Choosing Between API and MCP Integration

Daloopa offers two programmatic ways to access financial data: the API and MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. Each approach has distinct strengths and ideal use cases.

Use the API When:

✅ Building production data pipelines

Automated ETL processes
Scheduled data refreshes
Batch processing workflows

✅ You need deterministic, repeatable queries

Specific endpoints with known parameters
Consistent data structures
Full control over requests

✅ Performance and cost optimization are critical

Direct API calls are faster
No LLM token costs
Predictable pricing

Best for: Software engineers, data engineers, backend systems, automated workflows

Use MCP Integration When:

✅ Working with LLMs and AI assistants (Claude, ChatGPT)

Ad-hoc analysis and exploration
Natural language queries
Conversational data access

✅ Rapid prototyping and analysis

Quick questions without writing code
Exploring data interactively
Generating insights on the fly

✅ Non-technical users need data access

Analysts without coding experience
Business users asking financial questions
Executive dashboards with AI assistants

Best for: Software engineers, analysts, researchers, exploratory analysis

Comparison Table

Feature	API	MCP
Query Method	Structured HTTP requests	Natural language
Speed	Faster (direct)	Depends on LLM
Cost	API calls only	API + LLM tokens
Flexibility	High (programmatic)	Very high (conversational)
Learning Curve	Steeper (requires coding)	Easier (plain English)
Use Case	Production systems	Analysis & exploration

Available Tools & Endpoints

MCP tools are built on top of API endpoints. Here's how they map:

MCP Tool	API Endpoints	What It Does
discover_companies	`GET /api/v2/companies`	Search companies by ticker or name. Returns company_id, ticker, name, latest_quarter
discover_company_series	`GET /api/v2/companies/series`	Find available metrics for a company. Filter by keywords (e.g., "revenue", "EBITDA"). Returns series_id and full_series_name
get_company_fundamentals	`GET /api/v2/companies/fundamentals`	Retrieve financial data for specific series and periods. Supports quarterly (2024Q1) and annual (2024FY) formats. Returns values with source citations and hyperlinks
search_documents (Beta)	`POST /api/v2/documents/keyword-search`	Keyword search across SEC filings (10-K, 10-Q, 8-K). Search by keywords, company, and periods. Returns document matches with context snippets

Additional API Capabilities

The API offers many more endpoints beyond what's available through MCP:

Company & Series Discovery:

Check Company Model Status - View update status and latest data timestamps
List Taxonomy Metrics - Find standardized metrics across companies
Get Series Continuation - Handle deprecated/updated series IDs

Fundamental Data:

Export Company Data (CSV) - Bulk export of all company data
Get Fundamental Updates - Track data corrections and changes

Models & Documents:

Download Company Model (Excel) - Get full Excel model
Download Industry Model (Excel) - Get industry comparison models
Company Document Lookup (Beta) - Find financial filings and documents
Retrieve Document (Beta) - Access specific document content

Company Management:

Get Company Industry Model Mappings - View industry classifications
Add/Remove Company Subscriptions - Manage tracked companies

Webhooks:

Real-time event notifications for data updates

Can I Use Both?

Yes! Many teams use or test both approaches:

MCP for exploration: Analysts explore data and identify insights
API for production: Convert proven queries into automated pipelines
Hybrid workflows: Use MCP to discover series IDs, then API for bulk retrieval

Getting Started

API: See API Authentication and Best Practices
MCP: See Using Daloopa's MCP Server