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Data File URLs Containing Backslashes Cause an "Invalid URL" Error During LIS Bulk Data Exchange

An "Invalid URL" error will be thrown if the URL to the data file contains a backslash ( \ ) when sending a request to the Bulk Data Exchange endpoint in a LIS 2.0 Final type integration. This has been seen on SIS systems hosted on Windows and occu

Description

An "Invalid URL" error will be thrown if the URL to the data file contains a backslash ( \ ) when sending a request to the Bulk Data Exchange endpoint in a LIS 2.0 Final type integration. This has been seen on SIS systems hosted on Windows and occurs because Windows uses backslashes for its path structure instead of forward slashes.

Steps to Replicate

  1. Access Blackboard Learn as an administrator

  2. Navigate to System Admin > Data Integration > Student Information System Integrations

  3. Create an "IMS LIS 2.0 Final" integration

  4. Ensure a "Batch Service" and "Batch Download" username and password are set according to configuration on SIS system

  5. Ensure SIS System is configured in such a way that the bulk data exchange data file is inside a sub-folder

  6. Initiate a Bulk Data Exchange interaction from SIS

Observed Behavior:
The following error occurs:
BulkDataExchangeManagementService.announceBulkDataExchange - invalid url - https://sis.url:8443/top-folder/filedownload?file-path=sub-folder\data-file.xml
​Expected Behavior:
An error does not occur.

Resolution / Workaround

Workaround 1:

  1. Move the location of the data file so that the path to it does not require including a backslash

Example:

instead of

Workaround 2:

  1. URL encode the backslash

Example:

becomes

Affected Versions

  • Learn 9.1 Q4 2016 (3100.0.0-rel.107+401e22b)

  • Learn 9.1 Q2 2016 (3000.1.0-rel.52+991d2bf)

  • Learn 9.1 Q4 2015 (9.1.201510.1171621)

  • Learn October 2014 (9.1.201410.160373)

Target Release

Will Not Fix

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