Data Source Connectors: Complete Reference

Data source connectors are the foundation of your AI content pipeline. This comprehensive reference covers all available connectors, their configuration options, and best practices for implementation.

Overview

What are Data Source Connectors?

Data source connectors are specialized interfaces that allow AiWDC to extract content from various sources automatically. Each connector is designed to handle specific data formats, APIs, and protocols.

Available Connector Types

RSS Feeds: Blog and news syndication
Web Scraping: Website content extraction
Database Integration: SQL and NoSQL databases
API Integration: REST and GraphQL APIs
Search Engines: Trend and content discovery
File Processing: Document and media files
Social Media: Platform-specific content
Email: Newsletter and communication

RSS Feed Connectors

Configuration Options

connector_type: "rss_feed"

basic_config:
  feed_url: "https://example.com/feed.xml"
  update_frequency: "30 minutes"
  max_items_per_update: 10

content_filtering:
  include_keywords: ["AI", "machine learning", "automation"]
  exclude_keywords: ["spam", "irrelevant"]
  min_content_length: 500
  max_content_length: 5000

content_processing:
  extract_images: true
  clean_html: true
  remove_ads: true
  preserve_formatting: true

Supported Formats

RSS 2.0: Standard RSS feeds
Atom 1.0: Atom syndication format
JSON Feed: Modern JSON format
Media RSS: RSS with media enclosures

Best Practices

Feed Validation: Ensure feeds are valid XML
Update Frequency: Don’t overwhelm source servers
Content Filtering: Use filters to maintain relevance
Error Handling: Handle feed downtime gracefully

Web Scraping Connectors

Configuration Options

connector_type: "web_scraper"

target_config:
  start_url: "https://example.com/articles"
  crawl_depth: 2
  respect_robots_txt: true
  rate_limit: "2 requests per second"

content_extraction:
  content_selectors:
    title: "h1.article-title"
    body: "div.article-content"
    author: "span.author-name"
    date: "time.published-date"

  cleanup_rules:
    remove_elements: ["nav", "footer", "sidebar"]
    preserve_structure: true
    extract_images: true

advanced_options:
  javascript_rendering: true
  handle_pagination: true
  custom_headers:
    User-Agent: "AiWDC-Bot/1.0"

Advanced Features

JavaScript Rendering: Execute client-side JavaScript
Pagination: Handle multi-page content
Login Support: Authenticate for protected content
Proxy Support: Rotate IP addresses
CAPTCHA Handling: Solve automated challenges

Legal Considerations

robots.txt: Always respect robots.txt directives
Terms of Service: Review website terms
Rate Limiting: Be respectful of server resources
Copyright: Only scrape content you have rights to

Database Connectors

MySQL Configuration

connector_type: "mysql"

connection:
  host: "your-database-host"
  port: 3306
  database: "content_db"
  username: "content_user"
  password: "secure_password"
  ssl: true

query_config:
  query: "SELECT * FROM articles WHERE status = 'published' AND created_at > LAST_UPDATE"
  id_column: "article_id"
  last_update_column: "updated_at"

content_mapping:
  title: "title"
  content: "body"
  author: "author_name"
  publish_date: "publication_date"
  categories: "category_names"

PostgreSQL Configuration

connector_type: "postgresql"

connection:
  host: "localhost"
  port: 5432
  database: "content_repository"
  username: "content_admin"
  password: "database_password"

advanced_options:
  connection_pool: true
  pool_size: 10
  timeout: "30 seconds"

MongoDB Configuration

connector_type: "mongodb"

connection:
  uri: "mongodb+srv://user:password@cluster.mongodb.net/"
  database: "content_db"
  collection: "articles"

query:
  filter: {"status": "published", "published_at": {"$gt": "$LAST_RUN"}}
  projection: {"title": 1, "content": 1, "author": 1, "published_at": 1}
  sort: {"published_at": -1}
  limit: 100

Database Best Practices

Security: Use encrypted connections
Performance: Optimize queries with indexes
Connection Management: Use connection pooling
Error Handling: Handle connection failures
Data Validation: Validate data before processing

