Dynamic API versus XML API

The Dynamic API has several benefits over the 1010data XML API.

Traditional QuickApps are served through the RENDER verb in the XML API (or you can launch a QuickApp directly using the 1010data web interface). The same QuickApp can be rendered to multiple targets—generally the web target—but can also be rendered to alternate targets used for generating PDFs, Excel files, and static HTML reports.

The Dynamic API adds a new RENDER target called api. It is intended to be used independently of the XML API. Instead of routing traditional API requests through the gateway (/[1010_version]/gw), Dynamic API requests are routed through an independent URL (/[1010_version]/api). This is currently served by a CGI script.

Serving an API throught this independent channel has several benefits:

First, it allows you to greatly simplify the communications channel when compared to the gateway. Whereas the XML API relies on a custom XML schema for each endpoint, the Dynamic API assumes that responses will be structured data composed of strings, numbers, lists, and dictionaries, which can then be encoded in a variety of computer-readable formats or rendered as HTML.

Second, the Dynamic API allows you to field multiple simultaneous requests to the same accum through the Asynchronous Query Interface (AQI). See Introduction to the Asynchronous Query Interface for more information about the AQI.