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Data Source

Follow the instructions below to create a new data flow that ingests data from an OpenAir source in Nexla.
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OpenAir

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

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

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

    Get Records of Type

    This endpoint template returns all records of a specific resource type from your OpenAir account. Use this template when you need to retrieve records such as contacts, expense reports, job codes, projects, or other OpenAir resources. Use the advanced tab for customizing slices of data to be fetched.

    • Enter the resource type in the Resource Type field. This should be the type of resource whose records you wish to fetch (e.g., contacts, expense-reports, job-codes, projects). The resource type determines which OpenAir resource will be queried. Refer to the OpenAir API documentation for available resource types.

    This endpoint retrieves all records of a specific resource type from your OpenAir account. The endpoint uses offset-based pagination with limit and offset parameters to handle large datasets efficiently. Nexla will automatically fetch subsequent pages of data by incrementing the offset. The endpoint returns up to 1000 records per page by default.

    You can use the advanced tab to customize which slices of data are fetched, including filtering, sorting, and field selection. For detailed information about resource types, API response structures, pagination, and available resource data, see the OpenAir REST API Guide.

    Get One Record

    This endpoint template returns a specific record of a specific resource type from your OpenAir account. Use this template when you need to retrieve a single record by its ID, such as a specific contact, expense report, job code, or project. Use the advanced tab for customizing slices of data to be fetched.

    • Enter the resource type in the Resource Type field. This should be the type of resource whose record you wish to fetch (e.g., contacts, expense-reports, job-codes, projects). The resource type determines which OpenAir resource will be queried.
    • Enter the record ID in the Record ID field. This should be the unique identifier of the specific record you want to retrieve. The record ID is used to fetch a single record from the specified resource type.

    This endpoint retrieves a specific record by its ID from your OpenAir account. The endpoint returns a single record matching the specified resource type and record ID. You can use the advanced tab to customize which slices of data are fetched, including field selection and related data.

    For detailed information about resource types, record IDs, API response structures, and available resource data, see the OpenAir REST API Guide.

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​

OpenAir data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid OpenAir 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 OpenAir sources, such as sources that use chained API calls to fetch related data or sources that require custom query parameters or filters.

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 OpenAir API from the Method pulldown menu. OpenAir API typically uses GET method for retrieving data from endpoints.

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the OpenAir API endpoint from which this source will fetch data in the Set API URL field. This should be the complete URL including your account base URL (from your credential), the API path (e.g., /rest/v1/contacts), and any required query parameters (e.g., https://{company-id}.app.openair.com/rest/v1/contacts?limit=1000&offset=0). Include any required query parameters in the URL.

Ensure the API endpoint URL is correct and accessible with your current credentials. The OpenAir API uses offset-based pagination with limit and offset for most endpoints. The endpoint URL should include your account base URL and the resource type path. You can test the endpoint using the Test button after configuring the URL.

Response Data Path​

  1. Enter the JSONPath expression in the Response Data Path field to specify which part of the API response should be treated as the relevant data by Nexla. For OpenAir API responses, use $.data[*] to extract all records from the data array, or $ to extract the entire response for single record endpoints, depending on your endpoint.

The JSONPath expression must correctly reference the structure of your OpenAir API response. OpenAir API responses may have different structures depending on the endpoint. Ensure your JSONPath expression matches the structure returned by your specific endpoint. The JSONPath expression determines which data will be extracted and processed by Nexla.

Pagination (if applicable)​

  1. If your endpoint supports pagination, configure the pagination settings in the Pagination section. OpenAir API uses offset-based pagination with limit and offset for most endpoints. Select the pagination type that matches your endpoint's pagination mechanism.

  2. Configure the pagination parameters based on your selected pagination type. For offset-based pagination, specify the page size parameter name (limit), the starting offset value (0), and the offset parameter name (offset).

Save the Data Source​

  1. Once all of the relevant steps in the above sections have been completed, click the Next button to proceed with the rest of the data flow configuration, or click Save to save the data source configuration for later use.