API Integration Connectors

REST API Configuration

connector_type: "rest_api"

endpoint:
  base_url: "https://api.example.com/v1"
  authentication:
    type: "bearer_token"
    token: "your_api_token"

endpoints:
  - name: "articles"
    path: "/articles"
    method: "GET"
    parameters:
      limit: 50
      offset: 0
      status: "published"
    headers:
      Accept: "application/json"

pagination:
  type: "page_number"
  page_param: "page"
  max_pages: 10

rate_limiting:
  requests_per_minute: 60
  burst_limit: 10

GraphQL Configuration

connector_type: "graphql"

endpoint:
  url: "https://api.example.com/graphql"
  headers:
    Authorization: "Bearer your_token"
    Content-Type: "application/json"

query: |
  query GetContent($limit: Int!, $offset: Int!) {
    articles(limit: $limit, offset: $offset) {
      id
      title
      content
      author
      publishedAt
      tags
    }
  }

variables:
  limit: 50
  offset: 0

Authentication Methods

Bearer Token: Simple token-based auth
API Key: Key in header or query parameter
OAuth 2.0: Full OAuth2 flow support
Basic Auth: Username/password authentication
Custom: Custom authentication schemes

Search Engine Connectors

Google Trends Configuration

connector_type: "google_trends"

authentication:
  api_key: "your_google_api_key"

queries:
  - keyword: "artificial intelligence"
    timeframe: "now 7-d"
    geo: "US"
    category: "technology"

  - keyword: "machine learning"
    timeframe: "now 7-d"
    geo: "US"
    category: "technology"

processing:
  min_interest_score: 50
  trending_threshold: 80

Custom Search Configuration

connector_type: "custom_search"

search_engine:
  name: "google"
  api_key: "your_api_key"
  search_engine_id: "your_cse_id"

query_config:
  query: "AI content automation"
  results_per_page: 10
  safe_search: "moderate"
  language: "en"

filtering:
  exclude_domains: ["spam.com", "low-quality.com"]
  include_domains: ["techcrunch.com", "venturebeat.com"]
  date_range: "last_7_days"

File Processing Connectors

Document Processing

connector_type: "file_processor"

source:
  type: "s3"
  bucket: "content-bucket"
  prefix: "documents/"
  region: "us-east-1"

file_types:
  - ".pdf"
  - ".docx"
  - ".txt"
  - ".md"

processing:
  extract_text: true
  extract_metadata: true
  ocr_enabled: true
  language_detection: true

output_format:
  structure: "markdown"
  include_metadata: true
  preserve_formatting: true

Image Processing

connector_type: "image_processor"

source:
  type: "local_directory"
  path: "/content/images"

processing:
  extract_text: true  # OCR
  detect_objects: true
  generate_captions: true
  classify_content: true

output:
  include_image: false
  include_alt_text: true
  include_tags: true

Twitter Configuration

connector_type: "twitter"

authentication:
  api_key: "your_api_key"
  api_secret: "your_api_secret"
  access_token: "your_access_token"
  access_token_secret: "your_access_token_secret"

data_collection:
  type: "search"
  query: "#AIcontent automation"
  result_type: "recent"
  count: 100

filters:
  min_retweets: 5
  min_likes: 10
  exclude_replies: true
  language: "en"

LinkedIn Configuration

connector_type: "linkedin"

authentication:
  client_id: "your_client_id"
  client_secret: "your_client_secret"
  access_token: "your_access_token"

endpoints:
  - name: "company_updates"
    path: "/companies/{company_id}/updates"
    fields: ["id", "text", "created", "author"]

rate_limiting:
  requests_per_hour: 500

Email Connectors

connector_type: "email"

email_config:
  server: "imap.gmail.com"
  port: 993
  encryption: "ssl"
  username: "your_email@gmail.com"
  password: "your_password"

folder_config:
  folder: "INBOX/Newsletters"
  mark_as_read: true
  move_to_folder: "Processed"

content_extraction:
  extract_html: true
  extract_text: true
  remove_tracking: true
  extract_links: true

filtering:
  from_domains: ["substack.com", "medium.com"]
  subject_keywords: ["AI", "technology", "automation"]

Configuration Management

Environment Variables

environment:
  DEVELOPMENT:
    database_host: "localhost"
    api_rate_limit: "1000/hour"

