Getting started with Data Connectors
Overview
You can invoke the Data Connectors Interface in the following ways:
From the quick access menu’s Data Connectors menu option. This can be found in the Orchestration menu.
From a Tasks widget. Typically, this might be displayed at your Home Page. For more information on widgets, please see the Dashboard Designer documentation.
Note that access to the Data Connectors Interface is controlled via the Data Connectors – Design functional permission. If none of the user groups of which you are a member are associated with this permission, you will not be able to able to access the Data Connectors Interface.
Toolbar
The Data Connectors Interface toolbar exposes the following:
Add New Data Connector: clicking this button displays the Add New Data Connector overlay, which is documented separately.
Filter: an information tooltip accompanies this property:
You can enter a text string by which to filter the list of data connectors; only data connectors with a matching name, channel name or delivery method will be displayed when you do so. The filter is applied automatically upon text being entered.
Where Connectors: an information tooltip accompanies this property:
A dropdown allows you to filter the list of data connectors in accordance with the selected value - where data connectors...
Have any status
Have no results
Have recent failures
Have no recent failures
Have no recent results
Note that, in the above, 'recent’ refers to any occurrence within the last 50 days.
Order By: this dropdown allows you to order the list of data connectors by name, or by created date (the default).
Import and Export Data Connectors: clicking this button displays the Import and Export Data Connectors file system dialog.
The dialog contains the following:
Toolbar: exposing a single option:
Import Files: clicking this button displays the Import Files overlay.
You can select previously-exported data connector(s) to import. Note that, irrespective of the options selected, data connectors are not overwritten at import (other files imported along with data connectors are subject to the options selected). More information on importing files can be found in the RPI Framework documentation.
Treeview: a single Data Connectors folder is displayed. Context menus are disabled.
List: existing data connector files are shown. On right-clicking having selected one or more data connectors, the following context menu options are displayed:
More information on these options can be found in the RPI Framework documentation.
Previous/Next Page: these buttons afford access to previous or subsequent pages’ worth of data connectors.
Refresh: clicking this button reloads the list of data connectors, and refreshes the statuses of entries displayed therein.
Data Connector Execution
Data connectors are always executed in Production mode. A data connector's current Status is always reflected at its display in the Data Connectors interface. The lists therein is regularly refreshed to pick up any status changes.
A data connector is executed in accordance with its defined schedule and its channel settings. A record targeted at data connector execution cannot be retargeted in a subsequent execution cycle.
Note that the execution of a data connector does not generate offer history records.
Toolbox
The Data Connectors Interface toolbox exposes the standard RPI Folder Search component, which is constrained to display attribute, audience and selection rule files only. Please see the RPI Framework documentation for more information.
Closing the Data Connectors Interface
You can close the Data Connectors Interface by closing the tab within which it is displayed, or by shutting down RPI itself. If you do so when the interface contains a data connector with unsaved changes, a dialog is shown, within which you can choose to do the following:
Save the changes and proceed with closing the Data Connectors Interface
Abandon the changes and proceed with closing the Data Connectors Interface
Cancel closing the Data Connectors Interface or RPI.