What is a data access method?
A data access method is how a utility data access platform, like UtilityAPI, receives authorization (i.e., approval) from a utility account holder (i.e., utility customer) and makes data available to its users via data transmission.
What is an authorization?
Authorization is the software process that enables a utility account holder (UAH) to authenticate their identity and approve the linking of their utility account to a data access platform, like UtilityAPI. The way a UAH completes the authorization process depends on the data access platform and utility, but common ways include:
- Entering their username and password (i.e., account login credentials)
- Confirming the receipt of a unique code via email, text message, or phone call (i.e., one-time passcode)
- Verifying a utility account number or utility services address.
Many authorizations now include additional security features, like multi-factor authentication (MFA), which the UAH must also complete.
What is data transmission?
Data transmission is different from authorization in that it includes multiple software processes, including:
- How customer utility data is collected from a utility (i.e., screen scraping or Application Programming Interface (API))
- What data is available from a utility (i.e., Bill data, Interval data, etc.)
- How available data is formatted (i.e., XML, JSON, etc.)
Utility data access platforms are responsible for ensuring that both the authorization and the data transmission process are completed in a highly secure way to ensure customer privacy and data integrity.
What are UtilityAPI’s data access methods?
While our competitors rely on only one authorization and one data transmission method to complete the data access process, UtilityAPI has developed multiple combinations to ensure our users have optionality when working with UAHs. UtilityAPI’s data access methods include:
What makes these Data Access Methods different?
Each data access method has a unique authorization and data transmission process.
For example, using our Silicon Valley Clean Energy Green Button OAuth data access method, customers can complete the authorization via a one-time passcode versus our Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Web Portal Adapter, which uses login credentials.
Regardless of which data access method is used, UtilityAPI provides access to all available data in our standard four data products:
Each data product is available via our no-code dashboard or API in several standard formats, including CSV, XML, and others.