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Zuora Billing Data Source

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

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

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

Zuora Billing sources can also be configured manually, allowing you to ingest data from Zuora Billing 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 Zuora Billing endpoints. Each template is designed specifically for the corresponding Zuora Billing 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 All Entries of a Resource

    This endpoint template retrieves all entries of a resource from your Zuora Billing account. Check out the API documentation for optional filter criteria. Use this template when you need to access resource data, such as orders, payments, subscriptions, or other Zuora Billing resources for analysis, reporting, or integration purposes.

    • Enter the Resource Name in the Resource Name field. This should be the type of resource to be fetched (e.g., orders, payments, subscriptions, accounts, etc.). The default value is orders. The Resource Name determines which Zuora Billing resource will be retrieved.
    • Enter the Array Name in Response (usually same as resource name) in the Array Name in Response (usually same as resource name) field. This should be the name of the data array in the response. Usually the same as the resource name (e.g., orders, payments, etc.). The default value is orders. The Array Name determines which array in the API response will be used to extract data.

    This endpoint retrieves all entries of a resource from your Zuora Billing account, including resource IDs, properties, and other resource metadata. The endpoint uses page-based pagination to handle large result sets efficiently. Nexla will automatically follow the pagination to fetch subsequent pages of resource data.

    For detailed information about Zuora Billing resources, API response structures, pagination, optional filter criteria, and available resource data, see the Zuora API documentation.

    Retrieve Data Source Export

    This endpoint template creates and retrieves data source exports based on ZOQL queries from your Zuora Billing account. Try not to trigger TEST on this endpoint before creation as depending on the query Zuora can take time to process and create report. Use this template when you need to export data using custom ZOQL queries for analysis, reporting, or integration purposes.

    This endpoint creates and retrieves data source exports based on ZOQL queries from your Zuora Billing account. The endpoint processes data in a 3-step sequence: first creating an export request, then polling for completion, and finally downloading the exported file. Try not to trigger TEST on this endpoint before creation as depending on the query Zuora can take time to process and create report.

    For detailed information about ZOQL queries, export operations, API response structures, and available export data, see the Zuora API documentation and ZOQL query 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.

Note that clicking on the TEST button for the "Retrieve Data Source Export" template may take time to process depending on the ZOQL query, as Zuora needs time to process and create the report.

Configure Manually​

Zuora Billing data sources can be manually configured to ingest data from any valid Zuora Billing 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 Zuora Billing 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 Zuora Billing API from the Method pulldown menu. The most common methods are:

    • GET: For retrieving data from the API (most common for Zuora Billing data sources)
    • POST: For creating exports or executing queries

API Endpoint URL​

  1. Enter the URL of the Zuora Billing 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. Zuora Billing API endpoints typically follow the pattern {base_url}/v1/{resource_type} where {base_url} is your Zuora API Base URL and {resource_type} is the resource type (e.g., orders, payments, subscriptions).

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 Basic Authentication, 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 orders, the API will typically return an array of order 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 Zuora Billing 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., $.orders[*] to access an array of orders 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/orders/order to access order elements within an orders element).

    Path to Data Example:

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

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.

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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 Zuora Billing 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.