OxFlow Platform
- What is OxFlow?OxFlow is a managed service which moves an organization’s information to the right systems and people at the right time. We combine our own managed… Read More »
- What systems can OxFlow connect to?OxFlow can connect to any system with an API.
- Does OxFlow incorporate any AI features?Optional AI Agent integration is available with any OxFlow subscription. Read here for more details
- How do you connect the Airflow system to our systems?We ask our clients to provision a unique, non-shared user account for the Airflow Service to use on each system we are working with. Here… Read More »
- Is the OxFlow service a middleware product?Yes. It is a set of tools that approximates a middleware tool. Our service is a combination of hosted Apache-Airflow, Github code repository and a… Read More »
- What if we already have Snowflake?We always provision a new, isolated instance of Snowflake for our OxFlow service to ensure proper serviceability by our team and also protect any incumbent… Read More »
- Does your service include a Snowflake instance?No. We walk the client through setup of a Snowflake account then we install our Data Mark footprint (see Terminology section). Costs for the Snowflake… Read More »
- Is Apache Airflow supported actively?Yes. Apache Airflow is a very large open source community and is very actively supported and updated. Find more details here and here. We have worked in open… Read More »
- Are your services Cloud based?Yes. We host our Airflow servers at a top tier virtual server service located in Northern California and Virginia.
- Does the service have a backup system?Yes. We have two methods for backup: Our servers house no client data, so the only things needing backup are code and log files.
- Is this service proprietary?Yes and no. Our methods, change management system and team are the only proprietary aspects to our service. The core Apache-Airflow server is an open-source… Read More »
- Do you have a Service Level Agreement (SLA) and uptime commitment?Yes. We provide 95% uptime on the OxFlow services. We provide a four hour response time for new issues, during business hours: 8am to 5pm… Read More »
- What if our systems do not have APIs?Our service does not work with systems that do not have an API.
- Messaging, Notifications and MonitoringThe OxFlow task automation system is monitored by a combination of systems plus our support team. We provide two types of monitoring and related messaging:… Read More »
- What are some example use cases for OxFlow?OxFlow task automation can take many forms, from simple to complex. Here we’ve listed a few examples:
- How frequently can an OxFlow job run?OxFlow tasks can happen as often as every minute. This frequency is a decision that gets made based on a few important considerations:
- How are bugs handled?We always see bugs as one of two categories: In either case, we manage all requirements gathering and change management in our internal ticketing system… Read More »
- Is there an active OxFlow community?Our OxFlow offering is in a pilot phase which started Q4 2025 and is expected to extend through Q1 2027. While our OxFlow service offering… Read More »
OxFlow Services
- Do you offer any guidance for design and change management of automations?Yes. Onboarding of a new client involves 10 or more hours of listening to the business needs, assessing the technical requirements, and also guiding clients… Read More »
- How is this service billed?We charge a fixed annual flat fee for the core automation service (billed at sign-up) which includes an initial 5 hour design/build engagement and gets… Read More »
- What happens to our code if we cancel the service?We give it all to you. We maintain all DAG code in a Github repository. When you cancel the service we add you to your… Read More »
- How are changes to APIs handled?Vendors control their APIs. Most vendors publish a “Version Life Cycle” (here is Airflow’s) which gives you visibility into which release versions will be live… Read More »
- How are new automation needs handled?We charge a flat rate of $1,500 for any new automation. That flat fee includes up to 10 hours of consulting to define and implement… Read More »
- What if our data is not ready or clean enough?Data is never clean enough. We work with our clients to identify actionable incremental steps to take and always keep in mind that there is… Read More »
- How do we get support on the OxFlow service?OxFlow clients have three methods for getting support on the service or for changes and new features: We also offer a general admission monthly Zoom… Read More »
- Do you offer any training?All new clients go through an initial orientation on OxFlow messaging. Our service is fully managed so there is no Airflow nor Snowflake specific skills… Read More »
- What do we need to know about your business and systems at the start?Typical questions from the OxFlow team include: Do you already have a middleware or integration tool? Which systems will be involved in automation? What kinds of data you are looking to work with Do you already have a “Data Mart”? Do you have an internal “Data Team” already? Read More »
- What are the onboarding steps for getting the OxFlow service?We have 5 stages to rolling out a new OxFlow client, as follows: Kick-off, First Prototype, Tailoring – Part 1, Tailoring – Part 2, Go-Live. Read More »
- What will change when the pilot program is over?Pilot program participants will be guaranteed pricing at no more than a 3% annual increase. As this is a pilot program, we are looking to… Read More »
Why OxFlow
- Experienced TeamWe have been in business for 20+ years and have seen many data system consolidations, conversions, integrations and automations. We’ve worked with most middleware systems… Read More »
- High TouchAs a business and a technical team, we are all dedicated to providing very high quality service at a great price. We do this by… Read More »
- Managed TechnologyWe do the following for you, so you and your technical team do not have to: Run and maintain multiple Airflow serversManage code and CI/CD for change, managementWork with your systems’ APIs and build and maintain automations, Guide your technical team on how to continually enhance and optimize automations Read More »
- Competitive PricingOur business values service delivery and operational efficiencies. Most of our clients, in the last 15 years, don’t need constant changes and enhancements to their… Read More »
- Social GoodThe OxFlow team has always had a pro-bono practice and we actively seek out groups that need help where we have capacity to do so… Read More »
OxFlow Terminology
- AirflowApache Airflow is an open-source workflow management platform for data engineering pipelines. It started at Airbnb in October 2014 as a solution to manage the company’s increasingly complex workflows.… Read More »
- APIAn application programming interface (API) is a connection between computers or between computer programs. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces… Read More »
- ComputeCompute is a generic term used for when costs are incurred for use of a CPU or processor you have “rented” via your Cloud service… Read More »
- Data MartWe use this term to describe how we employ the Snowflake component of our service offering. Not all OxFlow clients need a Data Mart, however… Read More »
- DAGDirected Acyclic Graph; a series of linear tasks being executed by Airflow. Geek answer: In mathematics, particularly graph theory, and computer science, a directed acyclic graph (DAG) is a directed… Read More »
- EndpointThis is the term we use to identify a specific system to which we connect via API. For example, if you have five systems we… Read More »
- OxBotOxFlow is a task automation service, so people want to know “is it running” and “when did it run”. We deliver ongoing status and activity… Read More »
- SnowflakeSnowflake Inc. is an American cloud-based data storage company. It operates a platform that allows for data analysis and simultaneous access of data sets with minimal latency. It… Read More »
- TaskWhen we refer to a “Task”, we are describing an Airflow DAG Task – or step in a series of steps (See DAG in terminology,… Read More »