OData (Open Data Protocol)

Rumman Ansari   Software Engineer   2025-03-04 07:17:06   52  Share
Subject Syllabus DetailsSubject Details 8 Questions
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Key Features of OData:

  1. RESTful Architecture

    • OData follows REST principles, allowing CRUD operations using standard HTTP methods:
      • GET (Retrieve data)
      • POST (Create data)
      • PUT/PATCH (Update data)
      • DELETE (Remove data)

  2. Queryable API (Similar to SQL)

    • OData allows filtering, sorting, and pagination directly in API requests.
    • Example: 
      <span class="pln">
GET </span><span class="pun">/</span><span class="typ">Customers</span><span class="pun">?</span><span class="pln">$filter</span><span class="pun">=</span><span class="typ">Age</span><span class="pln"> gt </span><span class="lit">30</span><span class="pun">&amp;</span><span class="pln">$orderby</span><span class="pun">=</span><span class="typ">Name</span><span class="pln">
</span>
      • Retrieves customers where Age > 30, sorted by Name.

  3. Metadata and Schema Discovery

    • OData provides a $metadata endpoint to expose the data structure. 
      <span class="pln">
GET </span><span class="pun">/</span><span class="pln">$metadata
</span>
    • This helps clients understand available entities, relationships, and operations.

  4. Supports JSON & XML Formats

    • OData allows clients to choose between JSON and XML responses.

  5. Standardized Data Manipulation

    • Supports batch processing, associations, and nested data handling.

OData Example

Request (Retrieve Customers over 30 years old, sorted by Name)

<span class="pln">
GET https</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="com">//api.example.com/Customers?$filter=Age gt 30&amp;$orderby=Name</span><span class="pln">
</span>

Response (JSON)

<span class="pln">
</span><span class="pun">{</span><span class="pln">
  </span><span class="str">"value"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="pun">[</span><span class="pln">
    </span><span class="pun">{</span><span class="pln">
      </span><span class="str">"ID"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="lit">1</span><span class="pun">,</span><span class="pln">
      </span><span class="str">"Name"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="str">"Alice"</span><span class="pun">,</span><span class="pln">
      </span><span class="str">"Age"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="lit">35</span><span class="pun">,</span><span class="pln">
      </span><span class="str">"Email"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="str">"alice@example.com"</span><span class="pln">
    </span><span class="pun">},</span><span class="pln">
    </span><span class="pun">{</span><span class="pln">
      </span><span class="str">"ID"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="lit">2</span><span class="pun">,</span><span class="pln">
      </span><span class="str">"Name"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="str">"Bob"</span><span class="pun">,</span><span class="pln">
      </span><span class="str">"Age"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="lit">40</span><span class="pun">,</span><span class="pln">
      </span><span class="str">"Email"</span><span class="pun">:</span><span class="pln"> </span><span class="str">"bob@example.com"</span><span class="pln">
    </span><span class="pun">}</span><span class="pln">
  </span><span class="pun">]</span><span class="pln">
</span><span class="pun">}</span><span class="pln">
</span>

OData vs REST API: What's the Difference?

Feature OData REST API
Standardization Well-defined query syntax No standard query syntax
Filtering Built-in ($filter, $orderby) Custom query parameters
Metadata Automatic ($metadata endpoint) No standard metadata
Data Format JSON & XML JSON, XML, plain text
Complex Queries Supports batch processing & relationships Requires multiple requests
Best For Enterprise applications with large datasets General-purpose APIs

Where is OData Used?

✅ Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations (D365 F&O)
✅ Power BI & Excel Data Integration
✅ SAP, SharePoint, and Enterprise Applications
✅ Applications with complex querying needs

OData is especially useful when working with D365 F&O, as it provides seamless data integration with external apps.

For more information on OData, please refer to the following web links:

Topic Link
OData standards http://www.odata.org/documentation/
OData introduction https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd541188.aspx
OData by example http://www.odata.org/odata-services/

No Program Data.

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