# Integration and Testing
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/integration-and-testing/index.md
Testing in Sandbox gives you access to a broad mocked dataset that represents the structure of Production data.
The Sandbox dataset contains realistic merchant location records, but you must not use it in a Production system because its location values do not represent real-world merchant configurations.
Warning: The merchant location data in Sandbox is randomly generated and must not be treated as an accurate representation of real-world merchant locations.
## Prerequisites {#prerequisites}
Confirm the following before you send any requests:
* Your project is created and Sandbox credentials are available.
* You are using the Sandbox base URL: `https://sandbox.api.mastercard.com/location-intelligence/places-locator/`
* OAuth 1.0a signing is configured correctly.
If you still need onboarding or credential setup, start with the [Quick Start Guide](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md).
## Testing Workflow {#testing-workflow}
Follow this ordered checklist to validate your integration end-to-end.
| # | Test | Endpoint | What to Verify |
|---|------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1 | **Get Location Details by Location ID** | `GET /places/200406839` | Pass the `location_id` as the final path parameter in the request URL. Confirm HTTP 200 and a JSON response containing location details. See [Sandbox Test Data](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/integration-and-testing/index.md#sandbox-test-data) for test data, and refer to [Places by ID](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/api-reference/index.md) for an overview of the endpoint. |
| 2 | **Get Location Details with an Invalid Location ID** | `GET /places/abcd` | Pass a non-numeric `location_id` as the final path parameter in the request URL. Confirm HTTP 400 and a JSON error response containing `INVALID_REQUEST`. See [Sandbox Test Data](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/integration-and-testing/index.md#sandbox-test-data) for test data, and refer to [Places by ID](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/api-reference/index.md) for an overview of the endpoint. |
| 3 | **Get Location Details by Latitude and Longitude** | `POST /places/searches` | Send latitude, longitude, and country in the request body. Confirm HTTP 200 and a JSON response containing location details. See [Sandbox Test Data](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/integration-and-testing/index.md#sandbox-test-data) for test data, and refer to [Places Search](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/api-reference/index.md) for an overview of the endpoint. |
## End-to-End Test Journey: Search then Retrieve Details {#end-to-end-test-journey-search-then-retrieve-details}
Run this multi-operation journey to confirm that both endpoints work together and that the identifier returned by a search can be reused for a details lookup.
| Step | Operation | Request | Expected Result |
|------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1 | **Search for nearby locations** | `POST /places/searches` with a valid `latitude`, `longitude`, and `country` in the request body | HTTP 200 with a list of matching locations. Each item contains a `location_id`. |
| 2 | **Capture a `location_id`** | Read the `location_id` of the first result returned in Step 1 | A numeric `location_id` value is available for reuse. If the list is empty, widen the search radius or choose a different set of coordinates. |
| 3 | **Retrieve details for that place** | `GET /places/{location_id}` using the value captured in Step 2 as the final path parameter | HTTP 200 with the full location details for that place. |
| 4 | **Verify the data is consistent** | Compare the details response with the matching entry from the search response | The `location_id`, merchant name, and address values match across both responses. |
| 5 | **Negative check** | `GET /places/abcd` using a non-numeric value as the path parameter | HTTP 400 with an `INVALID_REQUEST` error message. See [Troubleshooting](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/integration-and-testing/index.md#troubleshooting) for guidance. |
Complete all five steps before moving to production. A successful journey confirms that your OAuth signing, request formatting, and response handling work for both search and details operations.
## Sandbox Test Data {#sandbox-test-data}
Review the [Sandbox test data](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/places/uploads/places_sandbox_data.xlsx) for valid Places records to use in these tests.
## Troubleshooting {#troubleshooting}
For a full list of error codes and their meanings, see [Codes and Formats](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/codes-and-formats/index.md).
### Authentication Errors (HTTP 401) {#authentication-errors-http-401}
The following are common causes of authentication errors:
* Consumer key does not match the one in your Mastercard Developers project.
* Signing key (.p12 file) password is incorrect or the file is corrupted.
* OAuth timestamp is too far from the server time (must be within 5 minutes).
* The request body was modified after the OAuth signature was computed.
To resolve this error, try the following:
1. Verify your consumer key matches the value on your Mastercard Developers project page.
2. Re-download your .p12 keystore file and confirm the password is correct.
3. Ensure your system clock is synchronized.
4. If using a custom HTTP client, ensure the OAuth signature is computed over the final request body.
### Bad Request Errors (HTTP 400) {#bad-request-errors-http-400}
The following are common causes of bad request errors:
* Missing or malformed JSON request body.
* Invalid `location_id` value (must be numeric).
* Invalid `INVALID_LATITUDE` (Latitude outside the range of -90 to 90).
* Invalid `INVALID_LONGITUDE` (Longitude outside the range of -180 to 180).
To resolve this error, try the following:
1. Validate your JSON payload with a JSON linter.
2. For location lookup, ensure `location_id` is numeric.
3. For location search, ensure `latitude` is between -90 and 90, and `longitude` is between -180 and 180.
## Environment Guidance {#environment-guidance}
For environment URLs and descriptions, see [API Basics - Environments](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/api-basics/index.md#environments).
* Start in Sandbox and complete your positive and negative validation there.
* Move to Production only after Sandbox testing is complete and Production access has been approved.
## Next Steps {#next-steps}
* Start with the [Quick Start Guide](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md) if you still need credentials or project setup.
* Use [Developer Tools](https://developer.mastercard.com/places/documentation/developer-tools/index.md) if you want ready-to-run collections.
* Follow the endpoint tutorials when you are ready to run detailed positive and negative test cases.