DocumentationExperience PlatformExperience Data Model (XDM) Guide

Data types endpoint

Last update: Wed Nov 22 2023 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

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  • Developer

Data types are used as reference-type fields in classes or schema field groups in the same way as basic literal fields, with the key difference being that data types can define multiple sub-fields. While similar to field groups in that they allow for the consistent use of a multi-field structure, data types are more flexible because they can be included anywhere in the schema structure whereas field groups can only be added at the root level. The /datatypes endpoint in the Schema Registry API allows you to programmatically manage data types within your experience application.

NOTE
If a field is defined as a specific data type, you cannot create the same field with a different datatype in another schema. This constraint applies across your organization’s tenant.

Getting started

The endpoint used in this guide is part of the Schema Registry API. Before continuing, please review the getting started guide for links to related documentation, a guide to reading the sample API calls in this document, and important information regarding required headers that are needed to successfully make calls to any Experience Platform API.

Retrieve a list of data types list

You can list all data types under the global or tenant container by making a GET request to /global/datatypes or /tenant/datatypes, respectively.

NOTE
When listing resources, the Schema Registry limits result sets to 300 items. In order to return resources beyond this limit, you must use paging parameters. It is also recommended that you use additional query parameters to filter results and reduce the number of resources returned. See the section on query parameters in the appendix document for more information.

API format

GET /{CONTAINER_ID}/datatypes?{QUERY_PARAMS}
Parameter
Description
{CONTAINER_ID}
The container you want to retrieve data types from: global for Adobe-created data types or tenant for data types owned by your organization.
{QUERY_PARAMS}
Optional query parameters to filter results by. See the appendix document for a list of available parameters.

Request

The following request retrieves a list of data types from the tenant container, using an orderby query parameter to sort the data types by their title attribute.

curl -X GET \
  https://platform.adobe.io/data/foundation/schemaregistry/tenant/datatypes?orderby=title \
  -H 'Accept: application/vnd.adobe.xed-id+json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'x-api-key: {API_KEY}' \
  -H 'x-gw-ims-org-id: {ORG_ID}' \
  -H 'x-sandbox-name: {SANDBOX_NAME}'

The response format depends on the Accept header sent in the request. The following Accept headers are available for listing data types:

Accept header
Description
application/vnd.adobe.xed-id+json
Returns a short summary of each resource. This is the recommended header for listing resources. (Limit: 300)
application/vnd.adobe.xed+json
Returns full JSON data type for each resource, with original $ref and allOf included. (Limit: 300)

Response

The request above used the application/vnd.adobe.xed-id+json Accept header, therefore the response includes only the title, $id, meta:altId, and version attributes for each data type. Using the other Accept header (application/vnd.adobe.xed+json) returns all attributes of each data type. Select the appropriate Accept header depending on the information you require in your response.

{
  "results": [
    {
      "$id": "https://ns.adobe.com/{TENANT_ID}/datatypes/78570e371092c032260714dd8bfd6d44",
      "meta:altId": "_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.78570e371092c032260714dd8bfd6d44",
      "version": "1.0",
      "title": "Loyalty"
    },
    {
      "$id": "https://ns.adobe.com/{TENANT_ID}/datatypes/4b0329b5573cbb7cb757db667d7fdf66",
      "meta:altId": "_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.4b0329b5573cbb7cb757db667d7fdf66",
      "version": "1.0",
      "title": "Property Details"
    }
  ],
  "_page": {
    "orderby": "title",
    "next": null,
    "count": 2
  },
  "_links": {
    "next": null,
    "global_schemas": {
      "href": "https://platform.adobe.io/data/foundation/schemaregistry/global/datatypes?orderby=title"
    }
  }
}

Look up a data type lookup

You can look up a specific data type by including the data type’s ID in the path of a GET request.

API format

GET /{CONTAINER_ID}/datatypes/{DATA_TYPE_ID}
Parameter
Description
{CONTAINER_ID}
The container that houses the data type you want to retrieve: global for an Adobe-created data type or tenant for a data type owned by your organization.
{DATA_TYPE_ID}
The meta:altId or URL-encoded $id of the data type you want to look up.

