Business Directory REST API Hello, and welcome to the Demoette series for Cisco Information Server, or CIS. Demoettes are brief instructional videos that demonstrate specific features of CIS. In this Demoette, we discuss the Business Directory REST API.

Agenda What is it and why does it matter? A basic demo Summary Here is our agenda. We begin by defining the Business Directory REST API and outlining its importance for our customers. Next we walk through a very basic demo of the Business Directory REST API. Finally, we summarize the contents of this demoette.

Agenda What is it and why does it matter? A basic demo Summary Let’s begin by discussing what the Business Directory REST API is, and why it is important for our customers.

What is it? Business Directory REST API Set of methods for external manipulation of BD Leverages BD System Tables Accessible via: Business Directory UI cURL Browser or other REST client The Business Directory REST API offers a comprehensive set of REST-based methods for manipulating Business Directory. It makes heavy use of Business Directory System Tables, where metadata resides. As we shall see in this demoette, the API can be accessed directly from the Business Directory user interface. It can also be accessed via cURL, and by a browser or other REST client.

Why does it matter? Business Directory REST API External system administration Backup/Restore Integration with 3rd-party software The Business Directory REST API is important to customers for several reasons. It enables system administration functions to be performed outside of the Business Directory user interface. It is a convenient way to perform backups and restores of Business Directory instances. It provides a general-purpose integration means between Business Directory and third-party software.

Agenda What is it and why does it matter? A basic demo Summary Next, let’s walk through a very basic demo of the Business Directory REST API.

Demo: Here is the business problem… Here is the business problem that we illustrate in this demo. A system administrator wants to perform management of Business Directory Category definitions from an external tool. We will use the Business Directory REST interface to query, add, and delete category information on Business Directory.

Before you begin… Before you begin this demo, you will need to use the Business Directory browser interface to create several categories and sub-categories. You may name them anything you like, because we just need data that we can query via the REST API. <CLICK> You must also install the cURL utility, which is a free download.

Demo: Browse the API We are ready to begin our demo. From the Business Directory home page, open the Help menu and select REST API. <CLICK> A list of REST API calls appears. <CLICK> The list is divided into a number of topics. <CLICK> The names of the API calls appear on the left… <CLICK> … and descriptions appear on the right.

Demo: Browse the API Browse to the “Categories: Category and Value Management” topic. There are a number of API calls here that enable us to read, write, and delete Business Directory categories and sub-categories.

Demo: Test API Calls Let’s test a simple API call. The GET Categories call returns all categories, and requires no parameters. <CLICK> Click the “Try it out” button, and category data is returned.

Demo: Test API Calls Now let’s test a call that takes a parameter. The Categories Values call accepts a category name as a parameter and returns all of its sub-category values. <CLICK> Click the “Try it out” button, and the values are returned.

Demo: Test System Tables In addition to the function-specific API’s we have seen so far, Business Directory also provides a more general-purpose REST API that lets us access Business Directory’s System Tables. To see documentation, open the Help menu and select System Tables. <CLICK> The Category information we saw a moment ago actually comes from the ALL_CATEGORY_VALUES table, and we can see its documentation here.

Demo: Test System Tables Returning to the REST API page, we see that the Get Data call lets us enter a query against the system tables.

Demo: Test System Tables Click the “Try it Out” button, and the system table data for categories is returned.

Demo: Test Browser Client Making API calls from the Business Directory user interface is a great way to learn about the API, but of course it is not a production solution. Let’s take a look at external client access, beginning with a browser. We copy the URL call for the Categories service, and paste it into a browser. The categories are returned as a JSON structure. <CLICK> We can make similar calls to the Categories Values API… <CLICK> … and the System Table API.

Demo: Test cURL Client Curl is a very popular utility and library for web service client access. Here we use the Categories URL in Curl. We add the minus minus insecure option to avoid SSL issues. <CLICK> We can make similar calls to the Categories Values API… <CLICK> … and the System Table API.

Demo: Beyond Read-Only So far, we have used the Business Directory REST API to query data. Now let’s use it to ADD data to Business Directory. To begin, examine the current categories that exist in Business Directory. <CLICK> Now we’ll use Curl to execute the POST Categories API, which creates new categories and sub-categories. We create a Category named Demoette_Category, with sub-category values DemoetteValue1, DemoetteValue2, and DemoetteValue3. <CLICK> After executing the API call, we return to Business Directory and see that our new Category information has been added.

Demo: Beyond Read-Only Now let’s use the API to delete the information we just added. We execute the DELETE Categories call for the Demoette_Category. <CLICK> When we check in Business Directory, we see that the Category no longer exists.

Demo: Backup and Restore Before we finish, let’s briefly note how the REST API enables backup and restore of Business Directory. The Get Metadata call writes all Business Directory metadata to a file.

Demo: Backup and Restore The PUT Metadata call imports metadata from a file into Business Directory. We have used the Business Directory REST API to read, write, and delete data from Business Directory, and seen how it can be used for backup and restore. Our demo is complete.

Agenda What is it and why does it matter? A basic demo Summary Let’s summarize what we have seen in this presentation.

Summary Business Directory REST API Set of methods for external manipulation of BD Leverages BD System Tables Accessible via: Business Directory UI cURL Browser or other REST client The Business Directory REST API offers a comprehensive set of REST-based methods for manipulating Business Directory. It makes heavy use of Business Directory System Tables, where metadata resides. The API can be accessed directly from the Business Directory user interface. It can also be accessed via cURL, and by a browser or other REST client. The Business Directory REST API is important to customers for several reasons. It enables system administration functions to be performed outside of the Business Directory user interface. It is a convenient way to perform backups and restores of Business Directory instances. It provides a general-purpose integration means between Business Directory and third-party software. Thank you. External system administration Backup/Restore Integration with 3rd-party software

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