Glossary
What is API?
An API (application programming interface) is an agreed way for software systems to communicate and exchange data with each other, without a person having to sit in between.
API explained
An API is a contract: one system promises that you can ask for something in a certain way and get a certain answer back. How the system handles it internally is none of the caller's concern. That is how a web shop can request stock levels from an ERP through an API, or a dashboard can fetch figures from a data warehouse.
There are different styles, such as REST, GraphQL and SOAP. REST is the most common for web applications. Almost every API requires some form of identification, such as an API key or an OAuth token, and limits the number of requests.
An API is safer and easier to manage than giving someone direct access to a database. You decide exactly which data is available, you can revoke access per consumer and you can see who requests what.
Example
Every morning, Acme Groothandel's planning system fetches the expected orders per branch from the data warehouse through an API. The system receives only that one overview, not the whole database.
API in ENABLE
With the ENABLE Data API you publish a query from the data warehouse as a REST endpoint, with an API key, an OpenAPI specification and rate limits. Endpoints are read-only and every publication gets a new version number.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is an API in simple terms?
An API is an agreed way for two software systems to talk to each other. One system asks a question in a fixed way and gets a predictable answer back.
What is the difference between an API and a database connection?
With a database connection, a system has direct access to the tables. With an API, the system can only request what the API offers, which is safer and easier to manage.
What is the difference between an API and a REST API?
API is the general term for an interface between systems. A REST API is a specific, widely used style that works with web requests to fixed addresses.
Further reading
- PlatformData API: expose your data warehouse via RESTPublish a query as a secure REST endpoint for other systems and apps.Read more
- SolutionAI agents for business: start with secure dataAI agents start with secure, limited data access. This is how ENABLE lays that foundation.Read more
- SolutionData integration: connect data sources for insightConnect data sources for reporting and AI, via one central data warehouse.Read more
- ResourcesGlossary of data, AI and Power BI termsWhat is a service principal, row-level security, a semantic model, text-to-SQL or RAG? Short, clear definitions of terms around data, Power BI and AI.Read more
Use AI on your own data. Securely, and without the headache.
In an online demo we show how ENABLE makes your data securely available and how you build on it: describing an app in the AI Builder, plain-language questions, dashboards and APIs. And how we set it up and manage it for you.