Request

The following request retrieves a data type by its meta:altId value provided in the path.

curl -X GET \
  https://platform.adobe.io/data/foundation/schemaregistry/tenant/datatypes/_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.78570e371092c032260714dd8bfd6d44 \
  -H 'Accept: application/vnd.adobe.xed+json' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'x-api-key: {API_KEY}' \
  -H 'x-gw-ims-org-id: {ORG_ID}' \
  -H 'x-sandbox-name: {SANDBOX_NAME}'

The response format depends on the Accept header sent in the request. All lookup requests require a version be included in the Accept header. The following Accept headers are available:

Accept header
Description
application/vnd.adobe.xed+json; version=1
Raw with $ref and allOf, has titles and descriptions.
application/vnd.adobe.xed-full+json; version=1
$ref and allOf resolved, has titles and descriptions.
application/vnd.adobe.xed-notext+json; version=1
Raw with $ref and allOf, no titles or descriptions.
application/vnd.adobe.xed-full-notext+json; version=1
$ref and allOf resolved, no titles or descriptions.
application/vnd.adobe.xed-full-desc+json; version=1
$ref and allOf resolved, descriptors included.

Response

A successful response returns the details of the data type. The fields that are returned depend on the Accept header sent in the request. Experiment with different Accept headers to compare the responses and determine which header is best for your use case.

{
  "$id": "https://ns.adobe.com/{TENANT_ID}/datatypes/78570e371092c032260714dd8bfd6d44",
  "meta:altId": "_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.78570e371092c032260714dd8bfd6d44",
  "meta:resourceType": "datatypes",
  "version": "1.0",
  "title": "Loyalty",
  "type": "object",
  "description": "Loyalty object containing loyalty-specific fields.",
  "definitions": {
    "customFields": {
      "properties": {
        "loyaltyId": {
          "title": "Loyalty ID",
          "description": "Unique loyalty program member ID. Should be in the format of an email address.",
          "type": "string",
          "meta:xdmType": "string"
        },
        "memberSince": {
          "title": "Member Since",
          "description": "Date person joined loyalty program.",
          "type": "string",
          "format": "date",
          "meta:xdmType": "date"
        },
        "points": {
          "title": "Points",
          "description": "Accumulated loyalty points",
          "type": "integer",
          "meta:xdmType": "int"
        },
        "loyaltyLevel": {
          "title": "Loyalty Level",
          "description": "The current loyalty program level to which the individual member belongs.",
          "type": "string",
          "enum": [
            "platinum",
            "gold",
            "silver",
            "bronze"
          ],
          "meta:enum": {
            "platinum": "Platinum",
            "gold": "Gold",
            "silver": "Silver",
            "bronze": "Bronze"
          },
          "meta:xdmType": "string"
        }
      },
      "type": "object",
      "meta:xdmType": "object"
    }
  },
  "allOf": [
    {
      "$ref": "#/definitions/customFields"
    }
  ],
  "imsOrg": "{ORG_ID}",
  "meta:extensible": true,
  "meta:abstract": true,
  "meta:xdmType": "object",
  "meta:registryMetadata": {
    "repo:createdDate": 1557529442681,
    "repo:lastModifiedDate": 1557529442681,
    "xdm:createdClientId": "{CLIENT_ID}",
    "xdm:lastModifiedClientId": "{CLIENT_ID}",
    "xdm:lastModifiedUserId": "{USER_ID}",
    "eTag": "50b8008b588e911314f9685240dd4c23a247f37179a6d9ff6ba3877dc11ca504",
    "meta:globalLibVersion": "1.15.4"
  },
  "meta:containerId": "tenant",
  "meta:tenantNamespace": "_{TENANT_ID}"
}

Create a data type create

You can define a custom data type under the tenant container by making a POST request.

API format

POST /tenant/datatypes

Request

Unlike field groups, defining a data type does not require meta:extends or meta:intendedToExtend fields, nor do fields need to be nested to avoid collisions.

When it comes to defining the field structure of data type itself, you can use primitive types (like string or object) or you can reference other existing data types through $ref attributes. See the guide on defining custom XDM fields in the API for detailed guidance on the expected format for different XDM field types.

