Glossary

Concepts of the Regionaldatenbank Deutschland and the vocabulary this CLI exposes. The database runs the GENESIS software: statistics are made of cubes, which are sliced into tables, described by variables and their values — and almost everything here additionally has a regional dimension reaching down to Kreis and Gemeinde level.

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 `12411-01-01-4`. The main thing you fetch.
Cube (Datenquader)	`cube`	The raw multidimensional data behind tables.
Time series (Zeitreihe)	`timeseries`	A cube reduced to a single value over time.
Variable (Merkmal)	`variable`	A dimension/attribute (e.g. `KREISE` = Kreise und kreisfreie Städte, `GES` = Geschlecht).
Value (Ausprägung)	`value`	A concrete value of a variable (e.g. one specific Kreis).
Result (Ergebnistabelle)	`result`	A table produced by an async job, saved in your user area.

Codes & selection

EVAS code — the numeric statistic key. 12 (subject area) → 12411 (statistic).
Table codes look like 12411-01-01-4: EVAS statistic, table number, and a trailing digit for the regionale Tiefe (regional depth) — e.g. …-4 = Kreise und kreisfreie Städte, …-5 = Gemeinden. The deeper the table, the bigger it is: filter Gemeinde-level tables with --region-key or you will hit the too-large error (98).
selection — a code filter for catalogue browsing; supports a * wildcard, e.g. 12411* matches all objects whose code starts 12411.
name — the exact object code passed to metadata/data.
regionalvariable / regionalkey (CLI: --region-var / --region-key) — the point of this database. The regional level to slice by, and the region(s) to include, selected by their official key. * wildcards work: --region-key "08*" selects every Kreis in Baden-Württemberg, --region-key 08221 just Stadtkreis Heidelberg. Discover the valid regional variables of a table with regstat metadata table <code>.
classifyingvariable{n} / classifyingkey{n} (CLI: --class-var{n} / --class-key{n}) — restrict a data request to specific non-regional variable values (e.g. Geschlecht).

Regional keys & levels

AGS (Amtlicher Gemeindeschlüssel) — the official 8-digit municipality key LL R KK GGG: Land (2), Regierungsbezirk (1), Kreis (2), Gemeinde (3). Truncations address the higher levels: 08 = Baden-Württemberg (Land), 08221 = Stadtkreis Heidelberg (Kreis level).
ARS (Amtlicher Regionalschlüssel) — the 12-digit variant LL R KK VVVV GGG that additionally encodes the Gemeindeverband (VVVV).
Regionale Tiefe — the depth a table is published at: Deutschland → Land → Regierungsbezirk / Statistische Region → Kreise und kreisfreie Städte → Gemeindeverbände → Gemeinden. Typical regional variables: DINSG (Deutschland), DLAND (Bundesländer), REGBEZ (Regierungsbezirke), KREISE (Kreise und kreisfreie Städte), GEMEIN (Gemeinden) — confirm per table via metadata, they vary.
Kreis / kreisfreie Stadt — district / district-free city, the NUTS-3 level; Gemeinde — municipality (LAU level); Gemeindeverband — association of municipalities.
NUTS — the EU regional classification. Roughly: NUTS-1 = Länder, NUTS-2 = Regierungsbezirke/Statistische Regionen, NUTS-3 = Kreise; Gemeinden are LAU. The database keys by AGS/ARS, not NUTS.

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 — and neither do authentication failures, which arrive as a bare { Code, Content, Type } object (see below).

`Status.Code` values

Most logical outcomes ride on HTTP 200; auth failures pair the same shape with 401/404:

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 (no/unrecognized credentials; flat body on HTTP 401)	error + credentials hint, exit 1
`2`	ERROR	wrong username/password (flat body on HTTP 404 — not a missing object!)	error, exit 1
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 — common at Gemeinde level due to statistical confidentiality), ... (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

Username / password — the account login for the free registration at https://www.regionalstatistik.de/genesis/online (mandatory for API use since May 2025). Required together.
API token — a personal token generated in the GENESIS web UI (“Webservice/API” section) where offered. Placed in the username request field with no password; wins over username/password when both are set.

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