  PRODUCTION:
    database_host: "prod-db.example.com"
    api_rate_limit: "10000/hour"
    ssl_required: true

Secret Management

secrets:
  database_password: "${DATABASE_PASSWORD}"
  api_token: "${API_TOKEN}"
  encryption_key: "${ENCRYPTION_KEY}"

Monitoring and Logging

Performance Monitoring

monitoring:
  metrics:
    - name: "extraction_success_rate"
      target: "> 95%"

    - name: "average_processing_time"
      target: "< 30 seconds"

    - name: "error_rate"
      target: "< 5%"

  alerts:
    - condition: "error_rate > 10%"
      action: "send_alert"

    - condition: "processing_time > 60 seconds"
      action: "log_warning"

Logging Configuration

logging:
  level: "INFO"
  format: "json"
  outputs:
    - type: "file"
      path: "/var/log/aiwdc/connectors.log"

    - type: "cloud"
      service: "cloudwatch"
      region: "us-east-1"

Error Handling

Common Error Types

Connection Errors: Network issues, server downtime
Authentication Errors: Invalid credentials, expired tokens
Rate Limiting: Too many requests
Data Format Errors: Unexpected data structures
Permission Errors: Access denied

Error Recovery Strategies

error_handling:
  retries: 3
  backoff_strategy: "exponential"
  max_backoff: "5 minutes"

  fallback_actions:
    - type: "use_cache"
      ttl: "1 hour"

    - type: "alternative_source"
      priority: 2

    - type: "human_notification"
      channel: "slack"

Best Practices

1. Security

Use encryption for sensitive data
Implement proper authentication
Follow principle of least privilege
Regular security audits

2. Performance

Implement caching strategies
Use connection pooling
Optimize queries and requests
Monitor resource usage

3. Reliability

Implement retry logic
Use circuit breakers
Have fallback mechanisms
Monitor health metrics

4. Compliance

Follow data protection regulations
Respect terms of service
Maintain audit trails
Document data usage

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

1. Connection Failures

Check network connectivity
Verify authentication credentials
Review firewall settings
Test with manual connections

2. Data Quality Issues

Validate data schemas
Implement data cleaning
Use quality scoring
Set up alerts for anomalies

3. Performance Problems

Monitor resource usage
Optimize queries
Scale resources
Implement caching

Future Enhancements

Upcoming Features

AI-Powered Extraction: Smart content identification
Real-time Processing: Stream processing capabilities
Advanced Analytics: Predictive maintenance
Multi-language Support: Global content sources
Blockchain Integration: Verified content sources

Conclusion

Data source connectors are the critical foundation of your AI content pipeline. By understanding and properly configuring these connectors, you ensure a reliable, efficient, and scalable content automation system.

Start with basic configurations, gradually implement advanced features, and continuously optimize based on performance data. With proper setup and maintenance, your connectors will provide years of reliable service.

Resources

Connector Documentation: Detailed API references
Configuration Templates: Ready-to-use configs
Troubleshooting Guide: Common issues and solutions
Best Practices: Industry-standard approaches
Community Support: User forums and discussions

By mastering these data source connectors, you’ll build a robust foundation for your AI content automation strategy.

Data Source Connectors: Complete Reference

Data Source Connectors: Complete Reference

Overview

What are Data Source Connectors?

Available Connector Types

RSS Feed Connectors

Configuration Options

Supported Formats

Best Practices

Web Scraping Connectors

Configuration Options

Advanced Features

Legal Considerations

Database Connectors

MySQL Configuration

PostgreSQL Configuration

MongoDB Configuration

Database Best Practices

API Integration Connectors

REST API Configuration

GraphQL Configuration

Authentication Methods

Search Engine Connectors

Google Trends Configuration

Custom Search Configuration

File Processing Connectors

Document Processing

Image Processing

Social Media Connectors

Twitter Configuration

LinkedIn Configuration

Email Connectors

Newsletter Processing

Configuration Management

Environment Variables

Secret Management

Monitoring and Logging

Performance Monitoring

Logging Configuration

Error Handling

Common Error Types

Error Recovery Strategies

Best Practices

1. Security

2. Performance

3. Reliability

4. Compliance

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Future Enhancements

Upcoming Features

Conclusion

Resources