The following request creates a “Property Construction” object data type with sub-properties yearBuilt, propertyType, and location:

curl -X POST \
  https://platform.adobe.io/data/foundation/schemaregistry/tenant/datatypes \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'x-api-key: {API_KEY}' \
  -H 'x-gw-ims-org-id: {ORG_ID}' \
  -H 'x-sandbox-name: {SANDBOX_NAME}' \
  -d '{
        "title": "Property Construction",
        "description": "Information related to the property construction",
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "yearBuilt": {
            "type": "integer",
            "title": "Year Built",
            "description": "The year the property was constructed."
          },
          "propertyType": {
            "type": "string",
            "title": "Property Type",
            "description": "Type of building or structure in which the property exists.",
            "enum": [
              "freeStanding",
              "mall",
              "shoppingCenter"
            ],
            "meta:enum": {
              "freeStanding": "Free Standing Building",
              "mall": "Mall Space",
              "shoppingCenter": "Shopping Center"
            }
          },
          "location": {
            "title": "Location",
            "description": "The physical location of the property.",
            "$ref": "https://ns.adobe.com/xdm/common/address"
          }
        }
      }'

Response

A successful response returns HTTP status 201 (Created) and a payload containing the details of the newly created data type, including the $id, meta:altId, and version. These three values are read-only and are assigned by the Schema Registry.

{
  "$id": "https://ns.adobe.com/{TENANT_ID}/datatypes/669ffcc61cf5e94e8640dbe6a15f0f24eb3cd1ddbbfb6b36",
  "meta:altId": "_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.669ffcc61cf5e94e8640dbe6a15f0f24eb3cd1ddbbfb6b36",
  "meta:resourceType": "datatypes",
  "version": "1.0",
  "title": "Property Construction",
  "type": "object",
  "description": "Information related to the property construction",
  "properties": {
    "yearBuilt": {
      "type": "integer",
      "title": "Year Built",
      "description": "The year the property was constructed.",
      "meta:xdmType": "int"
    },
    "propertyType": {
      "type": "string",
      "title": "Property Type",
      "description": "Type of building or structure in which the property exists.",
      "enum": [
        "freeStanding",
        "mall",
        "shoppingCenter"
      ],
      "meta:enum": {
        "freeStanding": "Free Standing Building",
        "mall": "Mall Space",
        "shoppingCenter": "Shopping Center"
      },
      "meta:xdmType": "string"
    },
    "location": {
      "title": "Location",
      "description": "The physical location of the property.",
      "$ref": "https://ns.adobe.com/xdm/common/address",
      "type": "object",
      "meta:xdmType": "object"
    }
  },
  "refs": [
    "https://ns.adobe.com/xdm/common/address"
  ],
  "imsOrg": "{ORG_ID}",
  "meta:extensible": true,
  "meta:abstract": true,
  "meta:xdmType": "object",
  "meta:registryMetadata": {
    "repo:createdDate": 1670885230789,
    "repo:lastModifiedDate": 1670885230789,
    "xdm:createdClientId": "{CLIENT_ID}",
    "xdm:lastModifiedClientId": "{CLIENT_ID}",
    "xdm:createdUserId": "{USER_ID}",
    "xdm:lastModifiedUserId": "{USER_ID}",
    "eTag": "d3cc803a1f8daa06b7c150d882bd337d88f4d5d5f08d36cfc4c2849dc0255f7e",
    "meta:globalLibVersion": "1.38.3.1"
  },
  "meta:containerId": "tenant",
  "meta:sandboxId": "1bd86660-c5da-11e9-93d4-6d5fc3a66a8e",
  "meta:sandboxType": "production",
  "meta:tenantNamespace": "_{TENANT_ID}"
}

Performing a GET request to list all data types in the tenant container would now include the Property Details data type, or you can perform a lookup (GET) request using the URL-encoded $id URI to view the new data type directly.

Update a data type put

You can replace an entire data type through a PUT operation, essentially re-writing the resource. When updating a data type through a PUT request, the body must include all of the fields that would be required when creating a new data type in a POST request.

NOTE
If you only want to update part of a data type instead of replacing it entirely, see the section on updating a portion of a data type.

API format

PUT /tenant/datatypes/{DATA_TYPE_ID}
Parameter
Description
{DATA_TYPE_ID}
The meta:altId or URL-encoded $id of the data type you want to re-write.

