URL:
The form ID is embedded in the URL when you open a Google Form in your browser. For example, in the URL
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgVE2upms/edit, the form ID is1BxiMVs0XRA5nFMdKvBdBZjgmUUqptlbs74OgVE2upms. -
Date/Time Macros (API URL)
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.
The Google Forms API forms.responses.list endpoint supports a filter query parameter that accepts timestamp-based filters (e.g., timestamp > 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z). Date/time macros are particularly useful for incrementally retrieving only new responses submitted since the last data ingestion run.
Macros are particularly useful for the filter parameter of the Google Forms responses endpoint. For example, you can construct a URL like https://forms.googleapis.com/v1/forms/{formId}/responses?filter=timestamp%20>%20{'{now-1}'} to retrieve only responses submitted within the last time period.
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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 datetimecustom– 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
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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}.The Google Forms API filter parameter expects timestamps in RFC 3339 format (e.g.,
2024-01-15T00:00:00Z). Select the date format that matches this pattern when using macros with the filter query parameter. -
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}, whenDayis selected,{now-1}will be converted to the datetime one day before the current datetime.
Lookup-Based Macros (API URL)
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 dynamically supply form IDs or response IDs based on data from another Nexla source, rather than hardcoding them in the URL.
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To include a lookup column value macro, select the relevant lookup from the Add Lookups to Supported Macros pulldown menu.
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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
If only a subset of the data returned by the API endpoint is needed, you can designate the part 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.
For example, when calling the Google Forms API to list form responses, the API returns a JSON object with a top-level responses array containing individual response objects. By specifying the path to the responses array, you instruct Nexla to treat each response as a separate record in the resulting Nexset.
Path to Data is essential when working with Google Forms API responses. For example, use $.responses[*] to extract individual form response records from the forms.responses.list endpoint, or $.items[*].questionItem to extract individual question items from a form's item list.
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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.
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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.,
$.responses[*]to access the responses array returned by theforms.responses.listendpoint). -
For responses in XML format, enter the XPath that points to the object/array containing relevant data. XPath uses slash notation (e.g.,
/response/data/itemto access item elements within a data element).
Path to Data Example:When using the
forms.responses.listendpoint (https://forms.googleapis.com/v1/forms/{formId}/responses), the API response includes a top-levelresponsesarray. Enter$.responses[*]to extract each individual form response as a record in Nexla. -
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.
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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.
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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.
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 is not part of the main data array.
For example, the Google Forms API forms.responses.list endpoint returns a nextPageToken field at the top level of the response alongside the responses array. If you have specified $.responses[*] as the path to relevant data, you can specify a path to additional top-level metadata to include it with each response record.
Metadata paths are particularly useful for preserving API response context like pagination tokens, form revision IDs, or response counts that apply across all records in the response.
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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
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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 sometimes required for API versioning, content type specifications, or custom request requirements.You do not need to include any headers already present in the credentials. The Google Forms API Authorization header is handled automatically by Nexla based on your OAuth credential configuration. Common headers like Authorization and Content-Type are added automatically.
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.
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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.
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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
- 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 Google Forms API 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.