We’re building a data sync process to extract audit records from Mastercontrol mc-2022.2 into our analytics platform. I’m evaluating two approaches: using paginated API calls (GET /api/v1/audits?page=X&size=100) versus the bulk export endpoint (POST /api/v1/audits/export). The bulk export generates a file we download, while pagination gives us JSON responses we can process incrementally.
For context, we need to sync about 50,000 audit records monthly. Initial testing shows pagination taking 8-12 minutes with 100 records per page, while bulk export completes in 3-4 minutes but we have to wait for file generation. I’m curious about others’ experiences with these approaches, especially regarding API rate limits and timeout handling. What have you found works better for large-scale audit data extraction?
The rate limit point is crucial - we do have other integrations running. I hadn’t considered that 500 requests would consume half our hourly quota. Does the bulk export endpoint have its own limitations? Like maximum file size or record count?
This discussion highlights the trade-offs well. Let me synthesize the key considerations for choosing between pagination and bulk export for audit data extraction, addressing the core comparison points, rate limits, and timeout handling strategies.
Pagination vs Bulk Export Performance Analysis:
Pagination provides incremental processing with better failure recovery but higher overhead. For 50,000 records, you’re making 500 API calls (at 100 per page) with cumulative connection and authentication overhead. Each request adds 50-100ms of latency, totaling 25-50 seconds of pure overhead beyond data transfer. Bulk export eliminates this overhead with a single request but introduces wait time for file generation (3-5 minutes for 50k records) plus download time. The crossover point is around 10,000 records - below that, pagination is comparable or faster; above that, bulk export wins on total time.
API Rate Limits and Quota Management:
This is where bulk export has a significant advantage. Mastercontrol’s standard rate limit is 1000 requests/hour per tenant. Your 500 paginated requests consume 50% of that quota, impacting other integrations. Bulk export counts as a single request against the quota, though the background job consumes server resources differently. Consider your total integration landscape: if you have multiple systems calling the API, bulk export preserves quota for those. If audit sync is your primary integration, pagination’s quota impact is manageable. Monitor your actual usage via GET /api/v1/rate-limit-status and implement exponential backoff when approaching limits.
Timeout Handling and Reliability:
Pagination handles timeouts gracefully - implement page-level retry logic with exponential backoff. If page 247 fails, retry just that page rather than restarting from the beginning. Store your last successful page number to enable resume capability. Bulk export timeout handling is trickier: file generation has a 30-minute server-side timeout, and download has separate timeout considerations. If generation times out, you must restart completely. Mitigate this by filtering exports into smaller date ranges (weekly chunks instead of monthly) to ensure generation completes within timeout windows.
Recommended Hybrid Approach:
Use pagination for incremental daily/weekly syncs (recent data, smaller volumes) and bulk export for monthly historical backfills (older data, larger volumes). Implement date-based filtering to partition your 50k monthly records into manageable chunks. For real-time analytics needs, pagination enables streaming processing. For batch reporting, bulk export’s efficiency justifies the wait time. Monitor both approaches in production and adjust based on actual rate limit consumption and system load patterns.
Another consideration is network reliability. Pagination is more resilient to network interruptions because you can implement retry logic at the page level. If your bulk export download fails at 95%, you lose everything and have to regenerate the file. We implemented a hybrid approach: use pagination for the last 7 days of data (smaller, more frequent), and bulk export for historical data older than that.