HomeGuidesAPI ReferenceChangelog
Log In
Guides

Cross Product Concept Map

Some concepts have varying definitions across different products. This document serves as a codex to map each concept's definition to the corresponding product.

EntityARC DescriptionSignal DefinitionSwitch Definition
ProviderAn entity that provides a commodity to a market as a service. Often referred to as a "utility" in some contexts. See Service Types Guide for a list of commodities that Arcadia supports.Refers to the customer utilizing the API. This is applicable in the context of providerProfileId/providerAccountId, which are names that you, as the user, can designate to reference the account or profile.Refers to the customer utilizing the API. This is applicable in the context of providerProfileId/providerAccountId, which are names that you, as the user, can designate to reference the account or profile.
AccountA way to track and manage the usage of various utility services provided to a residential or commercial property. Utility accounts are mostly for billing purposes, as they allow the provider to bill customers for the services they have consumed in a billing period.N/A - Not an entity in this product.An account in Switch, also known as a site, is designed to represent a single meter. Each account can store meter data, consumption, solar, and storage system information for an individual meter. If there are multiple meters at a site, multiple accounts would need to be created to accommodate them.
CredentialsThe set of information (often, but not always and not limited to, username/email and password) used to access an online Account on a Provider’s website or data portal. You can use a correlationId to annotate Credentials with an identifier that helps you to correlate it with records in your system.This refers to the appId and appKey used for authentication to one of your organization's applications on the Signal APIs.This refers to the appId and appKey used for authentication to one of your organization's applications on the Switch APIs.
StatementThe processed, standardized, machine-readable entry within the platform that represents the content of a bill issued by a Provider according to Arcadia's data model.This refers to a utility bill provided by the customer that may be used to perform a bill-matching exercise.This refers to a utility bill provided by the customer that may be used to perform a bill-matching exercise.
MeterA meter in Arcadia's data model can be either: - A physical monitoring device located at the point of commodity consumption that reports consumption in regular intervals for the provider to calculate charges. - A proxy by Arcadia to represent consumption at the most granular level with the data model.N/A - Not an entity in this product.N/A - Not an entity in this product.
SiteA concept in Arcadia's data model to enable grouping meters by a location or another logical grouping for your system. Using this concept is optional.N/A - Not an entity in this product.A site in Switch, also known as an account, is intended to represent a single meter. Each account can store meter data, consumption, solar, and storage system information for an individual meter. If there are multiple meters at a site, multiple accounts would need to be created to manage them.
TariffThe set of rules Providers use to calculate and distribute charges for commodities with measured, estimated, and billed usages. A meter can only have one tariff at any given time. Even though the tariff of a meter can change over time, at any given time, it can only have one tariff.Tariffs are rate plans for electricity. They detail the recipients of the plan (service and applicability), specify the charges, and provide additional information regarding the electricity service provided by the utility.Tariffs are rate plans for electricity. They detail the recipients of the plan (service and applicability), specify the charges, and provide additional information regarding the electricity service provided by the utility.