Connecting a database

A Cortex subscription and a database license are two separate purchases. The subscription buys the software and search across all fourteen databases. It does not buy the database content. This guide explains what that means in practice — and how to get a commercial database working in Cortex.

Free out of the box

The public reference databases are usable on any paid plan, with no extra license:

EF · 天工 (Tiangong) · WorldSteel · USDA · EXIOBASE · OZLCI · NEEDS · BAFU · AusLCI.

Query them, read full values, export results. Nothing else to buy.

Commercial databases need a license — including HiQ’s own

None of the commercial databases is bundled into the subscription:

• HiQ’s own — HiQLCD and HiQLCD-AL. Purchased from HiQ-AI.
• Third-party — Ecoinvent, CarbonMinds, Agri-footprint.

Without a license, Cortex still shows you the dataset exists: name, source, version, region, system model, and a link to the original record. The numbers stay withheld until you have access.

Turning on a third-party database

Two routes.

1. Buy the authorization through Cortex. The data permission attaches to your account. Sign in, and the database is unlocked — nothing to install.
2. Activate a license you already hold. If you bought, say, an Ecoinvent license directly from the provider, write to sales with proof of purchase and pay a flat €500 activation fee. The same dataset then opens on the Cortex side.

The €500 activates a license you bought elsewhere. It is not the price of the database. Database pricing itself varies by provider and is quoted per database.

HiQLCD and HiQLCD-AL

These are HiQ-AI’s own. There is no provider-direct route — you buy them from HiQ. Ask sales for current pricing.

Talk to sales

All database pricing and activation goes through lizj@hiqlcd.com. Tell them which databases you need and whether you already hold any licenses.