Data integration overview
Finance and operations apps contain multiple APIs that support file-based integration scenarios:
- Open Data Protocol (OData)
- Custom services
- External web services
- Office integrations
- Recurring integrations
- Data management package API
Recurring integrations API and the data management framework API support file-based integration scenarios, which is the focus of this unit. The data management framework comes out of the box with finance and operations and supports data import and export. Recurring integrations also support data import and export scenarios.
When selecting an integration API, there are many considerations. Some of the decision points for the Data management framework and recurring integrations can help you select your implementation integration scenario.
Open Data Protocol (OData)
OData is a widely used protocol for building and consuming RESTful APIs. It allows seamless interaction with finance and operations apps by enabling developers to query and manipulate data using familiar HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE, these are some key features:
- Real-time Integration - OData APIs are ideal for scenarios requiring real-time data interaction. For instance, querying up-to-date customer data or creating new records directly from an external application.
- Standard Protocol - Built on open standards, OData supports uniform resource identifiers (URIs), making it highly interoperable across systems.
- Flexible Query Options - OData supports advanced querying capabilities such as filtering, sorting, pagination, and data projections, reducing the need for additional customizations.
- Built-in Security - OData uses OAuth 2.0 for secure access, ensuring that only authenticated and authorized users can interact with the API.
Recurring integrations
Recurring integrations API supports both data import and export with many other benefits, depending on your situation. With recurring integrations you can do the following:
- Job scheduling - Job scheduling for recurring integrations is performed in finance and operations apps.
- Multiple data formats - Recurring integrations support files and data packages for import and export.
- Transformation - If your data is in XML formation, Extensible Style sheet Language Transformation is supported to convert the data.
- Protocols - The two supported protocols for recurring integrations are SOAP and REST.
- Service type - Recurring integrations are part of data management APIs and are available out of the box.
- Availability - Recurring integrations aren't supported for on-premises implementations.
Data management framework package API
The Data management framework is a file-based integration scenario that is supported with finance and operations apps. Several reasons why your organization might choose this scenario include:
- Scheduling - Unlike recurring integrations, scheduling is done outside of finance and operations apps.
- Formats - The only format that is supported is data packages.
- Transformation - Data transformations that are external to the system.
- Protocols - REST is supported.
- Service type - OData is used for the data management framework. OAuth 2.0 is used for authorization and access to the application.
- Availability - This functionality is available in finance and operations apps, platform 5 and later. This is the only supported API for on-premises deployments.
Service protection limits are to increase system performance and reliability. Service protection limits are in place for OData and custom integrations such that, if a request exceeds the imposed service protection limits, it is throttled. The request also receives a 429 response. For more information about service protection limits, see Service protection API limits.
For more information on APIs, see Work with asynchronous integrations in finance and operations apps and Implement the Data management package API for finance and operations apps modules. Links to these modules are provided in the Summary unit.