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WhatsApp Business API Data Source

The WhatsApp Business API connector enables you to access WhatsApp Business account information, retrieve analytics data, and integrate WhatsApp Business data with other systems. This connector is particularly useful for applications that need to extract WhatsApp Business account data, analyze messaging metrics, integrate customer communication data with CRM systems, or build analytics and reporting solutions for WhatsApp Business accounts. Follow the instructions below to create a new data flow that ingests data from a WhatsApp Business API source in Nexla.
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WhatsApp Business API

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

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

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

    This endpoint retrieves WhatsApp Business account information. Use this endpoint when you need to extract account details, get account metadata, or retrieve account information for integration with other systems.

    • Enter the Business Account ID in the Business Account ID field. This is the Meta Business Account ID for which you want to retrieve information.

    The Get Business Account endpoint uses GET requests to retrieve account information from the WhatsApp Business API. The endpoint returns account details including ID, name, and timezone. For more information about the Get Business Account endpoint, refer to the WhatsApp Business Management API Documentation.

    Get Analytics

    This endpoint retrieves analytics for the business account. Use this endpoint when you need to extract messaging metrics, analyze account performance, or integrate analytics data with reporting systems.

    • Enter the analytics start date in the Analytics Start field. This should be in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD), such as 2024-01-01.
    • Enter the analytics end date in the Analytics End field. This should be in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD), such as 2024-01-31.

    The Get Analytics endpoint uses GET requests to retrieve analytics data from the WhatsApp Business API. The endpoint returns analytics data including messaging metrics, delivery statistics, and other performance indicators. For more information about the Get Analytics endpoint, refer to the WhatsApp Business Management 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​

WhatsApp Business API data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid WhatsApp Business 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 WhatsApp Business API sources, such as sources that use chained API calls to fetch data from multiple endpoints or sources that require custom authentication headers or 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 WhatsApp Business API from the Method pulldown menu. The most common methods are:

    • GET: For retrieving data from the API (most WhatsApp Business API endpoints use GET)

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the WhatsApp Business 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. WhatsApp Business API endpoints typically follow the pattern {base_url}/{api_version}/{resource}, where {base_url} is typically https://graph.facebook.com and {api_version} is your API version (e.g., v18.0).

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. The endpoint URL should use the base URL and API version configured in your credential. WhatsApp Business API requires Bearer token authentication, which is automatically included from your credential.

Path to Data​

Optional

If only a subset of the data that will be returned by 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 don't need for your analysis.

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. For WhatsApp Business API responses, common paths include $ for the entire response, $.analytics for analytics data, or $.data[*] for arrays of data.

  • 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 (e.g., $.analytics to access the analytics object).

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 authentication requirements.

    You do not need to include any headers already present in the credentials. Common headers like Authorization, Content-Type, and Accept are typically handled automatically by Nexla based on your credential configuration. For WhatsApp Business API, the Authorization header with Bearer token is automatically included from your credential.

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 WhatsApp Business 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.