HTTP API overview

You can use the IBM® InfoSphere® Information Analyzer HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) API (application programming interface) to develop client applications that can access and author InfoSphere Information Analyzer content.

The HTTP API makes many tasks that you can perform by using InfoSphere Information Analyzer available as HTTP URLs. You can use some of the URLs to query information from InfoSphere Information Analyzer and use others to modify project content stored in InfoSphere Information Analyzer data stores. Most of the HTTP URLs use XML documents to exchange data. XML schemas on the server on which InfoSphere Information Analyzer is installed define the structure of the XML documents. Each task consists of an HTTP request and response.

Note: InfoSphere Information Analyzer supports only the HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) protocol. The HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is not supported.

GET API component

By using the GET capabilities of the HTTP API, you can make InfoSphere Information Analyzer content available in other applications. For example, you can retrieve results of analysis tasks, such as column analysis or data rules executions. You can then process the results by using another application to create reports. You can use data that was retrieved by using the HTTP API as a starting point for creating a template for similar projects.

POST API component

With the POST capabilities of the HTTP API, you can integrate the authoring of InfoSphere Information Analyzer content with another application. For example, a business analyst can use an HTTP API to automatically translate business rules to the database level and put them into InfoSphere Information Analyzer. Templates obtained by using the read capabilities of the HTTP API can be adapted to data sources of a new project, added to a project by using the HTTP API, and you can run analysis within InfoSphere Information Analyzer.

User roles and viewing permissions

The InfoSphere Information Analyzer HTTP API enforces the same user roles that are defined in InfoSphere Information Analyzer. Viewing permissions for particular categories for each user or user group, as set by the InfoSphere Information Analyzer Administrator, are also enforced. You can restrict the type of content available to users by allowing access only to certain asset types in your application code.