Glossary

GENESIS-Online concepts and the vocabulary this CLI exposes. GENESIS is a multidimensional statistics database: statistics are made of cubes, which are sliced into tables, described by variables and their values.

Objects

Term	GENESIS	Meaning
Statistic (Statistik)	`statistic`	A whole statistical product, keyed by a 5-digit EVAS code (e.g. `12411`, “Fortschreibung des Bevölkerungsstandes”). Contains cubes.
Table (Tabelle)	`table`	A ready-made 2-D view, keyed like `12411-0001`. The main thing you fetch.
Cube (Datenquader)	`cube`	The raw multidimensional data behind tables, keyed like `12411BJ001`.
Time series (Zeitreihe)	`timeseries`	A cube reduced to a single value over time.
Variable (Merkmal)	`variable`	A dimension/attribute (e.g. `DLAND` = Bundesland, `NAT` = nationality).
Value (Ausprägung)	`value`	A concrete value of a variable (e.g. a specific Bundesland).
Result (Ergebnistabelle)	`result`	A table produced by an async job, saved in your user area.

Codes & selection

EVAS code — the numeric object key. 12 (subject area) → 12411 (statistic) → 12411-0001 (table) / 12411BJ001 (cube).
selection — a code filter for catalogue browsing; supports a * wildcard, e.g. 124* matches all objects whose code starts 124.
name — the exact object code passed to metadata/data.
classifyingvariable{n} / classifyingkey{n} — restrict a data request to specific variable values (the “key” selects values, * wildcard allowed).
regionalvariable / regionalkey — the regional dimension and the region(s) to include (e.g. a Land or Kreis code).

The response envelope

Every non-helloworld response is wrapped:

Field	Meaning
`Ident`	`{ Service, Method }` — which endpoint answered.
`Status`	`{ Code, Content, Type }` — the logical outcome (see below).
`Parameter`	echo of your request (credentials masked as `********`).
`Copyright`	the attribution string to cite — see DATA_LICENSE.md.
`List`	catalogue results (a homogeneous array).
`Object`	data/metadata payload (opaque; for `data/table`, a CSV string in `Object.Content`).

helloworld/whoami and helloworld/logincheck do not use this envelope.

`Status.Code` values

HTTP is almost always 200; the real outcome is Status.Code. Auth failures are the exception: they come back as a flat { Code, Content, Type } body (no envelope) on HTTP 401 or 404:

Code	Type	Meaning	This CLI
`0`	Information	success	returns data
`22`	Warnung	success, a parameter was auto-corrected	returns data (warning visible in `Status.Content`)
`50`	Information	no newer data (for `--stand`)	returns data
`104`	Information	no object matched	returns an empty result (exit 0)
`90`	Fehler	requested object not found	error, exit 4
`98`	Information	result too large for a direct fetch	error with narrowing guidance, exit 1
`15`	ERROR	not authorized: credentials missing or not recognized (flat body on HTTP 401)	error `HTTP 401` plus a credentials hint, exit 1 (the GENESIS text is not shown)
`2`	ERROR	wrong username/password or token (flat body on HTTP 404)	error `HTTP 404` with no detail or hint, exit 4 — the CLI treats the 404 as “not found”
any	Fehler / Error	general error	error, exit 1

Value-status placeholders

In a data/table CSV, a cell may be a status symbol instead of a number: - (nothing to report / genuine zero context), . (unknown/secret), ... (not yet available), / (no figure: value not reliable enough), x (no meaningful statement possible), () (limited informative value), p (provisional), r (revised), s (estimated).

Auth terms

API token — a 32-char personal token generated in the GENESIS web UI (“Webservice/API”). Placed in the username request field with no password. Generating a new token invalidates the old one.
Username / password — the account login (username ~10 chars, may be an email; password 10–50 chars). Required together.

See DEVELOPING.md for how credentials are passed on the wire and why redirects are not followed.