Namespaces and version for the Data Ingest Web Service

This topic describes the two namespaces used for data ingest operations and the version of the Data Ingest Web Service.

XML namespaces provide a method for qualifying element and attribute names used in Extensible Markup Language documents by associating them with namespaces identified by URI references. The Data Ingest Web Service uses two namespaces: "ingest" namespace and "mdex" namespace.

The xmlns attribute specifies these namespaces, as in this example, which also shows the Web service's version, where ns is the "ingest" namespace, and ns1 is the "mdex" namespace:
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" 
  xmlns:ns="http://www.endeca.com/MDEX/ingest/2/0" 
  xmlns:ns1="http://www.endeca.com/MDEX/XQuery/2009/09">

The "ingest" namespace

The "ingest" namespace for the Data Ingest Web Service (DIWS) is:
http://www.endeca.com/MDEX/ingest/2/0

This namespace also reflects the version of the Data Ingest Web Service. This namespace is included in the WSDL document for the Web service.

After this declaration, all DIWS elements will use the same prefix, which will be associated with the same namespace, as in this abbreviated example that uses the variable ns for this namespace:
<ns:ingestChanges>
<ns:deleteRecords>
 <ns:recordSpecifier>?</ns:recordSpecifier> 
 </ns:deleteRecords>
</ns:ingestChanges>

You can use a prefix of your own choosing, but it must be bound to the DIWS namespace listed above. In this guide, the prefix ns will be used for this namespace in many examples.

The "mdex" namespace

The namespace for mdex elements is:
http://www.endeca.com/MDEX/XQuery/2009/09
It is also shown here, as xmlns:ns1:
<soapenv:Envelope xmlns:soapenv="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" 
  xmlns:ns="http://www.endeca.com/MDEX/ingest/2/0" 
  xmlns:ns1="http://www.endeca.com/MDEX/XQuery/2009/09">

The important elements from the mdex namespace used in data loading are mdex:record, for records, and the nine property types, such as the mdex:string property type. You must also use the xmlns attribute to set the mdex namespace in your XML documents.

In this guide, the prefix ns1 will be used for this namespace in the examples.

The version of the Data Ingest Web Service

The "index" namespace declaration in the Data Ingest Web Service request displays the version of this Web service:
xmlns:ns="http://www.endeca.com/MDEX/ingest/2/0"

In this example, the string /2/0 indicates the version as 2.0, where 2 is the major version, and 0 is the minor version. Note that the version in the service that you have installed may not match this example.

Changes to minor versions are backward-compatible. If any backward-compatible versions exist, additional namespaces are included in the WSDL, listing them. You can use any backward-compatible minor version that is listed. For example, if both 2.0 and 2.1 versions are listed in the WSDL, you can use either of them.

Changes to major versions are not backward-compatible, thus previous major versions are not listed in the WSDL namespaces.

Important: After you upgrade the Oracle Endeca Server, verify the versions of the web services you have been using against the installed versions, to avoid version mismatch. It is recommended to use the Web service versions that match the ones installed with the Oracle Endeca Server.
In particular:
  • If the minor version of the Web service on your client does not match the version installed with the Oracle Endeca Server, you can still use this version if it is listed in the WSDL namespaces, although it is recommended to upgrade.
  • If the major version of the Web service on your client does not match the version of the Web service installed with the Oracle Endeca Server, you must upgrade to the most recent major version of the Web service (this may include upgrading client code to use client stubs generated from the most recent versions).

For more information on Web service versions, see the Oracle Endeca Server Developer's Guide.