# Quick Start Guide
source: https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md

## Start Using SBCA Metrics {#start-using-sbca-metrics}

Use this guide to go from account setup to your first successful Sandbox request for Small Business Credit Analytics. You will create a project, generate credentials, make a test call, and prepare the same project for Production access.
Tip: Prefer a no-code option? You can also make this first call using the [Postman Collection](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/developer-tools/postman-collection/index.md) or [Insomnia Collection](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/developer-tools/insomnia-collection/index.md) instead of curl. Either way, the steps below are the fastest path to a working Sandbox request.

### Before you begin {#before-you-begin}

To make your first Sandbox call, you will need:

* A [Mastercard Developers](https://developer.mastercard.com/) account.
* A Small Business Credit Analytics project with **Sandbox credentials** (`.p12` file, consumer key, keystore password) --- see [Step 2](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md#step-2-create-a-project-and-generate-sandbox-credentials).
* An **OAuth 1.0a signer** or Mastercard client library to sign requests --- see [Step 3a](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/quick-start-guide/index.md#step-3a-configure-oauth-10a-signing).
* A REST client (curl, Postman, or Insomnia) to send the request.

## Step 1: Get access to the API {#step-1-get-access-to-the-api}

1. Go to [Mastercard Developers](https://developer.mastercard.com/) and create an account.
2. Activate your account by opening the link sent to your email address, and log in.
3. Open your [My Projects](https://developer.mastercard.com/dashboard) page and start a new project. Sandbox access is open, so you can begin testing as soon as your project credentials are generated.

## Step 2: Create a project and generate Sandbox credentials {#step-2-create-a-project-and-generate-sandbox-credentials}

Create a Mastercard Developers project to generate your Sandbox credentials. Sandbox gives you mock data so you can validate your integration before requesting Production access.

### Create a Project {#create-a-project}

1. Go to your [My Projects](https://developer.mastercard.com/dashboard) dashboard.
2. Click the **Create New Project** button in the upper-right portion of the screen, as shown below. ![](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/small-business-credit-analytics/uploads/tutorials/creating_sandbox_project/create_project.png)

### Add Small Business Credit Analytics API to Your Project {#add-small-business-credit-analytics-api-to-your-project}

3. Enter a descriptive name of your project.
4. Type to search in API service dropdown list and select the **Small Business Credit Analytics API** option.
5. Type to search in Commercial countries dropdown list and select the country/countries to access merchant data.
6. Click **Proceed** to continue to the next step, as shown below. ![](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/small-business-credit-analytics/uploads/tutorials/creating_sandbox_project/select_an_api.png)

### Set Project Credentials {#set-project-credentials}

7. Enter **Key alias** and **Keystore password**.
8. Click **Proceed** to generate keys. ![](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/small-business-credit-analytics/uploads/tutorials/creating_sandbox_project/set_project_credentials.png)

### Download Sandbox Credentials {#download-sandbox-credentials}

9. After the project is successfully created, the Sandbox .p12 access credentials will be available for download as shown in the screenshot below:
10. Click the **Download key file** button to download a zip file containing the .p12 file required for OAuth authentication in Sandbox. Please save this file in a safe place as you won't be able to download it later.
11. Click on **Open project** to start working with the API in Sandbox. Note: You are required to capture the Keystore password and key alias shown on the screen. The Keystore password is used in conjunction with the .p12 file and Client ID for OAuth authentication. ![](https://static.developer.mastercard.com/content/small-business-credit-analytics/uploads/tutorials/creating_sandbox_project/download_sandbox_credentials.png)

Tip: Prefer not to hand-sign requests with curl? You can generate a customizable API client from the Small Business Credit Analytics OpenAPI specification using [OpenAPI Generator](https://openapi-generator.tech/) or an equivalent tool, and let Mastercard's open-source client libraries handle OAuth 1.0a signing for you. See [API Basics --- Generating your own Small Business Credit Analytics API client](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/api-basics/index.md#generating-your-own-small-business-credit-analytics-api-client) for the full walkthrough. The steps below continue with the curl-based path.

## Step 3: Make your first Sandbox request {#step-3-make-your-first-sandbox-request}

Once you have Sandbox credentials, make a simple GET request to confirm that your project is set up correctly.

