quick example of using the batch api over python

batchAPI.py

import sys
import urllib
import urllib2
import json
import requests

# Start a new batch SQL task
def cartoBatchQuery(username, api_key, sql):
    r = requests.post('http://%s.cartodb.com/api/v2/sql/job?api_key=%s' %(username,api_key),
                headers={'content-type':'application/json'},
                params={'query': urllib.quote_plus(sql)}
                )
    return r.json()

# Simply get the status of an ongoing job
def cartoBatchStatus(username, api_key, job_id):
    r = requests.get('https://%s.cartodb.com/api/v2/sql/job/%s?api_key=%s' % (username,job_id,api_key))
    return r.content #.json()
    
# If you "CREATE TABLE" in the batch API, you must "CartoDBify" it afterwards
def registerNewTable(username, api_key, table):
    sql = "SELECT CDB_Cartodbfytable('%s')" % table
    r = requests.post('http://%s.cartodb.com/api/v2/sql/job?api_key=%s' %(username,api_key),
                headers={'content-type':'application/json'},
                params={'query': urllib.quote_plus(sql)}
                )
    return r.json()
    
username = '{{username}}'
api_key = '{{api_key}}'

sql = "UPDATE australia_adm4 SET the_geom = ST_Centroid(the_geom)"

job = cartoBatchQuery(username,api_key,sql)

print job


status = cartoBatchStatus(username, api_key, job["job_id"])

print status