# Batching (for external feeds)

{% hint style="info" %}
As of now, batching is only available for plugins of type `AUDIENCE_SEGMENT_EXTERNAL_FEED`
{% endhint %}

You may need to integrate with external partners that require batched data as input. However mediarithmics platform only provides unit updates to your external feed plugin, one UserPoint at a time (via `/user_segment_update` route). 

This documentation explains you how to use the batching feature provided by the platform.

## Create a batching configuration

1. Go to the **Computing Console** > **Plugins**
2. Find your plugin, select the version and go to the **Batching configuration** tab
3. Create the batching configuration

Batching configurations can also be defined using the following API.

## Create a Plugin Version Batching Configuration

<mark style="color:green;">`POST`</mark> `https://api.mediarithmics.com/v1/plugins/:plugin_id/versions/:version_id/batching_configurations`

#### Request Body

| Name                                                      | Type    | Description                                         |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | ------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| plugin\_version\_id<mark style="color:red;">\*</mark>     | String  | The id of the Plugin Version that will be batched.  |
| enable\_batching<mark style="color:red;">\*</mark>        | Boolean | enable or disable the batching                      |
| batch\_flush\_max\_size<mark style="color:red;">\*</mark> | Integer | Set the maximum size of batches in number of lines. |

## Implement the batching feature in your external feed plugin

### Design

You need to split your plugin logics in two parts :&#x20;

1. Data formatting / gathering phase (`/user_segment_update` route implementation)
2. Batch delivery phase (`/batch_update` route implementation).&#x20;

The platform will take care of aggregating the data returned by the `/user_segment_update` route into batches and then call back your plugin route `/batch_update` with the batches.

It's important to understand that the output of the call on `/user_segment_update` will be an element of `/batch_update` input.

### Implementation

{% hint style="info" %}
You need to use version 0.14+ of the plugin-nodejs-sdk
{% endhint %}

Rewrite your plugin to extend type `BatchedAudienceFeedConnectorBasePlugin<T>` (where `T` is the type of one batched line) provided by the SDK.&#x20;

It will force your plugin to implement `/batch_update` route and force `/segment_update` response type to be `BatchedUserSegmentUpdatePluginResponse<T>`.

You can use the `grouping_key` field of the response if your data specifically need to be regrouped by a specific criteria.

For exemple, you may have an external partner that requires having only one identifier type per payload. To do so, you should use the identifier type as grouping\_key.&#x20;

mediarithmics platform won't interpret grouping\_key, and will use it as an exact matching.