### Step 3a: Configure OAuth 1.0a signing {#step-3a-configure-oauth-10a-signing}

Before you run the request, set up request signing:

1. Load your Sandbox `.p12` file and keystore password into a Mastercard OAuth signer or [client library](https://developer.mastercard.com/platform/documentation/security-and-authentication/using-oauth-1a-to-access-mastercard-apis/#client-libraries).
2. Provide your Sandbox **consumer key** and the **private key** used to sign requests.
3. Confirm your signer generates `oauth_timestamp`, `oauth_nonce`, and `oauth_signature` on each call.

For full authentication details, see [API Basics --- Client Authentication](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/api-basics/index.md#client-authentication).

### Step 3b: Send the request {#step-3b-send-the-request}

This first-call example uses `GET /matches`, so you can verify access, OAuth signing, and the Sandbox base URL before moving on to Metrics calls.

**Example Request (cURL):**

```bash
curl --request GET \
  --url "https://sandbox.api.mastercard.com/small-business/credit-analytics/locations/matches?country_code=USA&company_name=Artisan+Emporium&street_address=2000+Purchase+St&postal_code=10577&city=Purchase&state_province_region=NY" \
  --header "Authorization: OAuth oauth_consumer_key=\"YOUR_CONSUMER_KEY\", oauth_signature_method=\"RSA-SHA256\", oauth_timestamp=\"1709596800\", oauth_nonce=\"a1b2c3d4e5f6\", oauth_version=\"1.0\", oauth_signature=\"YOUR_COMPUTED_SIGNATURE\""
```

**Expected Response:**

```json
[
  {
    "locationId": "a1b2c3d4-0000-1234-abcd-000000000001",
    "matchRank": 1,
    "merchantName": "Artisan Emporium",
    "streetAddress": "2000 Purchase St",
    "city": "Purchase",
    "state": "NY",
    "postalCode": "10577",
    "countryCode": "USA"
  }
]
```

**Validate your first call:**

|       Check        |                           Expected                            |                     Confirms                      |
|--------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| HTTP status code   | `200 OK`                                                      | OAuth credentials and request signing are correct |
| `locationId` field | Non-empty UUID (e.g., `a1b2c3d4-0000-1234-abcd-000000000001`) | Request parameters processed correctly            |

A `200 OK` response containing a `locationId` confirms your credentials, OAuth signing, and Sandbox connectivity are all working. You are ready to proceed to Metrics calls or explore more test scenarios.
Tip: **Troubleshooting your first call:**

* `401 DECLINED` --- Your consumer key or signing key does not match. Re-download your `.p12` file from the project dashboard and verify the keystore password.
* For any other reason codes, refer [Codes and Formats](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/code-and-formats/index.md)
Note: No test data setup is required once Sandbox keys are downloaded. You can refer to the [Testing](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/testing/index.md) section for testing the Small Business Credit Analytics APIs.

## Step 4: Promote the same project to production {#step-4-promote-the-same-project-to-production}

Once your project is working in Sandbox, request Production access for that same project. This involves confirming Sandbox readiness, gathering your company and key details, submitting the Production access request, waiting for Mastercard's review, and then updating your application to use Production credentials.

For the full step-by-step checklist --- including required artifacts, SLAs, and exit criteria for each step --- see the [Onboarding Checklist](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/tutorials-and-guides/onboarding-checklist/index.md).
Tip: **Production access is confirmed** when you receive an approval email from Mastercard Developers and can successfully authenticate against the production base URL using your production credentials. Note: Production access requests are reviewed within 3--5 working days. If you have not received a response within 5 working days, contact [Mastercard support](mailto:advisors.help@mastercard.com?subject=SBCA:%20Production%20Access%20Escalation) with subject line "SBCA: Production Access Escalation --- \[Your Project Name\]" and include your project's Sandbox Client ID.

## Next Steps {#next-steps}

Continue with the documentation that matches your next task:

* [Onboarding Checklist](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/tutorials-and-guides/onboarding-checklist/index.md) for the full Sandbox-to-Production promotion steps
* [API Reference](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/api-reference/index.md) for endpoint details
* [API Basics](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/api-basics/index.md) for authentication, encryption, and client configuration
* [Reference App](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/developer-tools/reference-app/index.md) application which shows typical usage of the APIs
* [Testing](https://developer.mastercard.com/small-business-credit-analytics/documentation/testing/index.md) for additional request scenarios