/
Call Endpoint

Call Endpoint

Overview

Call Endpoint step helps users who want to build custom solutions for the BA Platform using the Pentaho API. Pentaho API is REST-based, so it can be operated using HTTP calls. This step exposes the Pentaho public API and offers an interface which allows advanced users to build custom solutions which interact with a running BA Server. Click here for a list of the available Pentaho public APIs.

Audience: Developers with previous experience with programming and API use.

Description

The Call Endpoint step performs a call from within a PDI transformation to endpoints in your running Pentaho system. The BA platform contains a rich amount of extensible endpoints for users to customize the BA platform. This step connects to the BA server, allowing users to view the available endpoints, and then calls the specified endpoint in your transformation. You can employ this step in one of two ways:

  • Inspect the server for an endpoint. If the user is connected to a server and wants to search for an endpoint against that server, you can use this step to fetch and display the public information stored on the server about the selected endpoint. The available endpoints on the server are considered "public endpoints" and are supported by Pentaho.
  • Manually enter an endpoint. The user can manually define the endpoint he wants to call, such as an unsupported endpoint. These endpoints are not supported by Pentaho and should be used with caution because their behavior can change without notice.

See Also:

Get Session Variables

Set Session Variables

Options

The Call Endpoint step features several tabs with fields. Each tab is described below.

BA Server Tab

Option

Description

Step Name

The name of the step as it appears in the transformation workspace. This name must be unique within a single transformation.

URL

The base URL string used to connect to the server.

User Name

The user name required to access the server.

Password

The password associated with the provided user name which is passed during the authentication process.

Test Connection button

Select this button to test the connection to the BA server using the information provided in the above fields.

Use authentication from BA Server session check box

Select this check box to authenticate the user using the credentials from the current BA server session when the transformation is run from the BA Server. If the check box is clear, the user is authenticated using the username and password provided. It is recommended that you use session authentication when available.
Note that this check box has no impact when a transformation is run in Spoon instead of in the BA server.

API Endpoint Tab

Option

Description

From Server

Select this option to retrieve the API endpoint you want to use from those available in the BA Server. A list of available endpoints appears in the Web Service Endpoint group box. When this option is left unselected, the drop-down lists in the group box will be empty.