AskBiz API: How to Build Business Intelligence Into Your Own Applications

What the AskBiz API provides#

The AskBiz API offers three primary capabilities. Query API: submit a plain-English question and receive a structured JSON response containing the answer, supporting data, and recommended actions — the same output you see in the AskBiz dashboard, accessible programmatically. Metrics API: request specific calculated metrics (Business Pulse score, gross margin by product, CAC by channel, inventory cover by SKU) as structured data at any frequency you specify. Webhook API: receive real-time notifications when anomaly alerts are triggered, when churn risk is detected for specific customers, or when any metric crosses a defined threshold. All three are available on Free, Growth, and Business plans — API access is included at no additional cost on every AskBiz plan.

Authentication and getting started#

The AskBiz API uses API key authentication. Generate your API key from the API section of your AskBiz account settings. Include the key in the Authorization header of every request: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY. The base URL is api.askbiz.co/v1. All requests and responses use JSON. Rate limits: Free plan 100 requests per day, Growth plan 1,000 per day, Business plan 10,000 per day. Full API documentation including endpoint reference, request/response schemas, and code examples in Python, JavaScript, and cURL is available at docs.askbiz.co.

Using the Query API#

The Query API endpoint is POST /query. Request body: a JSON object with a question field containing your plain-English question and an optional context field for any relevant context. Response: a JSON object containing answer (the plain-English answer text), data (structured data supporting the answer — arrays of metrics, products, customers as relevant), confidence (a 0-1 confidence score for the answer), and suggested_followups (an array of related questions that would provide useful additional context). Example request: POST /query with body {question: 'What is my gross margin by product this month?'}. Response includes the answer narrative and a data array with product name, revenue, cost, and gross margin percentage for each product.

Building automated reporting with the Metrics API#

The Metrics API endpoint is GET /metrics with parameters specifying the metric name, time period, and granularity. Available metrics include: gross_margin_pct (gross margin percentage by period), business_pulse_score (the 0-100 composite health score), cac_by_channel (customer acquisition cost by marketing channel), ltv_by_cohort (customer lifetime value by acquisition cohort), inventory_cover_days (days of cover by SKU), and 40+ additional operational and financial metrics. Use the Metrics API to build a custom internal dashboard that pulls live AskBiz calculations into your preferred reporting tool, to populate a Slack bot that posts daily business metrics, or to trigger workflow automations when a metric crosses a threshold.

Real-world API use cases from AskBiz customers#

Customer examples illustrate the range of API applications. An eCommerce operator built a Slack integration that posts the Business Pulse score and top 3 anomaly alerts to their #business-intelligence channel every morning — replacing their weekly management meeting with a daily asynchronous update. A multi-location retailer uses the Metrics API to pull store-level performance data into their internal dashboard alongside their POS data — creating a unified view that was previously impossible without a dedicated data engineering team. A UK importer built an automated FX alert that posts to WhatsApp when sterling moves more than 2% against CNY — enabling immediate pricing decisions without manually monitoring exchange rates.