# Retrieving Data from the API
Omnia supports four patterns for pulling data. Choose the one that best fits your latency and operational needs.
| # | Pattern | When to use |
|  --- | --- | --- |
| **1** | **Continuous polling** ***(preferred)*** | Near‑real‑time feed with minimal peak load |
| **2** | **Full data export** | Point‑in‑time snapshots or back‑fills |
| **3** | **Webhooks (callbacks)** | Push notifications after a price‑calculation run |
| **4** | **Task‑based export** | Poll a *task* until `succeeded`, then fetch data |

> **Why polling is preferred**
Continuous polling evens out traffic, avoids large "catch‑up" imports and delivers data as soon as it becomes available.



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