How can you extract data from a REST API using an ETL tool? (2024)

Key takeaways from this article

• Choose open-source tools:

  For data quality and reliability, opt for an ETL tool with built-in data cleansing and validation features. This ensures the integrity of your data throughout the extraction process.

• Implement CDC strategies:

  Look for REST APIs that allow pulling data using filters, specifically date and time-based, to facilitate Change Data Capture (CDC) and batch creation, enhancing performance and scalability.

This summary is powered by AI and these experts

• Anmol Kale Associate Consultant @ Columbus A/S

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  I would hope that the Rest API provides feature to pull data using filter preferably date and time based so that we can effectively implement CDC and create data batches, this is important from performance and scalability perspective.

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• Stefan Johansson Data Engineering | Data Automation | Coffee

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  It is important to consider that a REST API is a transactional feature. It is designed for a single transaction, creating a single item, getting a limited amount of data from the server side. Communicating with it from a Data Engineering, or ETL/ELT, or Data Warehousing perspective normally entails getting all the data out from the system to begin with, and then everything that has changed since last time. Make sure that it is supported, or that it is possible to iterate over the data in a way that matches the business requirements. Important questions are, is it possible to query all history? If not, can it be provided as a separate set? Is it possible to track deleted data from the API or is that an opaque process that requires a reload?

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• Saad Hassan Data Engineer @Sdaia-NCAI, Ex-Vodafone,Ex-_Vois

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  Using Python and Airflow, extract data from REST APIs with a focused approach:Config Storage: API configurations and parameters are saved in a separate file for easy updates without altering core scripts.HTTP Request Execution: The critical step is executing an HTTP request. Within the request's body, specify the necessary HTTP method for retrieving the data.Data Insertion:For small responses, data is directly inserted into the database.Large data is saved as a file in the cloud or on-premise storage. The file's URL or path is then stored in the database metadata, optimizing query performance and preventing database overload.This efficient method ensures accurate data extraction from REST APIs and is suitable for various data sizes.

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• Dharmendra Singh

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  Understand the APIs:It is required to understand the API connection mechanism, parameters, response format and rate limits API Authentication:Configure the ETL tool to provide the necessary credentials - It could be token based or standard username/password basedData extraction:Configure the ETL tool to connect and extract data from the source. And, format it based on target system's requirementsTransform: Apply any business logic which is required or expected by the target system.Data load:Once the data has been retrieved and transformed, load it into the destination system.Please note, API has overheads and it is not recommended for data extraction if data volume is very high.

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• Ish*ta Gianchandani LinkedIn Top Data Engineering Voice | Data Engineer II at Expedia Group | Spark | SQL | Python | Airflow | Cloud

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  A REST API (Representational State Transfer Application Programming Interface) is a type of web service that follows the principles of REST architecture. It allows clients to interact with server resources over the internet using standard HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. REST APIs use URIs (Uniform Resource Identifiers) to uniquely identify resources and respond with data in various formats such as JSON or XML. They are widely used for building scalable and interoperable web services that enable communication between different systems and applications, facilitating the exchange of data and functionality in a standardized and platform-independent manner.

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• Anmol Kale Associate Consultant @ Columbus A/S

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  While working on project my main priority was data quality and reliability. We needed an ETL tool that could handle complex transformations and ensure data integrity throughout the process and also cost effective After extensive testing, we selected an open source tool with built-in data cleansing and validation features. This allowed us to address inconsistencies and errors in the source data effectively, resulting in improved accuracy and reliability of our analytics.

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• MD SOHAIL HUSSAIN Specialist Programmer L2 | Power Programmer | Data Engineer | 3X Microsoft Certified | YouTuber | competitive coder | Helping Job Seeker | Helping Hand | Life Counsellor | Motivational Speaker

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  To choose an ETL tool:1. **Identify Requirements:** Understand your data sources, volume, complexity, and integration needs.2. **Evaluate Features:** Look for tools with data connectors, transformation capabilities, scalability, monitoring, and scheduling features.3. **Consider Cost:** Assess licensing, support, and maintenance expenses.4. **Scalability and Performance:** Ensure the tool can handle current and future data volumes efficiently.5. **Ease of Use:** Consider user-friendliness, GUI interface, and learning curve.6. **Support and Community:** Check for vendor support, documentation, and user community for troubleshooting and updates.

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• Sai Spandan Reddy Jogannagari Data Engineer @ Apple | Master of Science in Computer Science

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  Begin by assessing the organization's needs and business goals, then seek an integration service capable of interfacing with enterprise systems. Prioritize tools offering versatile transformations to handle varying performance demands at scale, while considering factors such as cost and data security. Ensure comprehensive support and documentation are available.

