FME Server Data Upload: Read Data from a URL

Introduction

This method for making data available to FME Server does not involve uploading the dataset. Instead, we’ll tell FME Server where it can look to read a file directly from a source location. This could include inputting a UNC path to a network location or specifying the URL to an external resource on the Internet.
 

Step-by-step Instructions

Note: This exercise is a continuation of FME Server Data Upload: Publish from FME Workbench, ensure you have completed that exercise before starting this one.

Part 1: Read from a URL

1. Read Data From a URL

In FME Server, click Run Workspace on the side menu bar, select the Repository Data Upload and CheckFieldStatus.fmw as the workspace. In the Service drop-down select Data Download. Then, for the Field Status CSV File, copy and paste the following URL. This is a direct URL to the playing field status CSV file hosted on the City of Vancouver’s open data web page. After you have pasted the file, run the workspace.

https://webtransfer.vancouver.ca/OpenData/csv/weekendplayfieldstatus.csv

2. Download Results

After the workspace has run, click on the Data Download URL, this will download a zip file containing the FieldStatus.kml file. 
Unzip the file and open it up in Google Earth to view the results; the results can also be viewed in FME Data Inspector if you do not have Google Earth.
 

Part 2: Read from a UNC Path

1. Share the CSV File

Add the weekendplayfieldstatus.csv file to a shared folder on your network that FME Server has read access to. If you do not already have a shared folder on your network, you will need to create one first. There are many operating system-specific instructions available on the internet, for example: Windows | macOS | Linux (using SAMBA).

Copy the network path to your shared folder. For example, in Windows, you obtain the network path by right-clicking the folder and going to the Sharing tab.


2. Connect FME Server Workspace to UNC Path

Back in FME Server, click Run Workspace and set it to the Data Upload Repository, the CheckFieldStatus.fmw workspace and the Data Download Service like we did in Part 1. For the Field Status CSV File, paste your network path and add \weekendplayfieldstatus.csv. For example, a Windows network path (UNC path) including the .csv file would look something like this: \\computername\FieldStatusData\weekendplayfieldstatus.csv


Run the workspace and download the results as in Part 1.
 
If you would like to learn an advanced data upload method using a custom web page and the REST API, continue on to FME Server Data Upload: REST API  
 

Data Attribution

The data used here originates from open data made available by the City of Vancouver, British Columbia. It contains information licensed under the Open Government License - Vancouver.