Custom Connector
Open Data City of Brussels Connector
Belgium
The Open Data City of Brussels Connector integrates with the City of Brussels open-data platform, providing access to catalog datasets, records, export formats, facets, and attachments. It acts as a proxy for querying datasets, listing and running exports, enumerating facets, and retrieving individual records or attachments — in JSON, optimized for GCP.
Overview
Integration Overview
This document provides a detailed guide for each integration point, its purpose, configuration, and workflow support using the Open Data City of Brussels Connector. Endpoints cover the catalog, catalog exports, dataset records, per-dataset exports, facets, attachments, and single records.
- getDatasets. Retrieve a list of available datasets, optionally filtered or refined.
- listExportFormats. List available export formats for the catalog.
- exportDatasets / exportCatalogCSV / exportCatalogDCAT. Export the catalog in a chosen format, CSV, or RDF/XML (DCAT).
- getDatasetsFacets. Enumerate facet values for datasets.
- getRecords. Query records within a specific dataset.
- listDatasetExportFormats. List available export formats for a specific dataset.
- exportRecords / CSV / Parquet / GPX. Export a dataset’s records in a chosen format, CSV, Parquet, or GPX.
- getDataset. Retrieve information about a specific dataset.
- getRecordsFacets. Enumerate facet values for a dataset’s records.
- getDatasetAttachments. List attachments for a specific dataset.
- getRecord. Retrieve a single dataset record by identifier.
Documentation
Detailed Integration Documentation
Catalog Datasets Retrieval
| Action | getDatasets |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Retrieves a list of available datasets, optionally filtered by ODSQL where clauses, refinements, or limits — the primary entry point for building catalog interfaces. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENDATA_BRUSSELS_BASE_URL. Set the apikey via query parameters or GCP Secret Manager. |
| Parameters | Optional: select; where (ODSQL, e.g. publisher=“Opendatasoft”); order_by; limit (default 10, max 100); offset; refine; exclude; lang (en, fr, nl, …, default fr); timezone; group_by; include_links; include_app_metas. |
| Output | Successful: JSON with total_count, links, and a results array of dataset objects (dataset_id, metas, fields). Failure: ODSQLError if the query is malformed. |
| Workflow example | Execute getDatasets with where=publisher=“Opendatasoft”, then populate a dataset selection list. |
Catalog Export Formats & Exports
| Action | listExportFormats / exportDatasets / exportCatalogCSV / exportCatalogDCAT |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Lists available catalog export formats, and exports the catalog in a chosen format, CSV (with delimiter options), or RDF/XML (DCAT) for metadata interoperability. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENDATA_BRUSSELS_BASE_URL. Set the apikey via query parameters or GCP Secret Manager. |
| Parameters | exportDatasets required: format — format (csv, fgb, geojson, gpx, json, jsonl, jsonld, kml, n3, ov2, parquet, rdfxml, shp, turtle, xlsx). CSV optional: delimiter (; , \t |); list_separator; quote_all; with_bom. DCAT required: dcat_ap_format; optional: include_exports, use_labels_in_exports. Plus catalog filters (select, where, refine, …). |
| Output | Successful: a JSON list of export links, or a file (JSON/CSV/RDF-XML). Failure: Bad Request or rate-limit (10002). |
| Workflow example | Call listExportFormats, then exportCatalogCSV with delimiter=; and import the CSV into BigQuery. |
Datasets Facets Enumeration
| Action | getDatasetsFacets |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Enumerates facet values for datasets — for guided navigation and query refinement. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENDATA_BRUSSELS_BASE_URL. Set the apikey via query parameters or GCP Secret Manager. |
| Parameters | Required: facet (name or function, e.g. publisher). Optional: refine; exclude; where; timezone. |
| Output | Successful: JSON with links and facets (name, count, state). Failure: ODSQL malformed error. |
| Workflow example | Execute getDatasetsFacets with facet=publisher, then use facets to refine dataset queries. |
Dataset Records Query
| Action | getRecords |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Performs a query on records within a specific dataset, optionally with filters or aggregations. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENDATA_BRUSSELS_BASE_URL. Set the apikey via query parameters or GCP Secret Manager. |
| Parameters | Required: dataset_id. Optional: select; where; group_by; order_by; limit (default 10); offset; refine; exclude; lang; timezone; include_links; include_app_metas. |
| Output | Successful: JSON with total_count, links, and a results array of record objects. Failure: Bad Request. |
| Workflow example | Execute getRecords with dataset_id=world-administrative-boundaries… and where filters, then display in a dashboard. |
Dataset Exports (formats / CSV / Parquet / GPX)
| Action | listDatasetExportFormats / exportRecords / exportRecordsCSV / exportRecordsParquet / exportRecordsGPX |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Lists a dataset’s export formats, and exports its records in a chosen format, CSV, Parquet (snappy/zstd), or GPX (geospatial). |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENDATA_BRUSSELS_BASE_URL. Set the apikey via query parameters or GCP Secret Manager. |
| Parameters | Required: dataset_id (and format for exportRecords — format (csv, fgb, geojson, gpx, json, jsonl, jsonld, kml, n3, ov2, parquet, rdfxml, shp, turtle, xlsx).). Optional: select, where, order_by, group_by, limit, refine, exclude, lang, timezone, use_labels, compressed, epsg (default 4326); CSV delimiter options; parquet_compression; GPX name_field/description_field_list/use_extension. |
| Output | Successful: a file in the requested format. Failure: Bad Request. |
| Workflow example | Execute exportRecords with dataset_id and format=json, then store the file in Cloud Storage. |
Dataset Info, Record Facets, Attachments & Single Record
| Action | getDataset / getRecordsFacets / getDatasetAttachments / getRecord |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Retrieves a dataset’s metadata and endpoints; enumerates facet values for its records; lists its attachments; and retrieves a single record by identifier. |
| Configuration | Configure the base URL via CONNECTOR_ENV_OPENDATA_BRUSSELS_BASE_URL. Set the apikey via query parameters or GCP Secret Manager. |
| Parameters | Required: dataset_id (getRecordsFacets also needs facet; getRecord also needs record_id). Optional: select; where; refine; exclude; lang; timezone; include_links; include_app_metas. |
| Output | Successful: JSON with dataset metadata/fields/links, facet enumerations, attachment links (href, mime-type, title), or a single record. Failure: Bad Request. |
| Workflow example | Call getDataset with dataset_id=geonames-all-cities… to configure a UI, then getRecord with record_id to display a specific record. |
Example Workflow: Dataset Exploration & Export
| Retrieve datasets | Use getDatasets with refine=publisher:Opendatasoft and identify datasets of interest. |
|---|---|
| Query records | Execute getRecords with a dataset_id and optional where=timezone:Europe/Brussels, then display in a dashboard. |
| Export for analysis | Use exportRecordsCSV with dataset_id and delimiter=;, store in Cloud Storage, and analyze in BigQuery. |
Support
For technical support, contact custom-connectors-support@isolutions.sa.