Glossary

This glossary explains common words used across ukpyn docs in plain language.

API

Application Programming Interface. A way for your code to ask another service for data using standard requests.

Open Data Portal. The UK Power Networks data portal where datasets are published and queried.

A named collection of related data in the portal, similar to a table.

One row (one item) returned from a dataset query.

A helper module in ukpyn that groups related dataset calls by topic (for example LTDS, flexibility, or network data).

Short for synchronous: your code waits for a request to finish before moving on.

Short for asynchronous: your code can continue other work while waiting for requests to complete.

A UK Power Networks service region (such as EPN, LPN, or SPN) used to filter many datasets.

A query condition that narrows results (for example by date, area, or status).

The Python object returned by ukpyn calls, usually containing metadata and a list of records.

The Python runtime used by a notebook. It must match the environment where ukpyn is installed.

A named setting provided by your shell, often used for secrets like UKPN_API_KEY.

When results are too large for one response, data is split into pages that can be fetched in steps.

A private token that proves your request is allowed to access the API.