The commercial layer of a data product is a set of object types that describe how it is offered, under what terms, and by whom. They come from the Open Data Product Specification (ODPS) and turn a data product from a technical asset into a commercial offering.
This page covers the object types that carry a product’s commercial and business context, such as pricing plans, licenses, and the data holder that provides the product.
Pricing plans
A pricing plan defines how a data product is offered commercially. It records both the price and the model behind that price, so consumers know what they pay and how the charge is structured.
A pricing plan captures:
- Price and currency — the amount charged and the currency used.
- Billing duration — the period the price covers, such as monthly or annual.
- Pricing unit — the commercial model for the plan (see the units below).
- VAT handling — whether and how value-added tax (VAT) applies.
- Validity window — the dates between which the plan is offered.
- Offering description — a free-text summary of what the plan includes.
The pricing unit sets the commercial model. Each plan uses one of these units:
| Pricing unit | Meaning |
|---|---|
One-Time | A single upfront payment for the product. |
Pay-Per-Use | Charges based on actual consumption. |
Recurring | A subscription billed at regular intervals. |
Revenue Sharing | A share of the revenue the product generates. |
Data Volume | Charges scale with the volume of data delivered. |
Pay What You Want | The consumer decides how much to pay. |
Freemium | A free tier with paid upgrades. |
Open Data | Provided free of charge as open data. |
Value-Based | Priced by the business value delivered. |
On Request | The price is negotiated individually. |
Trial | Temporary access for evaluation, usually free. |
A single data product can carry several pricing plans at once — for example, a Trial plan for evaluation alongside a Recurring subscription for ongoing access.
Licenses
A license records the legal terms under which a consumer may use a data product. It captures both the rights granted and the limits on those rights, so the provider and the consumer share the same understanding of what is allowed.
| License aspect | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Rights and restrictions | What consumers may and may not do with the data. |
| Geographical area | The regions where the license applies. |
| Permanence and exclusivity | Whether it is permanent and exclusive to one consumer. |
| Termination and continuity | How the license ends and what continues afterward. |
| Warranties and damages | Guarantees given and liability for damages. |
| Confidentiality | Obligations to keep the data or terms confidential. |
| Applicable law | The jurisdiction whose laws govern the license. |
Two of these aspects carry the most commercial weight: whether the license is permanent or time-limited, and whether it is exclusive to one consumer or shared across many.
Data holders
A data holder is the organization that provides a data product. It gives consumers a verified point of contact and clear accountability for the product. Each data product is provided by exactly one data holder.
A data holder records:
- Legal identity — the registered legal name and business identifier.
- Tax identifiers — tax and VAT identifiers.
- Contact and address — contact details and a postal address.
- Branding and reputation — a logo and ratings.
A data holder can also reference a parent organization, so a subsidiary links back to the group it belongs to. Together, the legal name, business identifier, and tax details identify the provider unambiguously.
Payment gateways
A payment gateway records the payment system used to process paid access to a data product. It links a priced product to the service that handles the transaction.
The gateway type identifies the payment system: Stripe, Axio, Checkout, or Custom, where Custom covers any system not offered as a built-in type. Each gateway also records a version and a reference to its specification. A product offered for free does not need a payment gateway.
Business alignment: use cases, strategy, and KPIs
Three object types connect a data product to the business value it creates. They link the technical offering to concrete scenarios, organizational goals, and the measures that track progress toward those goals.
Use cases
A use case is a concrete business scenario where a data product delivers value. It records a title, a description of the scenario, and a reference URL for supporting material.
Product strategy
A product strategy connects a data product to organizational goals. It records a status, start and end dates, a set of objectives, and the strategic alignment that ties the product to the wider strategy.
KPIs
A KPI (key performance indicator) is a measurable indicator that a product strategy targets. Each KPI records:
- Name — what the indicator is called.
- Unit — the unit the value is measured in.
- Target value — the value the KPI aims for.
- Direction — whether a higher or lower value is the goal.
- Timeframe — the period the target applies to.
- Frequency — how often the value is measured.
- Owner — who is accountable for the KPI.
- Calculation — how the value is derived.
A single product strategy can track several KPIs, so progress toward each objective is measured explicitly.
The consumer view in the Data Market
The commercial and business object types described here come together in The Data Market, where published products are offered to the wider organization. A consumer browsing the Data Market sees a product’s pricing plan and license before requesting access, so the terms of use are clear before any commitment is made.
For the complete list of these object types and every attribute they hold, see Data product object types and attributes.