How Bold BI Retrieves Data: A Guide to Live Web API, Dashboard Cache & Auto Refresh

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Real-World Scenario

A logistics company uses Bold BI to monitor delivery statuses in real time. They’ve connected a Live Web API as their data source and enabled Automatic Dashboard Auto Refresh to update the dashboard every 15 seconds. They want to understand where the data is retrieved from under different configurations.

Understanding the Core Concepts

Data Processing Modes: Live vs Extract

Live Mode:
Data is fetched directly from the source (e.g., Web API) at runtime. This ensures the most up-to-date information but may increase load on the source system.
Extract Mode:
Data is preloaded and stored in Bold BI’s internal data store. This improves performance and reduces source hits but may not reflect real-time changes unless scheduled refreshes are configured.

Dashboard Data Cache

Stores data temporarily to reduce repeated hits to the data source.
Can be configured to use in-memory or Redis cache.
Primarily used to improve performance and reduce API load.

Dashboard Auto Refresh

Automatically refreshes widgets’ data in the dashboard at a set interval (e.g., every 15 seconds).
Ensures real-time updates for dashboards that require live monitoring.
Cache avoids frequent source hits.
Auto Refresh enforces frequent source hits.

Valid Configuration Combinations

When Using Live Mode

Dashboard Cache	Widget Auto Refresh	Data Retrieval Source
On	Off	✅ From Dashboard Cache (source hit only if cache is empty)
Off	On	✅ From Web API (refreshed every 15 seconds)
Off	Off	✅ From Web API (on dashboard load only)

When Using Extract Mode

Dashboard Cache	Widget Auto Refresh	Data Retrieval Source
On	Off	✅ From Cache (data is static unless manually refreshed)
Off	On	✅ From Internal Data Store (refresh depends on schedule)
Off	Off	✅ From Internal Data Store (static until refreshed)

Unsupported Combinations

Important Note: Dashboard Cache and Widget Auto Refresh cannot be enabled together.. This combination is not allowed in the application, as they serve opposite purposes:

Data Mode	Dashboard Cache	Auto Refresh	Why It’s Not Allowed
Live	On	On	❌ Not allowed – conflicting features
Extract	On	On	❌ Not allowed – conflicting features

You can find the workflow of the data retrieval process from the following sequence diagram for your reference:

Best Practices

Use Live Mode + Auto Dashboard Refresh for real-time dashboards (e.g., fleet tracking, stock monitoring).
Use Live Mode + Data Cache for performance-optimized dashboards that don’t need frequent updates.
Use Extract Mode when data changes infrequently or when API limits are a concern.
Always configure data source refresh schedules in Extract Mode if data freshness is important.

Additional References

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Written by Venkataprasad Subramani

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