What is an API Data Ingestion?
Application Programming Interface (API) data ingestion is a type of data ingestion that enables you to insert 3rd party data such as metrics, events, logs, alarms, groups, and inventory into a data ingest as it flows through a data pipeline.
There can be restrictions on the request payload limit, and it may require certain tools and processes in order to function correctly, making it a bit more complex than standard data ingestion processes.
Why would you need to use an API data ingestion?
Data ingestion synchronises and harmonises data which has been integrated from different sources, and makes it easily accessible, reliable (through standardisation of formats), and functional. Not all data sources may be internal to a company, and there may be times when a 3rd party dataset is required in an ingestion.
API ingestions are often seen to be faster and more scalable in certain situations and can support variable attribute changes. This functionality can work with real-time or batch processing, which makes it a valuable tool for many different industries.
What benefits are there in using API data ingestion?
By utilising an API data ingestion program, your data could benefit from:
- Faster ingestion from 3rd party sources
- Less difficulty in accessing data from source
- Data prepared and meeting business standards
- Real-time usability
There are challenges also involved in using the process, for example — ingesting large quantities of data directly from APIs can be difficult due to network issues, latency, errors, or slow connection/s.
What can this data be used for?
As part of an API integration strategy, the data ingested and consumed by businesses can be used for automation in business processes across multiple cloud platforms, and on premise systems that are both within and outside of a firewall (at any latency).
The API defines how the programs communicate with each other, and in the ingestion process, this pause can allow for higher levels of customisation, monitoring, and the ability to conduct higher level analytics of the entire data process.
Who should be using an API?
The development and usage of API programs and applications will largely depend on the type of business you operate, and the industry in which its situated. Generally, these programs are useful at scale (from small to extremely large) and can benefit any business that is making use of data from external sources on a regular basis.
When developing and managing your digital eco structure, it’s important to keep scalability and accessibility in mind, Ardent have a very useful blog on what to consider when looking into building scalable data pipelines that is well worth a read, as well as an interesting article on monitoring strategies, technologies and metrics to ensure your data pipeline operates at its full potential.
Your business has to be flexible and set to grow and evolve as time and technology changes.
Having the right structure in place, and tools that can adapt to different tasks is absolutely essential in order to remain competitive, and to make the most efficient and cost-effective use of the sheer volume of data that is gathered every single day.
