TikTok Ads Data Source
TikTok Ads
Create a New Data Flow
-
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.
-
Select the TikTok Ads connector tile from the list of available connectors. Then, select the credential that will be used to connect to the TikTok Ads account, and click Next; or, create a new TikTok Ads credential for use in this flow.
-
In Nexla, TikTok Ads data sources can be created using pre-built endpoint templates, which expedite source setup for common TikTok Marketing API endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding TikTok Ads endpoint, making source configuration easy and efficient.
• To configure this source using a template, follow the instructions in Configure Using a Template.TikTok Ads sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from TikTok Marketing 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 TikTok Marketing API endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding TikTok Ads 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.
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
TikTok Ads data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid TikTok Marketing API endpoint. Manual configuration provides maximum flexibility for accessing endpoints not covered by pre-built templates or when you need custom API configurations, such as applying additional filters, combining dimensions and metrics not included in the standard templates, or accessing newer API endpoints.
API Method
-
To manually configure this source, select the Advanced tab at the top of the configuration screen.
-
Select the API method that will be used for calls to the TikTok Marketing API from the Method pulldown menu. TikTok's Marketing API uses:
- GET: For retrieving data (campaigns, reports, audiences, creatives, etc.)
- POST: For endpoints that accept query parameters in the request body rather than the URL
API Endpoint URL
- Enter the URL of the TikTok Marketing API endpoint from which this source will fetch data in the Set API URL field. All TikTok Marketing API endpoints follow the base URL pattern
https://business-api.tiktok.com/open_api/{version}/(for example,https://business-api.tiktok.com/open_api/v1.3/campaign/get/).
The current API version is v1.3. Include required query parameters such as advertiser_id directly in the URL. Ensure the URL is correct and that your credential has the appropriate scopes for the endpoint you are calling.
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 adapt to different time periods, which is especially useful for TikTok's date-ranged reporting endpoints.
TikTok's reporting endpoints require start_date and end_date parameters in YYYY-MM-DD format. Using date/time macros with the Date Format for Date/Time Macro set to yyyy-MM-dd and the Time Unit for Operations set to Day allows you to create rolling date-range sources that automatically adjust with each data flow run.
-
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-30)to indicate the datetime 30 days before the current datetime
-
Select the format that will be applied to datetime macros from the Date Format for Date/Time Macro pulldown menu. For TikTok reporting endpoints, select
yyyy-MM-dd. -
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, when
Dayis selected,{now-1}resolves to yesterday's date.
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 adapt based on existing data. For TikTok, this is useful when building sources that iterate over a dynamic list of advertiser IDs or campaign IDs retrieved from another Nexla source.
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.
-
To include a lookup column value macro, select the relevant lookup from the Add Lookups to Supported Macros pulldown menu.
-
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
TikTok Marketing API responses consistently wrap returned records inside a nested JSON structure. Specifying the path to the relevant data ensures that Nexla correctly identifies and parses individual records rather than treating the entire response object as a single record.
For example, a TikTok campaigns response returns records inside $.data.list[*], while pagination metadata and request status are returned at the top level of the response. By entering the path to the record array, you configure Nexla to treat each element of list as a separate record.
For all TikTok Marketing API endpoints that return lists of objects, the data path is $.data.list[*]. For endpoints that return a single object, the path is $.data. Always verify the exact structure using the Test button before saving your source.
-
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 (for example,
$.data.list[*]to access the array of records within the response).
Path to Data Example:For TikTok Marketing API endpoints that return a list of objects, enter
$.data.list[*]as the path. This instructs Nexla to treat each element of thelistarray as an individual record. - For responses in JSON format, enter the JSON path that points to the object or array that should be treated as relevant data. JSON paths use dot notation (for example,
Autogenerate Path Suggestions
Nexla can also autogenerate data path suggestions based on the response from the API endpoint. These suggested paths can be used as-is or modified to exactly suit your needs.
-
To use this feature, click the Test button next to the Set API URL field to fetch a sample response from the API endpoint. Suggested data paths generated based on the content & format of the response will be displayed in the Suggestions box below the Set Path to Data in Response field.
-
Click on a suggestion to automatically populate the Set Path to Data in Response field with the corresponding path. The populated path can be modified directly within the field if further customization is needed.
Metadata
If metadata is included in the response but is located outside of the defined path to relevant data, you can configure Nexla to include this data as common metadata in each record. For TikTok API responses, metadata such as the total record count ($.data.page_info.total_number) and pagination details are returned outside the $.data.list[*] data path and can be preserved using this setting.
Metadata paths are particularly useful for preserving API response context like page counts, total record counts, or request timestamps 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.
Request Headers
-
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 (for example,
header1:value1,header2:value2).You do not need to include the
Access-Tokenauthorization header — this is automatically handled by the TikTok Ads credential. Common headers like Content-Type and Accept are also handled automatically by Nexla.
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
- 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 TikTok Ads 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.