Flexible connector framework for data feed generation

A method comprising:

• receiving an indication of a data source;
• presenting, by one or more processors, a user interface having common language terms mapped to tokens, semantics or flags specific to a data source type corresponding to the data source;
• dynamically selecting a data source connector from a plurality of data source connectors based, at least in part, on an indication of the data source type;
• generating a search command using the indication of the data source, the indication of the data source type, and one or more search parameters received from the user interface;
• issuing the search command to the data source;
• in response to the search command, receiving search results;
• presenting an interface for receiving approval of the search results;
• and
• upon receiving approval of the search results, performing operations including:
• generating a data feed definition with the search command and the dynamically selected data source connector, wherein the data feed definition produces a data feed, and
• publishing a reference to the data feed in a catalog of data feeds, wherein the catalog of data feeds comprises references to data feeds sourced from different types of data sources.

One or more machine-readable storage media having stored therein a program product, which when executed on a set of one or more processor units causes the set of one or more processor units to perform operations that comprise:

• dynamically selecting a data source connector from a plurality of data source connectors based, at least in part, on an indication of data source type;
• generating a search command using an indication of a data source;
• issuing the search command to the data source;
• in response to the search command, receiving search results;
• presenting an interface for receiving approval of the search results;
• and
• upon receiving approval of the search results, performing operations including:
• generating a data feed definition with the search command and the dynamically selected data source connector, wherein the data feed definition produces a data feed, and
• publishing a reference to the data feed in a catalog of data feeds.

An apparatus comprising:

• a set of one or more processor units;
• a network interface;
• and
• a data feed engine coupled with the set of processors and the network interface, the data feed engine comprising,
• a user interface configured to present user interface elements having common language terms mapped to tokens, semantics or flags specific to a data source type corresponding to a data source,
• a search command builder configured to dynamically select a first data source connector from a plurality of data source connectors based, at least in part, on an indication of the data source type and configured to build a search command that targets the data source using an indication of the data source and the first data source connector,
• a data feed generator coupled with the search command builder, the data feed generator configured to generate a data feed definition with the search command from the search command builder and configured to communicate a reference to the data feed definition, wherein the data feed definition produces a data feed, and
• a data feed publisher coupled with the data feed generator, the data feed publisher configured to publish the reference to the data feed definition from the data feed generator.