Export Data Services

Export Data Service (EDS) v1 and v2 APIs are for exporting data through a standard HTTP interface. These services are primarily used to interoperate with a billing vendor system to extract the latest reads from the system. The BEACON Data Exchange Import API provides the option for the caller to import billing read data into BEACON. EDS is the export analogue of that service.

Once an export is complete, data can be downloaded in CSV format per the Billing Read Export and Data Exchange Specification or as fixed-width column format files.

For instructions on how to configure fixed-width column format files, see See Export Fixed-Width Column Format Files.

Pagination, output options and authentication—described below–are identical for EDS v1 and EDS v2.

Pagination

EDS consumption, flow, range and read methods export results for up to 150,000 meters per call. To export more records, you must make additional calls to:

Parse the initial results file to find the last Meter ID returned
Use the lastMeterID (EDS v1) or Last_Meter_ID parameter (EDS v2) to pass that last Meter ID to BEACON
Repeat step 1 and step 2 until no results are returned.

Pagination results differ based on a the type of export being performed and a number of variables. For example, Latest Read and Billing Read exports produce one read per meter, so the result will typically equal the number of meters up to the limit of 150,000 per call.

Other variables, such as Date Range, Resolution and whether the meters have compound or single registers will impact the number of records per page. For example, getting one year of hourly data for a single meter results in an export of 8,760 records (24*365=8,760). Getting one year of hourly data for a compound meter results in an export of 17,520 records (2*8760=17,520).

A single export operation can output a maximum of 1,048,576 records (1,024*1,024).

JSON handles pagination by displaying results in batches that span “from” meter x “to” meter y. The code sample below shows a 10,000-meter export for a utility with a total of 62762 meters. Line 2 displays the total number of meters in the utility’s portfolio. Line 3 shows the export starts “from” meter n and increments one meter at a time “to” meter 10000 as shown in line 4.

{\n'
  "total": 62762,\n'
  "from": 1,\n'
  "to": 10000,\n'
  "results": [\n'
    {\n'
      "Account_ID": "7689934000",\n'
      "Location_ID": "04307700000430777607",\n'
      "Meter_ID": "19501966",\n'
      "Endpoint_SN": "36223176",\n'
      "Register_Number": "single",\n'
      "Service_Point_ID": "1",\n'
      "Flow": 7021.20000,\n'
      "Flow_Time": "2015-07",\n'
      "Flow_Unit": "Gallons"\n'
    },\n'

CSV-format exports do not paginate results.

Authentication
Authentication is basic authentication, in which the caller needs a valid BEACON user name and password.

Export Timestamps and Timezones
API exports return meter reads in the meter’s assigned timezone, determined as follows:

Manual Provisioning: Utilities that manually select a timezone via a dropdown have their chosen timezone applied.
Data Exchange Files:
- If a Service_Point_Timezone is specified, it is used.
- If not specified and the location is in North America, BEACON determines the timezone based on the address.
- For locations outside North America or without ZIP/postal codes, the timezone defaults to the utility’s predefined setting (usually the utility HQ timezone).
Corrections: Timezones can be corrected by updating the Service_Point_Timezone field in the Data Exchange file and reimporting it.
Daylight Savings Time: BEACON automatically adjusts for DST.

Sensor Timestamps: Meter sensor timestamps are always returned in UTC.

Export Methods and Functionality
See Export Data Service v1 API for documentation on EDS v1 supported methods and export functionality.

See Export Data Service v2 API for documentation on EDS v2 supported methods and export functionality.

Integation Assistance

Please contact your account manager to schedule a Discovery Call with the Badger Meter Software Services Team. Badger Meter offers a variety of premium integration solutions, as well as professional assistance in how to structure API calls and interpret the data in the responses. The Software Services team will work with you to understand your goals and can make recommendations to help ensure your integration solution matches your business objectives.