External Service for OData

Overview

The Open Data Protocol (OData) is a service that standardizes the creation and consumption of REST API calls in a simple way. OData removes the need to define request and response headers, status codes, HTTP methods, URL conventions, media types, workload formats, query options, etc. 

Use Cases and Practical Benefits of OData

OData offers several key advantages that enhance both the development and consumption of APIs. These benefits help streamline integration efforts and improve developer productivity:

This structured approach offers several practical benefits:

1. Structured Data Representation: OData defines a structured contract that extends beyond typical REST APIs. Its metadata includes detailed information about entities, relationships, and data types, removing the need for manual or ad-hoc definitions.
2. Reduced Integration Complexity: By standardizing elements like headers, status codes, HTTP methods, and URL conventions, OData simplifies the integration process. This reduces boilerplate code, speeds up development, and lowers the risk of implementation errors.
3. Automatic Client Generation: Clients can generate requests and handle responses using the service metadata. This is especially helpful in applications interacting with multiple or changing data sources.
4. Enterprise-Ready with Microsoft Graph: OData is the foundation for Microsoft Graph, which provides unified access to data across Microsoft 365 services such as Outlook, OneDrive, Teams, and SharePoint. This real-world implementation demonstrates OData's reliability, scalability, and value in enterprise-scale integrations. For more information, see the Microsoft Graph overview of major services and this training module on Microsoft Graph services.
5. Standardized and Powerful Querying: OData supports a consistent query syntax for filtering, sorting, and paginating data. These features make data retrieval more efficient without the need to build custom endpoints or write complex logic.

Example

1. In a Designer Folder, navigate to Settings > Integrations > External Services. Then select the ADD ODATA SERVICE REFERENCE button in the Action Bar at the top of the page.
   
2. When the Add OData window appears, provide a Name for the service. 
3. A URL must be provided, which typically redirects to a metadata document (i.e., a WSDL file) that defines the service reference.  
   OData authentication is done entirely via OAuth. To learn more, see OAuth token.
4. The Service Type option, by default, will have OData selected. The Dynamics AX option in this dropdown list includes features for this specific use case of generic OData. Once the configurations are complete, click SAVE SERVICE REFERENCE.
   

   Setting	Description
   Name	The name of the service reference as it appears in Decisions.
   URL	The URL used to pull the metadata needed to access the service.
   Get Metadata from File	Allows uploading an OData metadata file to generate an OData service reference.
   OAuth Token	The OAuth token used for authentication.
   Service Type	Defines the service used for OData.

5. Once the Service Reference is saved, Decisions will process the integration and provide Flow steps based on the service definition of the metadata URL. In the Designer Folder, click CREATE FLOW to create a new Flow to use the steps. 
6. In the Toolbox panel, navigate to INTEGRATION > ODATA > [NAME OF SERVICE] to locate the steps. Be sure that the token is refreshed before running the steps.