Request

The following request re-writes an existing data type, adding a new floorSize field.

curl -X PUT \
  https://platform.adobe.io/data/foundation/schemaregistry/tenant/datatypes/_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.7602bc6e97e5786a31c95d9e6531a1596687433451d97bc1 \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  -H 'x-api-key: {API_KEY}' \
  -H 'x-gw-ims-org-id: {ORG_ID}' \
  -H 'x-sandbox-name: {SANDBOX_NAME}' \
  -d '{
        "title": "Property Construction",
        "description": "Information related to the property construction",
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
          "yearBuilt": {
            "type": "integer",
            "title": "Year Built",
            "description": "The year the property was constructed."
          },
          "propertyType": {
            "type": "string",
            "title": "Property Type",
            "description": "Type of building or structure in which the property exists.",
            "enum": [
              "freeStanding",
              "mall",
              "shoppingCenter"
            ],
            "meta:enum": {
              "freeStanding": "Free Standing Building",
              "mall": "Mall Space",
              "shoppingCenter": "Shopping Center"
            }
          },
          "floorSize" {
            "type": "integer",
            "title": "Floor Size",
            "description": "The floor size of the property, in square feet."
          }
        }
      }'

Response

A successful response returns the details of the updated data type.

{
  "$id": "https://ns.adobe.com/{TENANT_ID}/datatypes/7602bc6e97e5786a31c95d9e6531a1596687433451d97bc1",
  "meta:altId": "_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.7602bc6e97e5786a31c95d9e6531a1596687433451d97bc1",
  "meta:resourceType": "datatypes",
  "version": "1.0",
  "title": "Property Construction",
  "type": "object",
  "description": "Information related to the property construction",
  "properties": {
    "yearBuilt": {
      "type": "integer",
      "title": "Year Built",
      "description": "The year the property was constructed.",
      "meta:xdmType": "int"
    },
    "propertyType": {
      "type": "string",
      "title": "Property Type",
      "description": "Type of building or structure in which the property exists.",
      "enum": [
        "freeStanding",
        "mall",
        "shoppingCenter"
      ],
      "meta:enum": {
        "freeStanding": "Free Standing Building",
        "mall": "Mall Space",
        "shoppingCenter": "Shopping Center"
      },
      "meta:xdmType": "string"
    },
    "floorSize" {
      "type":  "integer",
      "title":  "Floor Size",
      "description":  "The floor size of the property, in square feet.",
      "meta:xdmType": "int"
    }
  },
  "refs": [],
  "imsOrg": "{ORG_ID}",
  "meta:extensible": true,
  "meta:abstract": true,
  "meta:xdmType": "object",
  "meta:registryMetadata": {
    "repo:createdDate": 1604524729435,
    "repo:lastModifiedDate": 1604524729435,
    "xdm:createdClientId": "{CLIENT_ID}",
    "xdm:lastModifiedClientId": "{CLIENT_ID}",
    "xdm:createdUserId": "{USER_ID}",
    "xdm:lastModifiedUserId": "{USER_ID}",
    "eTag": "1c838764342756868ca1297869f582a38d15f03ed0acfc97fda7532d22e942c7",
    "meta:globalLibVersion": "1.15.4"
  },
  "meta:containerId": "tenant",
  "meta:sandboxId": "ff0f6870-c46d-11e9-8ca3-036939a64204",
  "meta:sandboxType": "production",
  "meta:tenantNamespace": "_{TENANT_ID}"
}

Update a portion of a data type patch

You can update a portion of a data type by using a PATCH request. The Schema Registry supports all standard JSON Patch operations, including add, remove, and replace. For more information on JSON Patch, see the API fundamentals guide.

NOTE
If you want to replace an entire resource with new values instead of updating individual fields, see the section on replacing a data type using a PUT operation.

API format

PATCH /tenant/data type/{DATA_TYPE_ID}
Parameter
Description
{DATA_TYPE_ID}
The URL-encoded $id URI or meta:altId of the data type you want to update.

Request

The example request below updates the description of an existing data type, and adds a new floorSize field.

