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  • 1.  Best practice for polling an asynchronous API from Genesys Cloud Architect

    Posted 7 hours ago

    Hi everyone,

    I'm working on an Architect voice flow where a Data Action calls an external API, but the final result may not be available on the first request.

    The requirement is to poll the API every few seconds until either:

    • the expected status is returned,
    • a maximum number of attempts is reached, or
    • an overall timeout is exceeded.

    What is the recommended Architect design pattern for this scenario?

    Would you normally use a loop with a short Wait action between Data Action calls, or is there a better approach for asynchronous API polling that avoids unnecessarily holding the interaction in the flow?

    I'm especially interested in best practices around timeout handling, retries, and preventing excessive API calls.

    Thanks!


    #Architect

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    Marciel
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  • 2.  RE: Best practice for polling an asynchronous API from Genesys Cloud Architect

    Posted 3 hours ago

    Hi Marciel,

    For this type of requirement, my recommendation would be to first ask whether the process truly needs to be completed synchronously during the call.

    If the external system may take a significant amount of time to generate the result, continuously polling from an Architect flow is usually not the ideal long-term design because it:

    • Increases call duration
    • Consumes Architect execution time
    • Generates additional API traffic
    • Can create a poor caller experience if the wait becomes excessive

    If the business process allows it, I generally prefer an asynchronous design pattern, where:

    1. Architect submits the request.
    2. The external system processes it independently.
    3. The result is delivered later through a callback, message, event, or subsequent customer interaction.

    However, if polling is required while the interaction remains active, Architect can handle it using a loop pattern:

    • Initialize an attempt counter.
    • Execute the Data Action.
    • Evaluate the returned status.
    • Exit the loop if the expected status is received.
    • Otherwise increment the counter.
    • Add a short Wait action before the next attempt.
    • Stop when either the success condition, maximum attempts, or overall timeout is reached.

    A few best practices I would recommend:

    • Keep polling intervals reasonable (for example 3 to 5 seconds rather than multiple requests per second).
    • Define both a maximum retry count and an overall timeout.
    • Handle API failures separately from "processing still in progress" responses.
    • Log or capture timeout scenarios for reporting and troubleshooting.
    • Coordinate with the API owner regarding rate limits and expected response times.

    From an architectural perspective, I generally follow this rule:

    • Short-running processes (a few seconds) → Architect loop with Wait + Data Action.
    • Long-running or unpredictable processes → Asynchronous event-driven design whenever possible.

    The deciding factor is usually the expected completion time of the external process. If the API typically returns the final result within a small number of retries, the polling loop approach is perfectly reasonable. If completion time is highly variable, I would avoid holding the interaction open and redesign the process asynchronously.

    I'd be interested to know the typical response time of the external system, as that often determines which approach is the better fit.

    Thanks,



    ------------------------------
    Francis
    NA
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