Primary Use Case: Data Hub & External APIs

Background Overview

Organizations need to access and integrate platform data with external systems. Without secure and flexible APIs, data integration is limited and brittle. This primary use case describes data access, API management, and security controls for seamless integration.

Goals & Value

• Unified Data Model: Consistent data structure across all integrations.
• Flexible Output: Multiple data formats and delivery methods.
• Permissions & Security: Secure data access with proper authorization.
• Integration Efficiency: Easy integration with external systems.

Participating Roles

• Data Engineers: Manage data hub and API infrastructure.
• Integration Developers: Build integrations using APIs.
• Security Teams: Ensure data access compliance.
• API Consumers: Use APIs for data access and integration.
• Platform Administrators: Monitor and maintain API services.

Primary Scenario User Story

As an integration developer, I want to access customer data through well-documented APIs, so that I can build reliable integrations with our CRM and BI systems.

Sub-scenario Details

Sub-scenario A: API Discovery & Documentation

• Roles & Triggers: Developers need to find and use APIs.
• Main Process:
  1. Provide comprehensive API catalog and documentation.
  2. Document endpoints, parameters, and response formats.
  3. Provide code examples and SDKs.
  4. Maintain API versioning and changelog.
• Success Criteria: Clear documentation; complete examples; accurate specifications.
• Exceptions & Risk Control: Outdated documentation; incorrect examples; API changes.
• **Metric Suggestions: Documentation quality, developer satisfaction, API usage.

Sub-scenario B: Data Access & Export

• Roles & Triggers: Need to extract data from platform.
• Main Process:
  1. Authenticate API consumers with proper credentials.
  2. Filter and transform data based on permissions.
  3. Export data in requested formats (JSON, XML, CSV).
  4. Log all data access for audit purposes.
• Success Criteria: Secure access; accurate data; complete exports.
• Exceptions & Risk Control: Authentication failures; data access violations; export errors.
• Metric Suggestions: Access success rate, data accuracy, export completion.

Sub-scenario C: Real-time Data Sync

• Roles & Triggers: Need real-time data synchronization.
• Main Process:
  1. Set up webhook endpoints for event notifications.
  2. Stream data changes in real-time.
  3. Handle retry and failure scenarios.
  4. Ensure data consistency across systems.
• Success Criteria: Real-time delivery; reliable sync; data consistency.
• Exceptions & Risk Control: Delivery failures; data conflicts; sync errors.
• **Metric Suggestions: Sync success rate, latency, consistency rate.

Sub-scenario D: API Management & Monitoring

• Roles & Triggers: Need to monitor API usage and performance.
• Main Process:
  1. Track API usage and rate limits.
  2. Monitor API performance and errors.
  3. Implement throttling and quotas.
  4. Generate usage reports and analytics.
• Success Criteria: Effective monitoring; proper throttling; useful reports.
• Exceptions & Risk Control: Rate limit violations; performance degradation; monitoring failures.
• Metric Suggestions: API availability, response time, usage compliance.

Scenario-level Test Case Examples

Test Preparation: Prepare API gateway, authentication system, data transformation tools, and monitoring dashboards.

Test Case A-1: API Data Export (Positive)

• Prerequisites: Developer has API credentials.
• Steps:
  1. Developer calls customer data API.
  2. Receives filtered customer data in JSON format.
• Expected Results:
  • API returns accurate customer data.
  • Data filtered according to permissions.
  • All fields properly formatted.

Test Case B-1: Real-time Webhook Notification (Negative)

• Prerequisites: Webhook endpoint configured.
• Steps:
  1. Customer data updated in platform.
  2. Webhook notification sent to external system.
• Expected Results:
  • Webhook delivered promptly.
  • External system receives update notification.
  • Data synchronized successfully.

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