Update To OData Query Feature

Matt Crawford

We have started rolling out a recent change to the OData Query feature in Altru, and while it will mostly have a positive impact on our users, we have identified a scenario that will require a minor adjustment to existing custom reports that were authored in a certain way.


If you find technical details boring, please feel free to jump down to the FAQ section to learn more about how this might impact you.

The Change


When OData Query for Altru was first implemented, the BI landscape was less mature than it is today, and the OData Protocol was still relatively new. OData supports two format for representing the resources (Collections, Entries, Links, etc) it exposes:

• the XML-based Atom format
• the JSON format.  

When we first started building our OData Query feature, end-user research gave us confidence that Tableau, Excel (including PowerPivot) would be the tool of choice for most users.  These applications were built to use the XML-based Atom format, so we built our feature in a way that defaulted this format, and in turn would work seamlessly with them.  Over time, as additional reporting and BI tools gained prominence and market share, we found that the better long-term answer for supportability would be to fully implement the OData protocol and default the JSON format.  To accomplish this, we had to make exceptions within our code to still use use Atom for Tableau and Excel, but the default is now JSON.  The biggest benefit of this is that our OData Query feature now works out-of-the-box with many more applications that support the OData v4 protocol, chief among them is Microsoft Power BI.  

FAQ

What has changed?

The OData Query feature was updated to default the JSON format as a opposed to the XML-based Atom format.

Why was this change made?

This change allows us to better support additional reporting and BI tools, such as Microsoft Power BI.

What changes do I need to make if I use Tableau or Excel?

None.  This change was mindful of existing Tableau and Excel reports that use an OData Query link as a data source.  These will continue to work without the need for manual intervention.

When is manual intervention required?

In the event that you are programmatically using an Altru OData Query link in a custom report or standard tool other than Tableau or Excel that supports the XML-based Atom format, you will need to make a minor edit to allow for continued function of your report or tool.  

How do I make the changes necessary to allow my reports to continue running?

The easiest way to make this change is add a header to your request setting the User Agent to Excel:

 

UserAgent="EXCEL

This will ensure that the XML-based Atom format is used, and your report or tool will continue to behave as it did prior to the update.  Though we're not aware of any reporting & BI tools today beyond Excel and Tableau that support OData in the XML-based Atom format, in the event others achieve mainstream usage, we will consider adding them to list of applications that receive this format by default.