BlueHornet Helps Demystify APIs
BlueHornet Account Development Manager
While many BlueHornet clients are already using APIs to manage their data, there are some who have never heard of or don't fully understand their capabilities and benefits. If you fall into the latter two categories, take a moment to see if the API could help lighten your load and allow you to automate management of your database.
What Exactly is an API?
API stands for Application Programming Interface. But despite its name, an API is not an application, or a program, or any kind of software. Instead, an API is a programming command that gets passed between two computers, operating systems, or applications and specifies how they can interact to complete tasks. In basic terms, BlueHornet APIs allow a remote computer to access and make requests on our system to perform one of several particular functions.
How BlueHornet APIs Work
BlueHornet APIs allow you to remotely perform almost any function that you could accomplish when logged into the BlueHornet system. Using XML and posting scripts, API access allows you to handle data transfers in real time, eliminating the need for manual imports, exports and message sends. You may use virtually any programming language, providing that it is capable of performing HTTP requests. JAVA, PHP, ASP and many other languages provide libraries to perform such requests, including XML libraries useful for interpreting output from several BlueHornet API functions.
Benefits of Using APIs
BlueHornet APIs are designed to give you direct access to the main data management functions in your BlueHornet system, so you can enjoy seamless integration between your email data and data from other sources. In one command string you can move your entire database from an in-house CRM or other database to the BlueHornet server. And if you're managing data for your clients, you can use the API instead of hosting their data. Another big benefit of using the APIs is the ability to streamline and expedite processing of repetitive tasks, such as uploading, downloading, and daily message sending, or tasks that involve large amounts of data.
Common Ways BlueHornet Clients Use APIs
The best use of APIs is to automate tasks that are more easily and efficiently handled by a computer system than manually by a person. We provide you with documentation to implement BlueHornet APIs in a way that best supports your eMarketing needs.
Clients use BlueHornet APIs to:
- Post individual new subscriber data, updates, and removals
- Manage static segments and groups within the system
- Post a large data set at one time
- Remotely send and activate an email message
- Retrieve active or opted out subscribers via XML
- Retrieve static segment and group information via XML
- Change the name of a group or static segment
- Delete group associations
- Remove subscribers from groups
Other common uses of BlueHornet APIs:
- The APIs can simultaneously post new, or updated, subscriber data to both the BlueHornet database and your own.
- If your sign-up (survey) page is hosted somewhere other than BlueHornet and you are manually importing subscriber lists, APIs could speed up this process for you through automation.
- New clients who want to seamlessly transfer their subscriber data from their former in-house system or ESP can do so easily with APIs.
- You can also use APIs to automatically pull particular data sets or subscriber lists from the BlueHornet server. For example, you could program APIs to pull opt-out lists or active subscriber lists on a regular basis.
These are only the most common uses of BlueHornet APIs-many other ways exist. But no matter how you use them, BlueHornet APIs free up the time you currently spend managing your database and BlueHornet account, allowing you to focus attention on other tasks and projects.
Do you think BlueHornet's API could benefit your company? Want more information about the capabilities and requirements?
Please contact your account manager or Technical Support at Support@BlueHornet.com.
