# Glossary
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/glossary/index.md

Common terminology in the Mastercard Developers documentation.

## Access Token {#access-token}

After a Partner ID and Partner Secret are authenticated using the Partner Authentication API, an access token key is returned. The token is valid for two hours, after which a new token must be generated. As a best practice, generate a new token when the current token is older than 90 minutes. The token is required in the header of every API call to access the Open Finance platform. See [Authentication](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/onboarding/index.md#authentication).

## Account Aggregation {#account-aggregation}

The process of gathering a customer's account data in real-time after they have permissioned their accounts in the Data Connect app. Customer account records have key account indicators to help you identify account information and organize the account data within your applications. Customer accounts are refreshed daily. You can also subscribe to TxPUSH notifications, which sends notifications to the event listener when there are changes to an account. See [Account Aggregation](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/products/manage/account-aggregation/index.md).

## Account ID {#account-id}

A number representing a financial account owned by a customer ID. The account ID is a unique number associated with each type of account the customer owns at a financial institution: checking, savings, money market, and more. All data is linked to the customer ID, unless the customer removes their account, or it gets deleted.

## Applications {#applications}

Applications are web or mobile applications developed by our partners. You must register each of your applications with Mastercard so that customers can identify your application name and logo when using the [Data Connect Application](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/connect/index.md).

## App Key (Finicity-App-Key) {#app-key-finicity-app-key}

When you create a project on Mastercard Developers, you'll receive a Partner ID, Partner Secret, and App-Key for the Sandbox environment. The App Key is associated with the application you registered with Mastercard. The `App-Key` is a required parameter in the header of every call to access data for the Open Finance platform. See [Sign Up](https://developer.mastercard.com/account/sign-up) for a Mastercard account and [Create a Project](https://developer.mastercard.com/dashboard).

## App Registration (OAuth) {#app-registration-oauth}

Partners must register their applications to access financial institutions using an OAuth connection. If a partner has multiple applications, use the Set Customer App ID API to assign all apps to an existing client. The assigned apps can then access financial institutions using OAuth connections. See [Register Applications](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/financial-institution/oauth-connections/register-your-applications/index.md).

## Certified Institutions {#certified-institutions}

Financial institutions (FI) are certified based on their accessibility to the Open Finance platform and ability to seamlessly retrieve account data while ensuring consistent performance. The benefit of Certified FI connections is they maintain their system's health status, which helps you leverage our products and consume quality data for your business needs.

FIs can also certify (support) specific products, such as Account Balance, Verification of Income (VOI), and more. If a product isn't supported, then all product related APIs are blocked from fetching any data. See [Certified Institutions](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/financial-institution/index.md).

## Consumer {#consumer}

Consumers are records associated with your customers. Since Mastercard is a FCRA reporting agency, all customer data collected and shared with a third party must have a consumer ID associated with a customer's unique ID. A consumer persists as the owner of any reports that are generated for a customer ID, even after the customer ID is deleted from the system. This allows customers to dispute their financial reports as needed with other FCRA entities. See [Consumers](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/customer-records/index.md#consumers) and [Generating Reports](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/products/lend/generating-reports/index.md).

## Customer {#customer}

Customers are end users granting Mastercard Open Finance access to their financial accounts. Customers go through the Data Connect or MVS apps to connect to their financial institutions and [Permission](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/glossary/index.md#permissioning) their accounts. All of the customer's financial data is linked to their unique customer ID. See [Customers](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/customer-records/index.md#customers).

## Customer ID, Testing {#customer-id-testing}

A unique ID associated with a testing customer ID. Testing customers can only access the financial data from [FinBanks](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/glossary/index.md#finbanks) using the testing profiles on the [Test Profiles](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/integration-and-testing/test-the-apis/index.md) page. This allows you to test your applications in a live Open Finance environment before moving your project to production. To create your first test customer, see [Quick Start Guide](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md).

## Data Connect {#data-connect}

A simple and secure user interface called within your own applications or services. The Data Connect app allows customers to connect to their financial institutions and permission the accounts they consent to share. Mastercard Open Finance APIs can then access the financial and transactional data for a customer. See [Data Connect Application](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/connect/index.md).

