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Integrate with External Systems
Where can the data reside?
MINTDATA™ connects to virtually any data source, no matter where it lives, for both reading and writing data.In many cases, MINTDATA™ also supports streaming this data to the desktop web and mobile application in real-time.
Have an API?
When an API already exists, MINTDATA™ can use/call the following types:
| API Type | MINTDATA™ Can Use/Call From |
|---|---|
| REST API | Browser and cloud |
| WebService API (WSDL/SOAP) | Cloud |
How are APIs called?
| API Type | Use/Call From | Via |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | Browser | Spreadsheet functions: |
| REST API | Cloud | Spreadsheet functions: |
| WebService API (WSDL/SOAP) | Cloud | Spreadsheet functions:
|
When there’s no API
If an API does not exist, MINTDATA™ can still directly talk to a large number of data sources (and sinks) via Cloud flows.
This table shows the kinds of data sources MINTDATA™ talks to out of the box:
| MINTDATA™ directly calls / interacts with | From |
|---|---|
| SQL databases | MINTDATA™ Cloud flows |
Queues
| MINTDATA™ Cloud flows |
| Data Warehouse | MINTDATA™ Cloud flows |
NoSQL
| MINTDATA™ Cloud flows |
Cloud flows
Two kinds of spreadsheet functions
On MINTDATA™, there are two kinds of functions:
| Spreadsheet Function Kind | MINTDATA™ Runs On | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in | Browser | SUM(), AVERAGE(), etc. |
| Custom | Cloud | MY_READ_DATABASE_FUNC(“select * from employees”) |
To create a custom function
Creating a custom function takes three steps:
- Open the flow editor.
- Give the flow a name.
- Define the flow by adding blocks and connecting them.
For more details, see Create a flow.
You now have a custom function that can be used in the spreadsheet. The name of the function is the name of your cloud flow.
To use a custom function
Once you follow the steps above to create a custom function, you can use it in any spreadsheet cell, just like any built-in function. The name of the function is the same as the name of your cloud flow.
How does a custom function work?
When you write something like this in a spreadsheet cell:
Here’s what happens under the hood:
- The spreadsheet engine in the browser encounters the cell formula.
- It realizes this is a custom function and needs to run in the cloud.
- Your cloud flow executes in the cloud.
- Your cloud flow terminates in the cloud.
- The results are sent back to the browser.
- The cell gets the resulting value from your
=MY_READ_DATABASE_FUNC()formula.
How does real-time data work?
If your custom function/cloud flow talks to a real-time data source — that is, something which constantly emits new values like a temperature sensor or the constantly changing values of a stock — then you can also continuously stream data from the cloud flow to your spreadsheet cell.
Simply add an asterisk “*” in front of your custom function:
Here’s what happens under the hood:
- The spreadsheet engine in the browser encounters the cell formula.
- It realizes this is a custom function and needs to run in the cloud.
- Your cloud flow executes in the cloud and does not terminate.
- All results are continuously sent back to the browser (streamed in real-time).
- The cell gets the resulting value from your
=MY_REALTIME_SENSOR_READER()formula on a continuous basis.