REST API & Collecting requested daily file structure, details
Hi,
I would like to collect details of the data that we get from you every day, I am especially interested in information about files and their current structure.
Business users can modify the content of these UI files, so I would like to have at least a minimal mechanism for tracking changes and finding details of the current structure.
Thanks,
Lech
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Hi Jaime,
My colleagues from Analytics Team, regularly analyze data from your Digital Data Feed files, including:
MMCClick.txt, PageView.txt, SessionFirstPageView.txt and many others (18 files for each Client ID).
I'd like to improve our internal import processes and use information from REST API as Metadata for data check and parameterization.
Most of DDF files use 1-50 attributes defined in your Web UI.
I'd like to collect all such details as column names, data types, length.
Does it make sense and will I find such information in the REST API?Thanks you,
Lech -
Hi Lech,
You can utilize report APIs if you'd prefer. As to whether it would be a complete replacement for DDF, that depends on which fields you utilize in the export. Not all fields or combinations in DDF files are available via reporting. You would need to look at the fields you use in the DDF export and compare that with the fields available via reporting in the UI. If you would like to use a report API, navigate to the report, click the three dot menu, and select export > API.
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Hi Kayla,
Do I understand correctly, the REST API itself will not contain all the information I need?
I admit that I want to be able to access information not only with the names of the columns (especially those defined as additional attributes of DDF files) but also the data type and size.Lech
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Hi Lech,
If you need to reproduce DDF in the exact configuration it exists today, that is not possible. Reports can only contain up to 5 dimensions and 15 metrics, will max out at 50K rows, and certain fields, like session ID and the time the data was collected will not be available. However, tag attributes and dimensions like page, marketing channel, etc. are available to include in reports. It all depends on how you utilize the data. You may be able to build or leverage a variety of reports in the interface, and then pull APIs for those to get the data you need. I would recommend exploring our reporting capabilities to determine whether the data included in those would be helpful for your use case. Here is some documentation for our standard, out of the box reports. You can also create an adhoc report by clicking "create report" at the top of the interface. However, if you need all of the data you are currently receiving today, I would recommend continuing to use DDF.
Kayla
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Hi Kayla,
I'm afraid we may not understand each other.
Let's go back to DDF files and e.g. my favorite MMCclick file.
Its schema definition consists of the initial 8 defined columns (SESSION_ID, ..., SITE_ID) and another up to 50 <MMC_CLICK_ATTRIBUTE_1-50> attributes that can be defined.
My question is about metadata and information about the currently defined schema.
My colleagues from the Marketing Analytics team sometimes modify the DDF file schema according to their needs.
As a developer, I am interested in the current schema of our DDF files in order to import the content correctly afterwards.
In other words, can I get the customised schema definition via API?
I am thinking about simplifying and automating the import of DDF files on our side.Lech
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Hi Lech,
The only API we offer is the report API, which is predefined depending on the report you select. You can't make additional calls to gather any information outside of the basic report structure (changes in dates, views, report names, etc.). We do not have a REST API for Digital Analytics, so your only option for DDF is to pick that export up from the SFTP and modify it from there.
Kayla
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