RDA Frequently Asked Questions

About RDA

Report Data Access (RDA) exposes Fusion reporting views through the Data Access API. These views were originally built for Fusion Report Writer (FRW), a reporting tool available in the Fusion UI.

As Karmak's API platform continues to expand, RDA provides access to a broad set of Fusion data — including data that may not yet be available through a dedicated API endpoint. RDA views are read-only.

For details on how to structure your requests and optimize performance, see Using Report Data Access (RDA) ▸

What's the difference between an RDA and an API?

▸

Both provide access to Fusion data, but they're built for different purposes.

	RDA (Report Data Access)	API
Operations	Read-only	Read and write
Data source	Fusion Report Writer (FRW) views	Purpose-built endpoints
Optimization	Consumer is responsible for filtering, selecting columns, and paging	Optimized by Karmak for each use case
Fusion version	Some views and fields are version-specific	Version-independent
Best for	Reporting, data sync, and accessing data not yet covered by an API	Real-time integrations, transactional workflows, and read/write operations

When to use which: when a dedicated API exists for the data you need, the API is generally the preferred method — it's optimized for the use case and includes built-in business rules and validation. RDA is the right tool when you need read-only access to data that isn't available through an API, or when you need a broad reporting view across Fusion data.

What data is available through RDA?

▸

RDA exposes the same reporting views available in Fusion Report Writer (FRW). The full list of available views and their fields is documented in the Data Access section of the portal. Some views and fields within those views are version-specific — make sure you've selected the correct Fusion version for the customer when reviewing what's available.

Why am I getting timeout errors?

▸

Timeouts typically happen when a request asks for too much data at once — missing a select clause, filters that are too broad, using the sort parameter, or sending multiple requests in parallel. See the Using Report Data Access (RDA) page for detailed guidance on structuring requests to avoid timeouts.

How can I improve RDA performance?

▸

The Using Report Data Access (RDA) page covers this in detail, including do's and don'ts for select, filter, sort, pagination, and timing of large data pulls. RDA requests run against the customer's shared SQL database, so how you structure your requests directly affects performance for dealership users.

How do I get access to RDA?

▸

RDA is accessed through the Data Access API, which is part of Unity Pro. The process for gaining access depends on whether you are a partner or a Fusion customer:

Partners follow the Partner Integration Certification process
Customers follow the Customer Unity Pro Access process

To get started, contact UnityQuestions@karmak.com.