How to Create and Update Outputs using the StrategyBlocks Web Services API
If you are already familiar with Web Services, then you can download a copy of the StrategyBlocks WSDL file and get straight into creating Outputs in StrategyBlocks, you can find the WSDL file here.
The StrategyBlocks Web Service currently supports 2 operations, they are:
Create/update a single Output.
Create/update a list of Outputs.
In the tutorial below, you will learn how to create a list of Outputs in an ETL tool called Talend using the StrategyBlocks Web Services API. We are using Talend because it is a free tool that everyone could use, you can use any ETL you prefer to create Outputs into StrategyBlocks, as long as it supports UsernameToken authentication.
Create/update a list of Outputs using Talend
Right-click Job Designs in the Repository tab
In the menu, click on Create Job to open the New Job Wizard
In the name field, name the job tutorial_upload_kpis
Click on Finish to close the wizard and create the job
Drag then drop a tEsbConsumer component from the Palette into the Job Designer
Double-click on the tEsbConsumer component
In the WSDL field of pop-up set the value to “https://app.strategyblocks.com/web-services/strategyblocks.wsdl”
Select updateKpis in the list of operations
Check the Populate schema to repository on Finish check-box option
Click on Ok
Go to the Component tab
Double-click on the tEsbConsumer component
Check the Use Authentication check-box option
Select the Username Token in the drop-down list and fill in your login credential fields
If you don’t have a StrategyBlocks login, then you can use the following credentials
Username: wsdl.user@strategyblocks.com
Password: secret
Drag and drop a tXMLMap component from the palette into the Job Designer
Right-click and drag the tXMLMap component over the tEsbConsumer component, then release.
In the pop-up name the output “xml” and click Ok
Double-click on the tXMLMap component
Right-click on the payload element in the right column of the pop-up
In the menu select the Import from Repository option
Locate and select the updateKpisRequest schema shown in the screenshot
Click Ok to populate the XML message with the updateKpisRequest schema
Drag and drop 2 tLogRow components into the Job Designer
Right-click on the tEsbConsumer component and select Row > Response and link it to one of the tLogRow components
Right-click on the tEsbConsumer component and select Row > Fault and link it to the other tLogRow component
Download the xml file containing a list of test Outputs at http://docs.strategyblocks.com/lib/exe/fetch.php/userguide/user/kpis.zip
Find File XML in the Repository Tab
Right-click on it and select Create File XML in the menu
Give it a name and click Next
Select the Input XML option and click Next
Locate the xml file containing the test Outputs and click Next
Drag and drop the kpi node from the Source Schema into the Xpath loop expression field
Drag and drop all the fields of the kpi node from the Source Schema into the Fields to extract
Click on the Refresh Preview button to preview the content of the xml file
Click Finish to create the metadata
Drag the newly created Outputs metadata from The Repository into the Job Designer
Right-click and drop the Outputs metadata onto the tXMLMap component
Double-click on the tXMLMap component
Drag and drop each of the metadata fields from the left panel into the corresponding XML message fields in the right panel
Make sure the XML message is complete like the screenshot
Click Apply, then Ok
Go to the Run tab
Click Run
If the Job has executed successfully, you will see the same log message as the one in the screenshot