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The units API provides access to CDF’s built-in units catalog. The catalog contains standard measurement units organized by quantity (length, mass, temperature, pressure, etc.). You can list all available units, retrieve individual units by external ID, or retrieve multiple units in batch. Units are used across CDF to ensure consistent measurement handling.

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What the units catalog is

The units catalog is a predefined set of measurement units that CDF uses for time series, data models, and other features. Each unit has an external ID, displays a symbol or name, and belongs to a quantity (e.g., length, mass). The catalog ensures that measurements are represented consistently across your project.

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Working with units

You can list all units in the catalog to discover what is available. To reference a specific unit, use its external ID to retrieve it. For bulk operations, you can retrieve multiple units in a single request.
Units are typically read-only. You use the catalog to look up units when configuring time series or other data that requires unit specification.

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Key operations

  • List units: Retrieve all units in the catalog, optionally filtered.
  • Retrieve by external ID: Get a single unit by its identifier.
  • Retrieve multiple: Fetch several units in batch by external IDs.
Units work together with unit systems to support consistent measurement representation across CDF.
Last modified on April 23, 2026