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XML Data (XML) File

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Overview

XML is the structured file format this connector handles. It remains the interchange format of older enterprise systems and of anything built on SOAP: mainframe and ERP extracts, licensing and entitlement files, network and telephony configuration dumps, and the output of tooling that predates the move to JSON. Its distinguishing feature is that data lives in two places, in element text and in element attributes, and a parser has to decide what to do with both.

The connector reads those files and writes them to staging tables. The xml_file.php driver walks the document and flattens elements into columns, with a job’s Data Node naming the element to descend to before building rows, so a document wrapped in a result envelope yields one row per record. Repeating child elements below that point become their own related tables. Files are read either from a directory on the ReadyWorks server, including files uploaded through the console, or pulled from an FTP server.

In a ReadyWorks context this is how legacy system extracts reach the data fabric. An asset register exported from a system with no modern API, or a licence entitlement file delivered by a vendor, lands here and then reconciles against live device and identity data from the API connectors.

The connector is inbound only. It reads files and writes staging tables, and it never writes XML back out.

NOTE: Attributes are included in the parsed output on this connector, and the switch that would suppress them is not exposed on the job form. Attribute-heavy documents therefore produce wide staging tables with a column for every attribute on every element.

Connector Properties

Property Value
Identifier XML
Name XML Data (XML) File
Description Connector for processing XML files.
Job Types Inbound Only
Order 200
Enabled Yes
Locked Yes
Block Update No
Single Authentication No
Windows Only No
Connector Version 2025-03-12
Hooks None
Additional Job Fields None
Image

Authentication Methods

Two methods ship. Both use the same parsing driver and differ only in where the file comes from.

Method Identifier Base Method Script Order Enabled Config Fields
XML File XML_file XML_file xml_file.php 10 Yes 3
FTP Server XML_ftp XML_ftp xml_file.php 20 Yes 5

Method 1: XML File (XML_file)

No Authentication

XML File reads from a directory on the ReadyWorks server. Set Server File Path to that directory (the default is storage/etl5), and set Manual File Upload to Yes when operators will attach files through the console. Process Unchanged Files controls whether re-reading an unchanged file is treated as an error.

Connection Configuration Fields (3)

Order Label Type Required Default Max Len Tooltip
30 Server File Path text Yes storage/etl5 255 Enter path where the files to process are located or where manually uploaded files are stored (exclude starting and ending backslash)
220 Process Unchanged Files radio No 0 Choose to allow the connection to process unchanged files and not generate an error
230 Manual File Upload radio Yes 0 Choose if file is uploaded manually or processed from the server

No authentication recipe is stored. The driver script authenticates natively using the fields above.

Method 2: FTP Server (XML_ftp)

Download XML files from an FTP server

FTP Server downloads files from an FTP host before parsing them. Supply the server name and port (the default is 21), and a temporary working path on the ReadyWorks server where downloaded files are held during processing. Username and Password are optional, which allows anonymous FTP.

Connection Configuration Fields (5)

Order Label Type Required Default Max Len Tooltip
10 FTP Server text Yes 255 Enter name of the FTP server
20 FTP Server Port text Yes 21 5 Enter port number of the FTP server
30 Server Temporary Working Path text Yes storage/etl5 255 Enter path where temporary files are stored during data processing (exclude starting and ending backslash)
40 Username text No 1024 Enter username of the FTP connection
50 Password password No 64000 Enter username of the FTP connection

No authentication recipe is stored. The driver script authenticates natively using the fields above.

NOTE: The form has no option for FTPS or SFTP, and no certificate settings. Plain FTP carries credentials and file contents without encryption, so keep the transfer inside a trusted network segment.

NOTE: The Password field’s help text reads “Enter username of the FTP connection”. Enter the password.

Inbound Job Fields Enabled (11)

These are the job-level settings exposed for an XML import. Data Node is the XML-specific one.

Order Label Type Required Default Tooltip
10 Job Description text Yes Enter description of the Job
20 Job Schedule lookup Yes Daily Select frequency Job should run
30 Enabled radio Yes Yes Choose if Job is enabled
70 Destination Table text Yes Enter name of the destination table
80 Data Identity text No Enter identity of the Job
90 XML File or Path textarea No Enter XML filename or path (exclude starting and ending backslash); leave blank to upload all files in the base folder path of the Connection
110 Append Files to Same Destination Table radio No No Choose if multiple files in the same path will append to the same destination table, or will create a new destination table for each file
120 Append New Data to Existing Tables radio No No Choose if new data will append to the existing destination table, or will create a new destination table
130 Fields to Index text No Enter fields to index
230 Data Node text No Enter data node of the Job
560 Order text Yes Enter order of the Job

Inbound Job Templates (1)

One inbound template ships as a worked example. It arrives disabled and points at a placeholder file name, so it is a starting point to copy rather than a job to enable.

# Job Description Destination Table API End Point Enabled What It Pulls
1 XML File xml_data Not set No A skeleton job that loads a single XML document into the xml_data staging table with no Data Node set, so parsing starts at the document root. Replace the file name, the destination table and the data identity, and set Data Node to the repeating element you want rows from.

Job Template Configuration

Settings

Setting Value
Order 10
Enabled No
Job Schedule Daily (15 1 * * *)
Destination Table xml_data
Data Identity xml_data
Allow Empty Table Yes
Append Files to Same Destination Table No
Append New Data to Existing Tables No
Use Unparsed Data No
Convert UUID-Keyed Objects to Rows No
Ignore XML Attributes No
Log Raw API Calls No
Method Type GET
Body Data Sending Method JSON Encoded Data

Job Parameters and Enumeration

XML File

XML File or Path: your_xml_file.xml

Outbound Job Templates (0)

This connector ships no outbound templates and does not support outbound jobs.

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