How does polling work for payments in the generic connector?

When using the generic connector for payments, our system employs an efficient polling mechanism to retrieve and update payment data. This article explains how the polling process works and how we manage data retrieval.

Polling Process

The generic connector uses a state-based approach for polling payment data. Here's how it works:

1. We store the timestamp of the last successful data retrieval.

2. In subsequent polls, we use this timestamp to fetch only new or updated data.

3. We pass the `UpdatedAtFrom` query parameter in our API calls to your system.

4. This parameter indicates that we want to retrieve only transactions from a specific point in time.

Data Storage and Updates

Our system doesn't fetch all data fresh every time it polls. Instead:

• We store each batch of data we receive.

• We update our internal state with the latest timestamp of the data received.

• In the next polling cycle, we use this updated timestamp to fetch only new or changed data.

Benefits of This Approach

This polling method offers several advantages:

• Reduces unnecessary data transfer by only fetching new or updated information.

• Minimizes the load on both our system and your API.

• Ensures that our database stays up-to-date without duplicating existing data.

Implementation Note

When setting up the generic connector, ensure that your API can handle and respond correctly to the `UpdatedAtFrom` query parameter. This will allow our system to efficiently retrieve only the necessary data during each polling cycle.