## Data Connect Events {#data-connect-events}

Notifications sent to the event listener that you set up through the Web or Mobile SDKs. You can choose which type of events you want to receive. Web SDK Events help monitor the Data Connect app, such as when it's loaded, canceled, or successfully completed. User Events provide visibility into a customer's actions when using the Data Connect app, and Route Events provide visibility into customers navigating through the Data Connect app. See [Data Connect Events](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/connect/integrating/sdk/events/index.md).

## Data Connect Experience {#data-connect-experience}

A set of features available to change the look and behavior of the Data Connect app. This flexibility lets you configure different types of experiences, tailored to fit your branding and customer base. The `experience` parameter passed into the Generate Data Connect URL API loads your customized features when the Data Connect app starts. See [Configure the DataConnect Experience](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/connect/configure-connect-experience/index.md).

## Data Connect Session {#data-connect-session}

A session starts when a customer opens the Data Connect app on their mobile device or through a computer browser. The Data Connect app guides the user through connecting to their financial institutions and permissioning their accounts. You can set up [Data Connect Events](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/glossary/index.md#data-connect-events) to monitor the Data Connect app throughout the session. After the customer submits their data, the Data Connect session ends.

## FinBanks {#finbanks}

A set of testing financial institutions (mock banks) that allows you to simulate data transactions at a live financial institution, using a testing customer ID. A few new data transactions are added to FinBanks daily to allow for different data test results. You must upgrade to a paid plan before you can add real customer IDs at a live financial institution. See [Test Profiles](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/integration-and-testing/test-the-apis/index.md).

## Government-Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) {#government-sponsored-enterprise-gse}

Government sponsored agencies such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The Mortgage Verification Services product gathers information from single or joint borrowers through the Income, Payroll, or Paystub apps.

All reports for a consumer applying for a loan are linked to the `portfolioID-version-port` parameter, which is the reference ID in the Loan Product Advisor (LPA) or Desktop Underwriter (DU) submission to the GSE. See [Sending Reports to Government Sponsored Enterprises](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/products/lend/mortgage-implementation/index.md#sending-reports-to-government-sponsored-enterprises).

## Partner {#partner}

A company or individual who owns a Mastercard Developers account and has created at least one Open Finance project. Every project receives a unique Partner ID, Partner Secret, and App Key, which is used to authenticate your credentials and identify your applications.

## Partner Linked {#partner-linked}

Client-partners and third party-processors are given consented third party access (Partner Linked) to access consented data. Customers give consent to their accounts using the Data Connect Application. Third parties are given a consent receipt token, which acts as a key to accessing customer consented data on our Open Finance platform for a limited time. This allows processors the ability to complete their processing services, such as getting the customer's ACH routing data to process a payment on their behalf. See [Partner Linked Access](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/participant-model/partner-linked/index.md).

## Permissioning {#permissioning}

The Data Connect and Mortgage Verification Service (MVS) apps allow consumers to connect to their financial institutions and permission their checking, savings, and other accounts they consent to share. This allows third parties to access financial data from the consumer's consented accounts. Consumers can manage which accounts they want to share through their online banking website.

## Sandbox {#sandbox}

An environment where you create a new Open Finance project to test your applications. You'll have access to testing financial institutions, [FinBanks](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/glossary/index.md#finbanks), and profiles for various use case scenarios. You can also integrate with the Open Finance APIs in a live environment. See [Quick Start Guide](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md) and [Test Profiles](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/integration-and-testing/test-the-apis/index.md).

## Test Drive {#test-drive}

By default, when you create an account on Mastercard Developers (Sandbox environment) you are on the Test Drive plan. You can test your applications with all Open Finance APIs on our platform free of charge, using a testing customer ID. You must upgrade to a paid plan before you can access data at a live financial institution. See [Test Profiles](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/integration-and-testing/test-the-apis/index.md).

## Test Profiles {#test-profiles}

A variety of different use case scenarios used to test your applications on the Open Finance platform in a live environment. There are profiles to test sign-in authentication at financial institutions (FinBanks), bank accounts, OAuth connections, payroll and paystubs, and MVS. See [Test Profiles](https://developer.mastercard.com/open-finance-us/documentation/integration-and-testing/test-the-apis/index.md).