Schedule OBDF Data Importer

Overview

The OBDF (Open Business Data Fabric) Connector enables Bizview to seamlessly integrate with external data sources, functioning as both data consumer and data provider.
The Schedule OBDF Data Importer empowers Platform Customers to automatically schedule the import of transactional data from Angles leveraging OBDF connector.

The plugin is integrated with the processing service from Bizview v25.2 and requires no additional installation. However, the table work must exist in the database and be configured correctly.

Prerequisites

Bizview Platform v25.2 or later
Access to Angles environment with business views
Valid PDS token for authentication
System administrator privileges in Bizview
Database access for configuration tables

Setup Instructions

Complete the following steps to configure and activate the OBDF Data Importer for automated data synchronization between Bizview and your Angles environment.

Step 1: Set up authentication
Step 2: Configure the data source URL
Step 3: Perform initial synchronization
Step 4: Manage Business Views for regular import
Step 5: Fetch Business View data into target tables

Step 1: Setup Authentication

Generate an Access Token in Platform

Sign in to the Platform application.
Navigate to Users Profile > User Settings > Access Tokens.
Click Generate token.
Provide a Token name to identify the integration.
Select the Angles PDS checkbox.
Click Generate.
Copy the generated token immediately.

Note: The Token can only be revoked and cannot be shown again for security reasons.

Update the Access Token in Bizview

Note: Only System Administrator can update OBDF Access tokens.

Sign in to Bizview application.
Navigate to System > Platform Services > OBDF Access Token
Enter your PDS token in the designated field in the following format:

"token":"xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
Click Save.

Figure: Add OBDF Access Token In Bizview

Note: For security reasons, the token will not be visible in the frontend after saving.
After saving, the system automatically:
1. Updates the dis.plugin_config table
2. Updates the OBDF token in the Settings.json file
3. sets read_status = 1 in table
Note: OBDF tokens are valid for 6 months and can be regenerated from the Platform environment when needed.

Step 2: Configure the Data Source URL

Connect to the Bizview database.

Update the Settings table by inserting the Angles URL in the dis.obdf_settings table with the following parameters:

Field	Description
name	A descriptive name for the setting (Optional) Example: "Angles Production"
base_url	The Angles base URL for the API Example: https://angles.insightsoftware.com
active	Set to 1 to activate this setting. The setting will be ignored if not activated.
updated_utc	Field for tracking updated dates Example: https://angles.insightsoftware.com

Important: Set active = 1 to enable the connection.

Step 3: Perform Initial Synchronization

complete the following steps for first-time setup or when endpoints are updated:

Create a Scheduled Job with the following parameters:
- Job Type: OBDF Sync
- Step Parameter: RE_SYNC_ALL = 1
- Recommended Schedule: Weekly
Use the following Job Configuration Example:
This job will:
- Pull all the business views in dis.obdf_endpoints table
- Set the active column to 0 for all the Business views .
  
  Note: This process will not create target tables with data for business views in custstg schema.

Step 4: Manage business views for regular import

Create a new Gridform based on the dis.obdf_endpoints table.

The Gridform displays all available business endpoints from Angles.
Set Active to 1 for the business views you want to import via the OBDF job.

Note: Only active endpoints will be processed by the OBDF job.

Understanding the dis.obdf_endpoints Table:

Field	Description	Example
id	Business view ID	“s_#########” where # is an alphanumeric
name	Business view name	"Sales Data View"
description	Detailed description	"Monthly sales transactions"
connection_id	ERP connection ID linked to business view	NS_ID
connection name	ERP connection name	NetSuite
filter	Query string filter	$filter=(id_company in ('DG007','DG002'))
target_table	Target table name for data writing	custstg.PDS_sales_data_view
active	Activation status Set to 1 to activate.	1
last_run	Last execution timestamp	Date time
updated_utc	Updated date

Apply data filters

You can apply filters to the individual Business views endpoints through the Gridform or in the dis.obdf_endpoints table. Filter can be applied to data specific to Business views.

Example filter:

$filter=(id_company in ('DG007','DG002'))

Step 5: Fetch Business views data into Target tables

Create a Data Import Scheduled Job with these settings:
- Job Type: OBDF Data Import
- Target: Active business endpoints only
- Recommended Schedule: Daily or as per business requirements
The Job automatically:
- Fetches data from active endpoints.
- Imports data into target tables in custstg schema with the naming convention custstg.PDS_business_view_name
Both Manual Import OBDF Data and OBDF Jobs insert data into the same target table when the same business view is imported through both processes. Data entries can be distinguished by the ordered_by column:
1. Manual Import OBDF: Shows the User [UserID] who performed manual import.
2. Automated Job: Shows JOB

Logging

Execution logs are written to the [cust].[odbf_log table for monitoring and troubleshooting purposes.

v25.3.0.2: Timeout Configuration

The default timeout for the HTTP client for API access is 30 minutes, and for the bulk insert operation, it is 30 seconds. Starting with version 25.3.0.2, you can override these defaults, by adding rows to the [dis].[obdf_config] table with the keys HttpClientTimeout and SqlBulkCopyTimeout, and specifying their values in seconds.