Introducing the Datastore API – our data, brought into your systems

We’re excited to introduce you to the Datastore API, a new feature within Local Insight that transforms Local Insight into an end-to-end data solution – allowing for easy export and integration of Local Insight data into the systems and workflows that you already use.

Essentially, the Datastore API allows external systems to ‘talk’ to Local Insight, and pass data in between them. No more relying on manual exports – seamlessly access Local Insight’s entire maintained catalogue of over 2,200 indicators across England, Wales and Scotland in a simple and easy to understand way.

Whether you’re looking to analyse an area, develop dashboards and visualisations, or contextualise your own locally-held data, the Datastore API brings the power and capabilities of geospatial data engineers to non-technical users.

With the intuitive step-by-step query builder, quickly create the code to plug into your own external platforms, and bring data that’s automatically refreshed as it’s updated within Local Insight into your dashboards and reports.

Accessing data via the API

The Datastore API is designed to be as user friendly as possible. If you’ve never heard of an Application Programming Interface, and you’re not sure how to get started – don’t worry – the Query Builder makes it easy.

Simply select the dataset you’re interested in, the areas you’d like to see data for, and any additional time points. Local Insight will do the rest.

This feature is now available to Local Insight subscribers. If you have an account, you can find more on how the API works within the Help Centre.

Get started with the Datastore API

If you have Group Admin level access to Local Insight, you already have access to the API. Simply open Local Insight to begin exploring the feature.

Not sure if you’re a Group Admin? You can find out more about User Permissions within the Help Centre.

To create an API query, you’ll need to follow these steps:

1. Head to the Datastore API module of Local Insight.
2. