Summary:
This article is a high level overview of the generic OData connector in the Solver Cloud / Private Host Marketplace. OData (Open Data Protocol) is an OASIS standard that defines a set of best practices for building and consuming RESTful APIs. OData helps users focus on their business logic while building RESTful APIs without having to worry about the various approaches to define request and response headers, status codes, HTTP methods, URL conventions, media types, payload formats, query options, etc.
Note: Solver does not currently have any documentation or training materials for the generic OData connector. This is because the connector is designed for any APIs that have the generic OData option to connect from their system to another system. Our application authenticates the web service user being used in the integration through the generic OData connector.
More Information:
Similar to D365 Business Central, the required credentials to connect include the following:
- An OData url
- A web service user with the appropriate permissions based on the authentication type selected.
- A regular user in the system may be used. However, it is best practice to setup a web service account for integration only.
The OData url should be provided by the ERP vendor. If there are various versions of the url, you will need to test and verify which version can successfully authenticate.
How to test an OData url for a successful authentication
- Copy and paste the OData url directly into the web browser. The browser should prompt for a user login and password.
- Login with the same web service credential set up for integration-use.
- If the login is successful and you can view a list of objects in the OData url, theoretically the same credential can be used to authenticate against the ERP via the connector.
Below is a screenshot to show the required fields the generic OData connector uses to authenticate against the ERP system, and the two authentication types the end users can choose from: Basic and Anonymous.
Properties:
Cloud
Private Host