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DataWorks:Overview

Last Updated:Jan 05, 2024

DataService Studio is a flexible, secure, stable, and cost-effective platform that allows you to create and publish APIs. DataService Studio serves as a bridge between databases and data applications, and provides comprehensive data processing and sharing capabilities for individuals, teams, and enterprises to help them manage APIs that belong to and do not belong to Alibaba Cloud in a centralized manner. For example, if you want to query a data table, you can use DataService Studio to quickly generate an API based on the data table. You can also register existing APIs to DataService Studio to publish and manage the APIs in a centralized manner.

Feature overview

DataService Studio is built based on a serverless architecture. You need to focus only on the query logic of APIs instead of the infrastructure such as the runtime environment. DataService Studio prepares computing resources for you, supports elastic scaling, and requires zero O&M cost.

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Terms

  • API: It is short for Application Programming Interface. APIs are used by applications, software, and systems to exchange data with data sources. DataService Studio supports data read operations. For example, you can use DataService Studio to constantly query data from databases and data tables.

  • function: A function can be used as a filter for an API, and the function can process request parameters or response parameters of the API. For the same API, the function that you use as the prefilter and the function that you use as the post-filter must be of the same type.

  • resource group for DataService Studio: If you require high queries per second (QPS) and service level agreement (SLA) guarantees when you call APIs in DataService Studio, you must use exclusive resources for DataService Studio to ensure successful API calls. Exclusive resource groups for DataService Studio can meet the requirements of highly parallel, frequent API calls and ensure that responses are returned at the earliest opportunity.

Billing

Fees are generated when you call DataService Studio APIs. You are charged based on the number of DataService Studio API calls that you make and the execution time of calls. The related fees are included in your DataWorks bills, and the billing method depends on whether you use the shared resource group for DataService Studio or an exclusive resource group for DataService Studio.

  • Shared resource group for DataService Studio: This resource group is charged based on the pay-as-you-go billing method. If you use this resource group in your business, you are charged based on the number of calls that you make and the execution time of calls. Each user is provided with certain free quotas each month. You are charged for calls that you make during online debugging and in your production environment. The shared resource group for DataService Studio is used by multiple enterprises. For more information, see Billing details of the shared resource group for DataService Studio.

  • Exclusive resource group for DataService Studio: This type of resource group is charged based on the subscription billing method. If you use such a resource group in your business, you are charged based on the specifications of the resource group. You can evaluate the number of calls that you will make and select an exclusive resource group for DataService Studio with appropriate specifications based on your business requirements. An exclusive resource group for DataService Studio is exclusively used by a single enterprise. For more information, see Billing details of exclusive resource groups for DataService Studio.

API development process

  1. Add data sources and establish network connections between data sources and resource groups.

    Before you use DataService Studio to create an API, you must add your database or data warehouse to DataWorks as a data source. Then, you can use the data source to create an API. During API development, DataService Studio accesses the data source to obtain the schema of a data table based on which you want to create an API to help you configure the request parameters and response parameters of the API. When you call the API, DataService Studio accesses the data source to execute a query request.

  2. Create a business process.

    DataService Studio develops APIs by business process. DataService Studio also organizes and manages APIs and files that are used to create the APIs based on business processes. The files include functions. Before you use DataService Studio to create an API, you must create a business process.

  3. Create an API.

    • Generate an API based on a data table.

      • DataService Studio allows you to generate APIs based on data tables of different types of data sources by using the codeless user interface (UI). You can use DataService Studio to configure an API without the need to write code. For more information, see Create an API by using the codeless UI.

      • DataService Studio provides a code editor that can be used to customize the SQL statements of APIs, which can meet the personalized query requirements of advanced users. The code editor supports features such as table join queries, complex queries, and aggregate functions. For more information, see Create an API in the code editor.

    • Register existing APIs with DataService Studio to publish and manage the APIs in a centralized manner. For more information, see Register an API.

  4. Create a function and use it as a filter.

    Optional. You can use functions to facilitate processing of the request parameters of an API and the results returned by the API.

  5. Test the API.

    Before you publish the API, you must perform a test on the API and make sure that the API passes the test.

  6. Publish the API.

    After the API passes the test, you can publish the API to API Gateway to allow other services to call the API. You can also put on the published API to Alibaba Cloud Marketplace for sale. This helps enterprises realize the value of their data and form closed-loop business in an efficient manner.

    Note
    • API Gateway provides API lifecycle management services, including API publishing, management, O&M, and sale. API Gateway provides a simple, fast, cost-effective, and low-risk service for you to aggregate microservices, separate the frontend from the backend, integrate systems, and provide features and data to partners and developers. For more information, see What is API Gateway?.

      You can publish APIs that are created or registered in DataService Studio to API Gateway on which you can perform a variety of management operations. For example, you can manage permissions, perform throttling, configure access control, and measure usage for APIs. After you create or register APIs in DataService Studio, you must publish the APIs to API Gateway before the APIs can be called by other users or in your own applications. DataService Studio is integrated with API Gateway to allow you to publish APIs to API Gateway with a few clicks.

    • The API sector of Alibaba Cloud Marketplace provides thousands of API products in the following categories: finance, AI, e-commerce, transportation and geography, living services, corporate management, and public affairs. Alibaba Cloud Marketplace provides a platform where you can monetize your data.

  7. Call the API.

    In API Gateway, applications define the identities that you use to call APIs. An application can call an API only after the application is granted the required permissions on the API. You can be granted the required permissions on APIs or grant the required permissions on APIs to other users for data sharing. For more information, see Grant permissions to call an API. You can also use API Gateway to call APIs that belong to other Alibaba Cloud accounts or are made available by third-party service providers. API Gateway provides a series of management and support services.