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YouTube Data Source

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

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

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

YouTube sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from YouTube 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 YouTube endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding YouTube 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 My Most Popular Videos

    This endpoint template fetches statistics for your most popular videos. Default configuration fetches basic statistics for US. Update the region code and video properties to fetch other slices of data. Use this template when you need to access video statistics, popularity data, or video metadata for analysis, reporting, or integration purposes.

    • Enter the Properties to Fetch in the Properties to Fetch field. This should be a comma-separated list of one or more video resource properties that the API response will include (e.g., snippet,statistics). The default value is snippet,statistics. The Properties to Fetch determines which video properties will be included in the response.
    • Enter the Region Code in the Region Code field. This should be the region to fetch the statistics for. The parameter value is an ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (e.g., US for United States, GB for United Kingdom). The default value is US. The Region Code determines which region's statistics will be retrieved.

    This endpoint fetches statistics for your most popular videos from the YouTube Data API, including video IDs, titles, descriptions, view counts, like counts, and other video metadata. The endpoint uses token-based pagination to handle large result sets efficiently. Nexla will automatically follow the pagination to fetch subsequent pages of video data.

    For detailed information about videos, API response structures, pagination, and available video data, see the YouTube Data API documentation.

    Get Activities for Channel

    This endpoint template fetches a list of activity events for a channel. Update the region code and properties to fetch other slices of data. Use this template when you need to access channel activity data, event information, or activity metadata for analysis, reporting, or integration purposes.

    • Enter the Channel ID in the Channel ID field. This should be the channel ID to fetch activities for. The Channel ID determines which channel's activities will be retrieved.
    • Enter the Properties to Fetch in the Properties to Fetch field. This should be a comma-separated list of one or more resource properties that the API response will include (e.g., snippet,contentDetails). The default value is snippet,contentDetails. The Properties to Fetch determines which activity properties will be included in the response.
    • Enter the Region Code in the Region Code field. This should be the region to fetch the statistics for. The parameter value is an ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (e.g., US for United States, GB for United Kingdom). The default value is US. The Region Code determines which region's statistics will be retrieved.

    This endpoint fetches a list of activity events for a channel from the YouTube Data API, including activity IDs, types, timestamps, and other activity metadata. The endpoint uses token-based pagination to handle large result sets efficiently. Nexla will automatically follow the pagination to fetch subsequent pages of activity data.

    For detailed information about activities, API response structures, pagination, and available activity data, see the YouTube Data API documentation.

    Get Analytics Report

    This endpoint template fetches YouTube analytics report data. Modify the query parameters to specify a channel ID or content owner, a start date, an end date, and at least one metric. Use this template when you need to access YouTube Analytics data, performance metrics, or analytics reports for analysis, reporting, or integration purposes.

    • Enter the Start Date (YYYY-MM-DD) in the Start Date (YYYY-MM-DD) field. This should be the start date for fetching YouTube Analytics data in YYYY-MM-DD format. You can also use Nexla macros like `{now}`, `{now - 1}` etc. The default value is `{now-2}` (two days ago). The Start Date determines the beginning of the date range for analytics data.
    • Enter the End Date (YYYY-MM-DD) in the End Date (YYYY-MM-DD) field. This should be the end date for fetching YouTube Analytics data in YYYY-MM-DD format. You can also use Nexla macros like `{now}`, `{now - 1}` etc. The default value is `{now-1}` (yesterday). The End Date determines the end of the date range for analytics data.
    • Enter the Channel or Owner IDs in the Channel or Owner IDs field. This should identify the YouTube channel or content owner for which you are retrieving YouTube Analytics data. Enter as channel==CHANNEL_ID or contentOwner==OWNER_NAME as applicable. The default value is channel==MINE. The Channel or Owner IDs determines which channel or content owner's analytics will be retrieved.
    • Enter the Metrics in the Metrics field. This should be a comma-separated list of YouTube Analytics metrics, such as views, likes, dislikes. The default value is views,comments,likes,dislikes,estimatedMinutesWatched,averageViewDuration. The Metrics determines which analytics metrics will be included in the report. See the endpoint documentation link for the list of available metrics.

    This endpoint fetches YouTube Analytics report data from the YouTube Analytics API, including views, comments, likes, dislikes, estimated minutes watched, average view duration, and other analytics metrics. The endpoint returns analytics data for the specified date range, channel, and metrics.

    For detailed information about YouTube Analytics reports, API response structures, available metrics, and query parameters, see the YouTube Analytics 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​

YouTube data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid YouTube Data API or YouTube Analytics 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 YouTube 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 YouTube API from the Method pulldown menu. The most common methods are:

    • GET: For retrieving data from the API (most common for YouTube data sources)

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the YouTube 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. YouTube Data API endpoints typically follow the pattern https://www.googleapis.com/youtube/v3/{endpoint_path} and YouTube Analytics API endpoints follow the pattern https://youtubeanalytics.googleapis.com/v2/{endpoint_path}.

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 requires OAuth 2.0 authentication via the Authorization header, which is handled automatically by your credential configuration.

Path to Data​

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.

For example, when a request call is used to fetch a list of videos, the API will typically return an array of video records, along with metadata, in the response. By entering the path to the relevant data, you can configure Nexla to treat each element of the returned array as a record.

Path to Data is essential when YouTube 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.

  • 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., $.items[*] to access an array of items within a response object).

    • For responses in XML format, enter the XPath that points to the object/array containing relevant data. XPath uses slash notation (e.g., /response/items/item to access item elements within an items element).

    Path to Data Example:

    If the YouTube API response is in JSON format and includes a nested array named items that contains the relevant data, the path to the response would be entered as $.items[*].

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.

    PathSuggestions.png

Endpoint Testing (Manual Configuration)​

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 YouTube 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.