Import Channels & Protocols

An Import Channel defines where your external data comes from, how PXM communicates with that source, and how it authenticates. PXM supports five main communication channels to support both manual and fully automated enterprise integrations.

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Channel Protocols

1. Local File System

Retrieves files dynamically from the secure PXM server WorkArea using a specified path.

• Use Case: Automatically processing files dropped into a shared directory by local scripts, ERP system exports, or third-party sync agents.

2. Interactive Mode

Allows users to upload files manually and directly from their web browser during the import process.

• Use Case: Ad-hoc catalog updates, manual spreadsheet adjustments, or seasonal supplier price corrections.

3. FTP Server

Fetches files from a remote standard FTP server. It supports basic username and password credentials.

• Use Case: Connecting to legacy catalog servers or simple external file shares.

4. SFTP Server

Fetches files from a secure, encrypted SFTP server. It supports two secure authentication configurations:

• Username / Password: Traditional credentials.
• Username / SSH Key: Secure, certificate-based authentication using public/private key pairs.

5. REST Web Service

Fetches a file dynamically by querying an external REST API endpoint.

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Web Service Timeout Configuration

When querying external REST web services, PXM waits for a response during communications. To prevent hung threads on slow external servers, you can configure custom timeout periods (in seconds) in your system configuration parameters:

# Timeout period in seconds (Default is 120 seconds)
prodexa.pxm.channel.communication.webservice.timeoutPeriod=120

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Web Service Authentication Protocols

PXM supports two built-in authentication styles for REST integrations:

A. Basic Authentication

A single request is sent to the target web service. PXM automatically computes the secure Authorization request header from your configured username and password:

Authorization: Basic base64(username:password)

B. Token / OAuth 2.0 (Client Credentials Grant)

A two-stage communication pipeline fetches the secure data payload:

1. Login Call: PXM queries the OAuth 2.0 authorization endpoint, sending client credentials as a JSON payload to retrieve an access token.
2. Transfer Data Call: PXM automatically extracts the retrieved token and uses it as a variable reference to query the file download endpoint.

Two-Stage Authentication Configuration Example:

Stage 1: Login Call Configuration

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

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

Stage 2: Transfer Data Call Configuration

• HTTP Method: GET
• URL: https://example.com/api/export/catalog.csv
• Predefined Variables:
  • token (Holds the token extracted from the Login Call response)
• Headers:
  • Content-Type: application/json
  • Authorization: Bearer ${token}