# Glossary This glossary explains key terms used throughout the Databox API documentation. For a broader overview of platform-wide terminology, see the [official Databox Glossary](https://help.databox.com/databox-glossary). ## Databox API ### account A dedicated workspace nested under an organization, with its own data sources, users, and analytics assets. - An account can be set as either **managed** or **self-managed**. - See also: [organization](#organization), [x-account-id](#x-account-id). ### admin A user role with elevated permissions within an organization. - Access to API key management is currently limited to **Admin** users. - See also: [Authentication](/docs/api/authentication). ### API key A unique token used to authenticate requests to the Databox API. - API keys are issued **per user**. - Keep API keys secure—anyone with access to an API key can interact with the API on behalf of the associated user and organization. - See also: [Authentication](/docs/api/authentication). ### connection A link between Databox and an external integration, through which data sources can be created. - Connections have their own configurable permissions. - See also: [data source](#data-source). ### Databoard A dashboard in Databox made up of Datablocks, each visualizing one or more metrics. - Retrieved through the Databoards resource of the API. ### data source A data source is a connection to an external system or an ingestion container. - In each space, users can connect multiple data sources through integrations. - **Ingestion data sources** do not store data themselves but act as containers that organize one or more related datasets under a shared structure. - Every dataset must be associated with a data source; a dataset cannot exist independently. ### dataset A dataset represents a table of data defined by a specific schema. - Each data source can contain multiple datasets. - A dataset serves as the destination for data ingested via the API. - Once ingested, the data within a dataset can be manipulated and visualized in the platform. - Creating a dataset requires an explicit **schema**. See also: [schema](#schema). ### Idempotency-Key An optional request header that lets you safely retry a POST request without risking duplicate side effects. - Supply a client-generated unique value—a UUID is recommended. - If a request is retried with the same key within 24 hours, the API returns the original response instead of re-executing the operation. - Supported on POST endpoints that create a resource or trigger a side effect (for example, dataset ingestion, dataset/data source/account/metric creation, and purge). - See also: [Rate limits → Idempotent retries](/docs/api/rate-limits#idempotent-retries). ### integration A pre-built connector to an external platform, offered by Databox, that users can use to create connections and data sources. ### metric A calculated or aggregated data point derived from one or more datasets. - Metrics power Databoards and can be queried directly through the API or via Databox MCP. ### organization The top-level entity tied to an API key. - An organization may optionally have one or more **accounts** beneath it. - See also: [account](#account). ### rate limit The maximum number of API requests that can be made within a given time period. - Rate limits protect the system from excessive usage and ensure fair access for all users. - If the limit is exceeded, the API responds with an error indicating that too many requests have been made. - See also: [Errors → Response codes](/docs/api/errors/error-codes). ### request ID A unique identifier (`requestId`) included in every API response. - Log this value and include it when contacting support—it enables precise tracing and debugging of a specific request. - See also: [Errors → Error response format](/docs/api/errors/error-response-format). ### schema The set of column definitions—each with an `id` and `dataType`—that describes a dataset's structure. - As of v2, a schema is required when creating a dataset. - See also: [dataset](#dataset), [Migrate from v1 to v2](/docs/api/migration-guide). ### user A person with access to an organization or account through a unique email address. - A user can only be associated with one organization or account at a time. ### x-account-id An optional request header that lets an organization with accounts enabled perform a request against one of its **accounts** instead of the main organization tied to the API key. - Not supported on endpoints that aren't scoped to a specific organization, such as static reference lists, the Accounts resource itself, and key validation. - For Billing, only returns results for a **self-managed** account. - See also: [Authentication → Acting on an account](/docs/api/authentication#acting-on-an-account). ## Databox MCP ### Databox MCP Databox's [Model Context Protocol](#model-context-protocol-mcp) server, which turns Databox into an AI-native analytics backend. - Lets AI clients (such as Claude or ChatGPT) ingest data into Databox and query it using natural language through a single endpoint. - See also: [Databox MCP → Overview](/docs/mcp/overview). ### Genie Databox's AI analytics assistant, invoked through the `ask_genie` MCP tool. - Translates natural-language questions about a dataset into structured queries and returns insights. - See also: [Databox MCP → Toolkit](/docs/mcp/tools). ### MCP tool A specific operation—such as `ingest_data`, `ask_genie`, or `list_metrics`—that an MCP server exposes for AI clients to invoke. - See also: [Databox MCP → Toolkit](/docs/mcp/tools). ### Model Context Protocol (MCP) An open standard that lets AI applications connect to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface. - See also: [Databox MCP → Overview](/docs/mcp/overview). ### OAuth 2.0 access token The credential used to authenticate requests to the Databox MCP server. - Scoped to the Databox workspace/user that authorized the connection, and governed by that user's existing Databox permissions. - Short-lived (currently valid for 30 days); requires periodic re-authentication. - See also: [Databox MCP → Security](/docs/mcp/security).