Export Communication Channels

To distribute product data, an export job uses a Communication Destination configured via the PXM Communication editor. This configuration specifies the protocol, endpoints, and credentials required to safely deliver the exported package.

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1. File (Workarea Storage)

The simplest transport method, delivering generated export packages to a folder inside the shared prodexa local file system.

• Target Directory: Configured relative to the system workarea root folder.
• Common Use Cases:
  • Internal server post-processing hotfolders.
  • Integration pickups via local enterprise service bus (ESB) agents.
  • Direct file storage for local administration access.

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2. Web Service (REST API)

Enables PXM to POST export payloads directly to external HTTP/HTTPS REST API endpoints (such as retailer portals, print servers, or CRM APIs).

Authentication Methods

• Basic Auth: Standard username/password base64 encoded header authorization.
• Token Authentication: Dynamic OAuth 2.0 client credential flows.

Predefined System Variables

You can use the following dynamic variables inside HTTP headers and bodies:

• ${data}: Contains the complete exported payload string.
• ${token}: Holds the dynamically requested authentication token (exclusive to Token-based auth).
• ${Authorization}: Evaluated automatically for Basic auth configuration (Basic base64(username:password)).

Network & Timeout Controls

• Timeout Period: Customize the HTTP timeout duration globally via the prodexa.pxm.channel.communication.webservice.timeoutPeriod configuration property (defaults to 120 seconds).
• URL Encoding: Can be toggled on/off selectively per variable.

OAuth 2.0 Client Credentials Flow

If Token Auth is selected, prodexa automatically executes a robust two-step HTTP request process:

1. Login Request: Queries the identity provider with credentials to receive an access token.
2. Data Transfer Request: Dispatches the main exported payload to the target endpoint, wrapping the obtained token in the request header.

Step 1: Login Request

Request Details:

• URL: POST https://example.com/api/oauth/token
• Headers:
  • Content-Type: application/json
• Variables:
  • clientId: example_client_id
  • clientSecret: example_client_secret
• Body:

  {
     "grant_type": "client_credentials",
     "client_id": "${clientId}",
     "client_secret": "${clientSecret}"
  }

Step 2: Transfer Data Request

Request Details:

• URL: POST https://example.com/api/import
• Headers:
  • Content-Type: application/json
  • Authorization: Bearer ${token}
• Body:

  ${data}

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3. FTP / SFTP

Enables high-performance file transfers to remote network servers.

• FTP (File Transfer Protocol): Standard FTP transfer using login credentials.
• SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol): Secure encrypted transport supporting:
  • Username/Password authentication.
  • Username/SSH-Key (private key) authentication.

Underlying Engine & Requirements

FTP/SFTP transfers are powered by the integrated Rclone engine, offering highly optimized sync speeds and robust retries.

[!IMPORTANT] Rclone Host Requirements:

• Rclone must be pre-installed on the prodexa application host system.
• The recommended and certified stable Rclone version is 1.54.0.
• The absolute system path to the Rclone executable must be registered in the rclone.home application property or the RCLONE_HOME environment variable (e.g., RCLONE_HOME=/usr/bin/rclone on Linux or RCLONE_HOME=C:\rclone\rclone.exe on Windows).

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4. Mail (Email Attachment)

Automatically packages the generated export files into a compressed ZIP or raw attachment and sends them as an email.

• Target Recipients: Configured with one or multiple recipient email addresses (comma-separated).
• SMTP Server: Uses the globally configured mail server properties within prodexa system settings.