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• Val Goldine CEO @ IOblend | Automated Spark Data Integration | IAMCP UK Member

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  As with any ETL tool, you need to choose carefully. At IOblend, we always stress that the total cost of ownership must come on top. This includes the required features (inc REST APIs), flexibility of application, maintenance, dev effort, scalability and licensing costs. Companies often overlook this aspect and end up with a lot of side work to fill in the gaps that the chosen tools do not provide. In our experience, it always ends up costing more than originally budgeted.

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• Stefan Johansson Data Engineering | Data Automation | Coffee

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  the tools, platform and setup to work this shouldn't be a singular decision. Make sure it aligns with the business strategy and future direction. Make sure the team that will support this has experience with it, or are willing to learn, or that there is budget to bring in the required experience.

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• Gomathinayagam S. Engineering Manager | Architect | Full Stack | Java | MDM | AWS | GCP

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  Most of the ETL tools will have HTTP connectors we can configure the connection parameters and credentials and consume the API. Otheewise using script we can call curl command and consume API

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• Shivam Agarwal Lead Engineer at kipi.ai

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  To extract data from a REST API using an ETL Tool we need to take care of a few things.firstly, we need to check if we have an inbuilt API connector already present in our ETL tool where we just need to fill up the needed connection details.secondly, if we don't have such inbuilt connector then a few steps that are required to get connected to an API would includea)Identifying the REST API Endpointb)Authenticationc)Configuring Connection in ETL Toold)Defining Data Extraction Logice)Handling Paginationf)Transforming Data (Optional)g)Loading Data

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• Tarun S. Actively looking for my next position | Certified Snowflake Developer | Certified Tableau Developer | Certified Base SAS Specialist | Python | SQL | AWS | Azure | Hadoop

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  Setting up the connection parameters, such as the URL, authentication mechanism, and credentials, is the first step in utilizing an ETL tool to connect to a REST API. As needed, provide the request headers and parameters. Use schema inference or define the response data's schema and data types. For validation prior to moving on, several programs provide facilities for data preview and connection testing.

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• Paul Mabidikama Azure Data Engineer and DevOps Engineer Expert

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  Ingest raw data from any API by specifying your data source(s) via our no-code UI, low-code YAML spec, or full-code API & SDKs

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• MD SOHAIL HUSSAIN Specialist Programmer L2 | Power Programmer | Data Engineer | 3X Microsoft Certified | YouTuber | competitive coder | Helping Job Seeker | Helping Hand | Life Counsellor | Motivational Speaker

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  To connect to a REST API using an ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tool:1. **Retrieve API Endpoint**: Obtain the URL of the REST API endpoint you want to extract data from.2. **Configure Connection**: In the ETL tool, set up a connection to the REST API by providing the API endpoint URL and any necessary authentication credentials.3. **Define Data Extraction**: Specify the data extraction method, such as specifying parameters or filters for the API request to retrieve the desired data.4. **Transform Data (Optional)**: Apply any necessary transformations to the extracted data within the ETL tool.5. **Load Data**: Load the extracted and optionally transformed data into the destination storage or database within the ETL tool's environment.

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  Select an ETL tool supporting REST API integration, with OAuth tokens or API keys for secure authentication. Analyze API documentation for endpoints, parameters, and response formats. Configure the ETL tool with API URL, HTTP method, and headers. Customize queries in the tool's UI, handling pagination if needed. Leverage ETL tool features for filtering, mapping, and renaming to align data with the target model. After mapping, load transformed data into the desired system.

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  1. Establish a connection between the ETL tool and the REST API. This may involve:- Providing the URL- Providing the authentication method and credentials- Specifying the parameters and headers of the requests2. Choose a REST client tool or library that's suitable for your project's requirements and language3. Set the HTTP method4. Provide the API endpoint URL to the ETL tool - usually ETL tools have in-built features to establish a connection with a REST API5. Configure any required headers, such as API keys or authentication tokens

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• Stefan Johansson Data Engineering | Data Automation | Coffee

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  make sure both the incremental loads as well as the initial, historical, full load scenarios are supported. A high watermark or similar normally needs to be maintained to keep track of what a new delta is. Make sure there is a way to get changed and deleted information out from the API in some other way than reloading the full dataset. As getting the data is a pull, make sure the scheduling and the queries are supported by the source, or make sure the accommodations for the source aligns with the business requirements. E.g. if it is only possible to query after hours, then there won't be any half-hourly updates throughout the day

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• Ish*ta Gianchandani LinkedIn Top Data Engineering Voice | Data Engineer II at Expedia Group | Spark | SQL | Python | Airflow | Cloud

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  To fetch data from a REST API using an ETL tool, you'll first establish a connection to the API endpoint. Then, define parameters like authentication credentials and data format. Configure the tool to retrieve data either at scheduled intervals or on-demand. Apply any necessary transformations within the tool to prepare the data for loading. Finally, load the transformed data into the destination system or data warehouse while ensuring data integrity and consistency throughout the process.

