> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vein.finance/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Request data access

> Move from one-off reports to an ongoing read of a company's data.

Data access is a standing permission rather than a single answer. Where a report
request produces one document a company reviewed before sending, data access
lets you read the named data as it changes, which is what you want when you are
tracking a position continuously rather than preparing for one meeting.

It is also a bigger ask, and companies treat it that way.

## Ask well

<Steps>
  <Step title="Decide what you actually need">
    Request the narrowest scope that answers your question. A request for
    everything reads as a request you have not thought about, and it is the most
    likely to be denied outright.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the request">
    Data access lives on its own tab of the Requests page, separate from report
    requests. Name the company and the scope you want.

    <Frame caption="Open the Data Access tab on the Requests page. Standing access requests are created and tracked separately from report requests.">
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/vein/7QlBMDMiW_wcqW8D/images/guides/vc-access-1-tab.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=7QlBMDMiW_wcqW8D&q=85&s=8a28ac8f9ec584c0134aa8e5384300e2" alt="The Vein Requests page for investors with the Data Access tab highlighted" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/guides/vc-access-1-tab.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Say why, where you can">
    A company approving access is accepting an ongoing obligation. Context about
    what you are tracking and why makes approval a decision rather than a leap of
    faith.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for a decision">
    Nothing is granted until the company acts. Approved requests give you access
    to the named scope; denied ones close. Either way you see the outcome in your
    own view.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  If a request is denied, the useful response is usually a narrower one rather
  than the same one again. Companies deny scope, not people.
</Tip>

## What access covers

Access is read-only and bounded by the scope that was approved. It does not let
you change anything, and it does not extend to data outside that scope. It can
also be revoked by the company at any time, which stops future reads without
retracting what you have already seen.

For most relationships, a recurring [report request](/guides/request-a-report) on
a fixed cadence covers what data access would, with less friction on both sides.
Reach for access when the cadence genuinely is not enough.