The REST Connectivity sample already has a REST data source defined in its vocabulary. To use your own REST data source you would first add it to your vocabulary. To add a REST data source, select the Vocabulary command Add Datasource > Add REST Datasource, as shown:



A REST Service tab is added to the root level of the Vocabulary. The REST sample renamed this Datasource to Rate Data which is now the name of its tab, as illustrated:

where:

  • Datasource Name: The connection name that displays on the Vocabulary tab. This is also its name that will bind this REST Datasource connection to an instance of the service call-out in a Ruleflow. While you can change this name, it is a good idea to do so before you specify it in Ruleflow Service Call-out's Service Name.
  • Description: Provide an informative description of the use of the Datasource you are adding.
  • REST URL: The URL for the REST service. The protocols http and https are supported. If the URL includes a query, the parameters and their values are moved to the Query Parameters table.
  • Authentication: There are five options for security on a REST Service connection:

    The default setting is None. When a REST service requires no authentication, it is appropriate for accessing an unsecured REST service. For example, government census data in the public domain. For information on the other options for security and authorization on REST Services, see Authentication on REST Service connections.
  • Query Parameters and their respective Default Values. The query parameters on a REST URL when it was pasted in were transformed into Query Parameter/Default Value pairs. You can edit, add, and delete from the table as needed for your use case.

    When configuring usage of a REST data source in a Ruleflow you can identify entity attributes to substitute for query parameter values at runtime. This allows you to pass dynamic data values from the payload being processed, such as a "customer id", to your REST service. If you don't specify an entity attribute for a query parameter in the Ruleflow, the static value specified on the Datasource will be used at runtime. Any Post parameters are sent as name/value pairs in JSON format in the request body.

Click the CONNECTION Test button. Confirm that you have a valid connection before proceeding to discover or import the schema, and then to refine the mapping.