Extracting Data

OpenDataDSL provides multiple ways to consume data, from interactive tools for analysts to programmatic APIs for application integration.

Overview

Method	Best for
Web Portal	Interactive browsing, charting, and ad-hoc exploration
Excel Add-in	Pulling data directly into spreadsheets
REST API / SDK	Application integration and programmatic access
Automations	Event-driven delivery — push data downstream when it changes
Reports	Structured, formatted output for regular distribution

Web Portal

The web portal lets you browse master data, view timeseries charts, inspect forward curves, and run reports — all without writing any code. It works in any browser and on mobile.

Use the portal for ad-hoc data exploration, monitoring process executions, and managing automations.

Open the Web Portal

Further reading: Web Portal guide

Excel Add-in

The free Excel add-in connects your spreadsheets directly to the platform. You can search for objects, pull timeseries and curve data into cells, and refresh the data at any time.

The add-in supports:

Timeseries — pull historical values into a range
Curves — pull forward curve contracts for a given date
Objects — pull master data properties into cells
Reports — render a report output into a sheet

Further reading: Excel Add-in guide

REST API / SDK

Every piece of data in the platform is accessible via the REST API. SDKs wrap the API for Python, Java, .NET, MATLAB, and JavaScript.

Example — reading a timeseries via ODSL

// Read a specific timeseries property from an object
ts = ${data:"#ECB_FX.EURGBP:SPOT"}
print ts

Example — reading via Python SDK

from odsl import OpenDataDSL

odsl = OpenDataDSL()
ts = odsl.get("data", "#ECB_FX.EURGBP:SPOT")
print(ts)

Example — reading via REST API

GET https://api.opendatadsl.com/api/data/v1/public/%23ECB_FX.EURGBP:SPOT
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}

Filtering and projecting

The API supports rich filtering, field projection, date-range queries, and aggregation. For example, to get only the values between two dates:

GET https://api.opendatadsl.com/api/data/v1/public/%23ECB_FX.EURGBP:SPOT
  ?_range=between(2024-01-01,2024-06-30)
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}

Further reading: REST API Guide · Python SDK · Java SDK

Automations

Rather than polling for data, you can automate delivery — the platform pushes data to your system automatically whenever a watched item changes.

An automation has two parts: a condition that defines what to watch (which data item and which action triggers it) and a target that defines where to send the data.

Automation targets

Target	Description
`odsl.queue`	Push a message to a named queue for an internal application to consume
`odsl.email`	Send a formatted email
`odsl.email_attachment`	Send data as an email attachment, optionally transformed
`odsl.webhook`	POST data to an external HTTP endpoint
`odsl.teams`	Post a notification to a Microsoft Teams channel
`odsl.curve`	Trigger a Smart Curve build

Example — push to a queue when data updates

POST https://api.opendatadsl.com/api/automation/v1
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}

{
  "_type": "VarAutomation",
  "target": "odsl.queue",
  "enabled": true,
  "properties": {
    "queue": "my-downstream-queue",
    "subject": "ECB_FX_UPDATE"
  },
  "conditions": [{
    "source": "public",
    "service": "data",
    "id": "#ECB_FX.EURGBP:SPOT",
    "action": "update"
  }]
}

Example — send an email attachment when data updates

POST https://api.opendatadsl.com/api/automation/v1
Authorization: Bearer {{token}}

{
  "_type": "VarAutomation",
  "target": "odsl.email_attachment",
  "enabled": true,
  "properties": {
    "to": "analyst@company.com",
    "subject": "ECB FX Update",
    "attachmentName": "ecb_fx_${date:yyyy-MM-dd}.csv",
    "attachment": true,
    "@transformer": "#VarTimeSeries_CSV"
  },
  "conditions": [{
    "source": "public",
    "service": "data",
    "id": "#ECB_FX.EURGBP:SPOT",
    "action": "update"
  }]
}

tip

To see all available automations for a specific data item, use the listAutomations special function:

GET https://api.opendatadsl.com/api/data/v1/public/%23ECB_FX.EURGBP:SPOT?_function=listAutomations

This returns all valid automation templates pre-populated with the item's condition — you can use them directly as the body for a POST to create an automation.

Further reading: Automation REST service · Automation Target service

Reports

Reports let you define a structured, formatted data output that is generated on a schedule or on demand. A report has a configuration (script + template) and produces a stored output that can be read via the API, rendered in the portal, downloaded in Excel, or distributed by email.

Reports are well suited to:

Daily price summaries distributed to a team
End-of-day curve snapshots exported to CSV
KPI dashboards built from aggregated platform data

Further reading: Reporting Basics

Choosing an approach

You want to…	Use…
Browse and explore data interactively	Web Portal
Pull data into Excel for analysis or reporting	Excel Add-in
Read data from your own application	REST API / SDK
Push data downstream whenever it changes	Automation
Distribute a formatted data summary on a schedule	Report + automation (email target)

Next Steps

Loading Data — getting data into the platform
Data Identities — mapping data items to the IDs used by downstream systems
Automation REST service — full automation reference
REST API Guide — complete API reference

Overview​

Web Portal​

Excel Add-in​

REST API / SDK​

Example — reading a timeseries via ODSL​

Example — reading via Python SDK​

Example — reading via REST API​

Filtering and projecting​

Automations​

Automation targets​

Example — push to a queue when data updates​

Example — send an email attachment when data updates​

Reports​

Choosing an approach​

Next Steps​