GetConnector

A GetConnector retrieves data from a Profit environment.

The GetConnector is controlled from an external application to retrieve data from a Profit environment.

Content

Description

A GetConnector contains a single data collection which allows you to retrieve records from specific Profit tables. In the data collection, you determine the fields you want to retrieve.

The GetConnectors only apply to the environment in which they are included. If a particular environment contains a GetConnector, an external application can access the GetConnector and retrieve records.

The external application calls a GetConnector of a specific environment, for example, a GetConnector with invoice lines, financial entries, dossier items, etc. After the authorisation, Profit provides an XML file with records from the environment.

Best business practices

Use these tips for optimum performance:

  • Check the functionality in Profit with a customer or user.
  • Determine the fields Profit should include in the XML file.
  • Determine the format of the fields in the data collection of the GetConnector. Examples of the options include:
    • Convert a date field to another format, for example 'dd month yyyy', month number, year, etc. You can also perform calculations on date fields.
    • Convert a description to upper-case or lower-case letters.
    • Split an amount into the part before the decimal separator and the decimal places.
  • Compress records, for example by ledger account or article code. Profit bundles the compression records into one record, summing the amounts, for example.
  • Use a filter so that you only get the records that you actually need.

    Example:

    Using a GetConnector, you want to retrieve the actual costing lines for the current month. With every call, you retrieve the records for a specific employee.

    The GetConnector itself contains a filter for the current month that is always applied.

    The call of the GetConnector contains a filter by employee. Each call is filtered by the correct employee.

All of the above items are part of the GetConnector in Profit. This means that you always get the same, user-defined output from Profit.

Availability of GetConnectors

Profit comes with a large number of GetConnectors. You cannot change them, but you can in fact copy a GetConnector and change the copy. You can also add a GetConnector based on a data collection. However, not all data collections are suitable for GetConnectors. At the request of users, we add data collections to Profit for the GetConnectors.

Performance

Performance problems may arise due to a combination of the volume of data from Profit, bandwidth (Internet capacity), your network or specifications/restrictions of web servers. For a workaround, you can retrieve less data by applying filters. In this case, the system only reads out the values that meet the filter criteria.

Note:

Any duplicate or excessive data in the XML may be caused by the following: Profit retrieves data using multiple aliases. Creating multiple connectors, each of which uses a single alias, gives you the correct data.

Procedure

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