---
title: "API_SetDBVar"
slug: "api-setdbvar"
updated: 2025-08-18T09:33:02Z
published: 2025-08-18T09:33:02Z
canonical: "help.quickbase.com/api-setdbvar"
---

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

# API_SetDBVar

**Don't forget to check out our** [**JSON RESTful APIs**](https://developer.quickbase.com/)**, they can help you utilize and extend Quickbase with ease.**

## Overview

Use API_SetDBVar to create a database variable (DBVar) or set a value for it. If the DBVar already exists, this call overwrites the existing value.

You invoke this call on an application-level id. You can invoke this call on one DBVar at a time. You must have full administration rights on the application to use this call.

## Request parameters

| Parameter | Value | Required? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| varname | The name you want the DBVar to have. | yes |
| value | The value you want to set in the DBVar | yes |
| ticket | A valid authentication ticket. The authentication ticket is returned via the API_Authenticate call. | yes, one of: - ticket - username/password - user token |
| usertoken | The user token is an alternative means of authentication, used for API access. User tokens cannot be used to access the Quickbase UI. | yes, one of: - ticket - username/password - user token |
| apptoken | A valid application token. | yes, if the application requires application tokens |
| udata | A string value that you want returned. It will not be handled by Quickbase but it will be returned in the response. | no |

## Response values

| Element Name | Value |
| --- | --- |
| action | The originating request, for example, API_SetDBVar. |
| errcode | Identifies the error code, if any. (See the [Error Codes appendix](/v1/docs/error-codes) for a list of possible error codes.) 0 indicates that no error was encountered. |
| errtext | Text that explains the error code. "No error" indicates that no error was encountered. |
| udata | Optional. Contains any udata value supplied in the request. |

## Sample XML Request

```xml
POST https://target_domain/db/target_dbid 
 HTTP/1.0
Content-Type: application/xml
Content-Length:
QUICKBASE-ACTION: API_SetDBVar

<qdbapi>
   <udata>mydata</udata>
   <ticket>auth_ticket</ticket>
   <apptoken>app_token</apptoken>
   <varname>usercode</varname>
   <value>14</value>
</qdbapi>
```

## Sample response

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<qdbapi>
   <action>API_SetDBVar</action>
   <errcode>0</errcode>
   <errtext>No error</errtext>
</qdbapi>
```