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• MD SOHAIL HUSSAIN Specialist Programmer L2 | Power Programmer | Data Engineer | 3X Microsoft Certified | YouTuber | competitive coder | Helping Job Seeker | Helping Hand | Life Counsellor | Motivational Speaker

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  To fetch data from a REST API using an ETL tool, you typically use the tool's built-in connectors or custom scripts to make HTTP requests to the API endpoints, retrieve the data in JSON or XML format, and then transform and load it into your target data destination, such as a database or data warehouse.

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  extract data from a REST API using an ETL tool is to load the data into your data platform. This usually involves selecting the destination, such as a database, a data warehouse, or a data lake, and configuring the connection, format, and mode of the data loading. You may also need to specify the schema, table, or file name, as well as the partitioning, indexing, or compression options. Some ETL tools may also allow you to monitor, troubleshoot, or audit the data loading process and results.

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  To load data from a REST API using an ETL tool:Extract: Connect to the API, fetch data, and authenticate if needed.Transform: Clean up and prepare the data for use.Load: Send the transformed data to its destination, like a database.Monitor: Keep an eye on the process for any errors or issues.Common ETL tools like Talend or Apache NiFi can simplify this process with easy-to-use interfaces and pre-built connectors for APIs.

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• Stefan Johansson Data Engineering | Data Automation | Coffee

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  As always, never judge or transform the data as it comes from the source in any way that changes the meaning of the data. Always save that for the next step. Always keep a historized view of the loaded data in a PSA. Always add enough metadata to the loaded dataset so that it can be audited, tracked and that the change type (insert/update/delete) and the timeline or sequence of events (when did the change occur/when was it loaded to the target) are clear.

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  We start by sending a GET request to the REST API, ensuring we include any necessary headers and authentication tokens. If the API's response is spread across multiple pages (pagination), we figure out how many pages of data there are. Next, we use tools like Spark or ADF to parallelize our requests, asking for multiple pages at once to speed up extraction (but we must avoid overwhelming the API by respecting its limits). The approach to extracting data can depend on the workload. for ex: it might be a onetime full extraction for initial setup, followed by incremental pulls for updates, ensuring we're not unnecessarily pulling redundant data. Once we have the data (JSON or XML), we proceed by cleansing, processing, and storing it.

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• Daniel Makonor Building Global Data, AI and Software Solutions.

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  Once connected to the REST API, you can fetch data by:Specifying the resource endpoint from which you want to retrieve data.Defining any necessary parameters or filters to refine the data set, such as query parameters or filter conditions.Executing a request using the appropriate HTTP method (typically GET) to retrieve the data.Handling the response from the API, which may be in formats like JSON or XML, and parsing it to extract the desired data fields.

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• Stefan Johansson Data Engineering | Data Automation | Coffee

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  initial, historical, data dumps can sometimes be provided out of band. So, if the initial load of all historical data from the API is calculated to take months, this might be a convenient time saver.

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• Prashant Goel ETL Developer @ Sun Life Financials | Ex - Wipro

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  Some major considerations to be followed:- Error Handling: Prepare for API failures. Implement retries, logging, and alerts.- Security: Securely store authentication credentials.- Rate Limits: Respect API rate limits to avoid throttling.- Versioning: Be aware of API version changes.- Documentation: Keep your ETL workflows documented for future reference.We should also remember that extracting data from REST APIs is like unearthing buried treasure. With the right ETL tools and strategies, we’ll uncover valuable insights that drive business success.

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• Ravish Kumar Solutions Architect at Total eBiz Solutions | Data-driven solutions expert

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  ETL tools streamline REST API data extraction:Connect: URL, auth, headers (test connection)Extract: Specify format & desired data elements(Optional) Transform: Clean, format, join/aggregate dataLoad: Define destination, schema, and mappingSchedule & Monitor: Automate extraction & track successNote: Steps may vary, consult tool documentation. Ensure access/permissions and prioritize data security.

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• Timothy Goodrich, Ph.D. Platform Engineering Manager at Pendo

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  Build in error handling when repeatedly hitting an API endpoint, remembering that the API may throttle the requests if a rate or data limit is reached.

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• Allan Cruz Software Engineer | Python | Java | PHP | JavaScript | Project Manager | Scrum | Agile | Docker | MySQL | PostgreSQL | WordPress | Usability | Research

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  Beyond the basic extract-load process, consider the frequency of data updates and the volume of data to manage incremental loads effectively. Implement error handling to deal with API rate limits, downtime, or schema changes. Also, document the ETL process thoroughly, including API endpoints, data mappings, and transformation logic, to facilitate maintenance and future updates. Continuous monitoring and performance optimization can ensure your ETL process remains efficient and reliable over time.

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