Extend OAC REST API for Data Export in Machine‑Readable Formats

K Nowak

Hi,

We would like to propose an enhancement to Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) REST API that would allow exporting data from analyses and workbooks to machine‑readable file formats such as CSV, JSON, XML, and Parquet etc.

Business Need:

In our organization,we need to enable users to automate report distribution and data extraction for downstream processing. This functionality would facilitate exchange between different departments within the organization. Today, automation capabilities in OAC are very limited, which creates a significant gap between user expectations and the available functionality.

Users increasingly expect analytics platforms not only to visualize data, but also to serve as reliable, automatable data delivery layers.

Current Limitations:

We have reviewed theexisting automation options in OAC, and none of them adequately address thisneed:

• OAC REST API - The REST API is designed primarily for administrative and management purposes. It allows exporting analyses only to PDF or PNG, which are not suitable for further data processing.
• DV Data Flows - Data Flows are not a practical replacement for an API. They are less flexible and harder to operationalize.
• SOAP API - The SOAP API relies on Basic Authentication, which is not aligned with modern security standards. Additionally, XML is a heavy format and inefficient for transferring large datasets.
• OAC Agents In OBIEE - agents could export reports to a network location. In OAC, agents are limited to email delivery only, which significantly restricts automation and integration scenarios.
• Extracting data directly from source systems - One of the key reasons we use OAC is to empower users by exposing curated subject areas. Users can build their own reports and should be able to automate exports from OAC itself. Creating separate ETL processes for every recurring report defeats this purpose and introduces unnecessary maintenance overhead.

Expected Value:

Enhancing the OAC REST API to support direct data export in open, machine‑readable formats would:

• Improve OAC’s role as an enterprise analytics and data delivery platform
• Align OAC with modern analytics and integration expectations
• Enable secure and scalable automation
• Reduce the need for custom ETL pipelines

We believe this functionality would provide significant value to many customers and strongly justify further development of the OAC REST API in this area.

Thank you for considering this idea.