The request body takes the form of an array, with each listed object representing a specific change to an individual field. Each object includes the operation to be performed (op), which field the operation should be performed on (path), and what information should be included in that operation (value).

curl -X PATCH \
  https://platform.adobe.io/data/foundation/schemaregistry/tenant/datatypes/_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.8779fd45d6e4eb074300023a439862bbba359b60d451627a \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'x-api-key: {API_KEY}' \
  -H 'x-gw-ims-org-id: {ORG_ID}' \
  -H 'x-sandbox-name: {SANDBOX_NAME}' \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '[
        {
          "op": "replace",
          "path": "/description",
          "value": "Construction-related information for a company-operated property."
        },
        {
          "op": "add",
          "path": "/properties/floorSize",
          "value": {
            "type": "integer",
            "title": "Floor Size",
            "description": "The floor size of the property, in square feet."
          }
        }
      ]'

Response

The response shows that both operations were performed successfully. The description has been updated, and floorSize has been added under definitions.

{
  "$id": "https://ns.adobe.com/{TENANT_ID}/datatypes/8779fd45d6e4eb074300023a439862bbba359b60d451627a",
  "meta:altId": "_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.8779fd45d6e4eb074300023a439862bbba359b60d451627a",
  "meta:resourceType": "datatypes",
  "version": "1.2",
  "title": "Property Details",
  "type": "object",
  "description": "Details relating to a property operated by the company.",
  "definitions": {
    "property": {
      "properties": {
        "_{TENANT_ID}": {
        "type": "object",
        "properties": {
            "propertyName": {
              "type": "string",
              "title": "Property Name",
              "description": "Name of the property"
            },
            "propertyCity": {
              "title": "Property City",
              "description": "City where the property is located.",
              "type": "string"
            },
            "propertyCountry": {
              "title": "Property Country",
              "description": "Country where the property is located.",
              "type": "string"
            },
            "phoneNumber": {
              "title": "Phone Number",
              "description": "Primary phone number for the property.",
              "type": "string"
            },
            "propertyType": {
              "type": "string",
              "title": "Property Type",
              "description": "Type and primary use of property.",
              "enum": [
                  "retail",
                  "yoga",
                  "fitness"
              ],
              "meta:enum": {
                  "retail": "Retail Store",
                  "yoga": "Yoga Studio",
                  "fitness": "Fitness Center"
              }
            },
            "propertyConstruction": {
              "$ref": "https://ns.adobe.com/{TENANT_ID}/datatypes/24c643f618647344606222c494bd0102"
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "allOf": [
    {
      "$ref": "#/definitions/customFields",
      "type": "object",
      "meta:xdmType": "object"
    }
  ],
  "imsOrg": "{ORG_ID}",
  "meta:extensible": true,
  "meta:abstract": true,
  "meta:intendedToExtend": [
    "https://ns.adobe.com/xdm/context/profile"
  ],
  "meta:xdmType": "object",
  "meta:registryMetadata": {
    "repo:createdDate": 1594941263588,
    "repo:lastModifiedDate": 1594941538433,
    "xdm:createdClientId": "{CLIENT_ID}",
    "xdm:lastModifiedClientId": "{CLIENT_ID}",
    "xdm:createdUserId": "{USER_ID}",
    "xdm:lastModifiedUserId": "{USER_ID}",
    "eTag": "5e8a5e508eb2ed344c08cb23ed27cfb60c841bec59a2f7513deda0f7af903021",
    "meta:globalLibVersion": "1.15.4"
  },
  "meta:containerId": "tenant",
  "meta:tenantNamespace": "_{TENANT_ID}"
}

Delete a data type delete

It may occasionally be necessary to remove a data type from the Schema Registry. This is done by performing a DELETE request with the data type ID provided in the path.

API format

DELETE /tenant/datatypes/{DATA_TYPE_ID}
Parameter
Description
{DATA_TYPE_ID}
The URL-encoded $id URI or meta:altId of the data type you want to delete.

Request

curl -X DELETE \
  https://platform.adobe.io/data/foundation/schemaregistry/tenant/datatypes/_{TENANT_ID}.datatypes.d5cc04eb8d50190001287e4c869ebe67 \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer {ACCESS_TOKEN}' \
  -H 'x-api-key: {API_KEY}' \
  -H 'x-gw-ims-org-id: {ORG_ID}' \
  -H 'x-sandbox-name: {SANDBOX_NAME}'

Response

A successful response returns HTTP status 204 (No Content) and a blank body.

You can confirm the deletion by attempting a lookup (GET) request to the data type. You will need to include an Accept header in the request, but should receive an HTTP status 404 (Not Found) because the data type has been removed from the Schema Registry.

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