Skip to main content

Data Source

Follow the instructions below to create a new data flow that ingests data from a ShipBob source in Nexla.
shipbob_api.png

ShipBob

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

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

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

    This endpoint template retrieves a list of inventory items from your ShipBob account. Use this template when you need to retrieve information about inventory items, including item IDs, SKUs, quantities, and other inventory metadata.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all inventory items from your ShipBob account. The endpoint uses incrementing page-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently.

    This endpoint returns a list of inventory items from your ShipBob account, including item IDs, SKUs, quantities, and other inventory metadata. The endpoint uses incrementing page-based pagination with Page parameter to handle large datasets efficiently. Nexla will automatically fetch subsequent pages of data by incrementing the page parameter.

    For detailed information about inventory items, API response structures, pagination, and available inventory data, see the ShipBob API documentation.

    Get Products

    This endpoint template retrieves a list of products from your ShipBob account. Use this template when you need to retrieve information about products, including product IDs, names, SKUs, and other product metadata.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all products from your ShipBob account. The endpoint uses incrementing page-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently.

    This endpoint returns a list of products from your ShipBob account, including product IDs, names, SKUs, and other product metadata. The endpoint uses incrementing page-based pagination with Page parameter to handle large datasets efficiently. Nexla will automatically fetch subsequent pages of data by incrementing the page parameter.

    For detailed information about products, API response structures, pagination, and available product data, see the ShipBob API documentation.

    Get Orders

    This endpoint template retrieves a list of orders from your ShipBob account. Use this template when you need to retrieve information about orders, including order IDs, order numbers, statuses, and other order metadata.

    • This endpoint automatically retrieves all orders from your ShipBob account. The endpoint uses incrementing page-based pagination to handle large datasets efficiently.

    This endpoint returns a list of orders from your ShipBob account, including order IDs, order numbers, statuses, and other order metadata. The endpoint uses incrementing page-based pagination with Page parameter to handle large datasets efficiently. Nexla will automatically fetch subsequent pages of data by incrementing the page parameter.

    For detailed information about orders, API response structures, pagination, and available order data, see the ShipBob 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​

ShipBob data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid ShipBob 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 ShipBob 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 ShipBob API from the Method pulldown menu. ShipBob API typically uses GET method for retrieving data from endpoints.

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the ShipBob API endpoint from which this source will fetch data in the Set API URL field. This should be the complete URL to your ShipBob endpoint (e.g., https://api.shipbob.com/1.0/inventory, https://api.shipbob.com/1.0/product). Include any required query parameters in the URL.

Ensure the API endpoint URL is correct and accessible with your current credentials. The ShipBob API endpoint URL should include the API version (/1.0/) 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 ShipBob API responses, use $[*] to extract all items from the response 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 ShipBob API response. ShipBob 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. ShipBob API uses incrementing page-based pagination with Page parameter 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 incrementing page-based pagination, specify the page parameter name (Page) and starting page number.

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.