API Pagination in TrueContext: Oracle Fusion vs IBM Maximo Approaches
When integrating TrueContext with enterprise systems like Oracle Fusion and IBM Maximo, one of the most critical considerations is how to handle large datasets efficiently. Both systems offer robust APIs, but they implement pagination differently. Understanding these differences is key to building reliable, performant integrations that can scale with your organization's needs. There are more than just these 2 methods, the others can be found in our documentation
Why Pagination Matters
Modern enterprise systems contain thousands or millions of records. Whether you're pulling work orders from Maximo or customer data from Oracle Fusion, attempting to retrieve all records in a single API call can lead to timeouts, memory issues, and poor user experiences. Pagination allows us to retrieve data in manageable chunks, ensuring our TrueContext integrations remain responsive and reliable.
Offset-Based Pagination: Oracle Fusion
Oracle Fusion implements offset-based pagination, a traditional approach where you specify exactly where to start reading records and how many to retrieve.
In the Oracle Fusion configuration shown:
- Pagination Method: Offset
- Offset Parameter:
offset
- Limit Parameter:
limit
- More Results Node:
/hasMore
This approach works like flipping through pages in a book. If you want records 101-200, you set offset=100 and limit=100. The API tells you whether more records exist via the hasMore field in the response.
Query Example:
/resources/11.13.18.05/customerWorkOrders?limit=100&offset=0&onlyData=true
Link-Based Pagination: IBM Maximo
IBM Maximo takes a different approach with link-based pagination (also known as cursor-based pagination). Instead of calculating offsets, the API provides direct links to the next set of results.
In the Maximo configuration shown:
- Pagination Method: Link
- Link Node:
/responseInfo/nextPage/href
With this method, each API response includes a complete URL for fetching the next page of results. You simply follow the links until no more are provided.
Configuring Pagination in TrueContext
Setting Up Oracle Fusion Offset Pagination
When configuring your Oracle Fusion data source:
- Set Pagination Method to "Offset"
- Configure Offset Parameter as
offset
- Set Limit Parameter to
limit
- Define More Results Node as
/hasMore
- Set your desired page size in the Query-String Arguments (typically 100-1000 records)
The /hasMore node is crucial-TrueContext will continue fetching pages as long as this field returns true.
Setting Up Maximo Link Pagination
For IBM Maximo integrations:
- Set Pagination Method to "Link"
- Configure Link Node to
/responseInfo/nextPage/href
- No additional parameters needed-Maximo handles page size server-side
TrueContext will automatically follow the next page links until no more are provided in the response.
Choosing the Right Approach
While you don't choose the pagination method (it's determined by your target system's API), understanding these patterns helps you:
- Set appropriate expectations for data consistency
- Design better error handling strategies
- Optimize integration performance
- Troubleshoot pagination issues more effectively
Oracle Fusion's offset approach works well when you need predictable, controllable data retrieval, while Maximo's link-based method excels in dynamic environments where data consistency during lengthy operations is paramount.
Conclusion
Both Oracle Fusion and IBM Maximo offer robust APIs with different pagination philosophies. By understanding these approaches and configuring your TrueContext data sources appropriately, you can build integrations that reliably handle large datasets while maintaining excellent performance.
The key is matching your integration requirements with the pagination method's strengths. Whether you're dealing with Oracle's structured offset approach or Maximo's flexible link-based system, TrueContext provides the tools you need to build effective, scalable enterprise integrations.
Have you implemented pagination with other enterprise systems? Share your experiences and challenges in the comments below!
#TechTalkImplementation #Integration
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Ian Chamberlain
Solutions Architect
TrueContext
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