Understanding Connect API Terms

This documentation is meant to guide Validic Data Source Partners through the process of connecting, authorizing access, and posting data via the Inform Connect API.

For data source partners, the following dictionary of terms will help you understand the different components of the Inform Connect APIs.

End User: Your customer. Simply put, someone using your application or device.
Marketplace: Each Validic user is presented with a “marketplace” of apps and devices they share data from. Out of the box, this is a simple, responsive webpage that contains your branding and an option to connect to you as a Data Source.
Data Source: Basically, you. An application or device that provides data to Validic Inform is called a Data Source.
Client Organizations (Org): Represents a Validic Client Organization. Each Client is assigned an OrgID, which represents a container of End Users associated with our Client. For example, Cleveland Clinic is OrgID 122333333222, while Cerner is OrgID 0009999999. This division ensures that user health data is never compromised.
UID: Within each Client Organization, lives a representation of the End User called UID. This unique ID is provided to Validic by the Client and is how we de-identify End Users. All tokens are associated with the UID for a specific OrgID.
Provisioning: When a Client Org wants to collect data from an End User, they create a representation of the user inside Validic Inform. They POST a request to create a user with a unique UID. The Inform API responds with a link to the user’s marketplace and marketplace tokens. The Org then provides these links to the End User who completes the authorization process.
Inform API: This is the API Client Organizations (Orgs) use to access the data that Data Sources, like you, provide. While not necessary, we suggest you review our Inform API Quick Start Guide so you’ll understand our Client experience.
Inform Connect API: This is the API our Data Sources, including you, use to submit End User data to Validic Inform for Client Orgs to access.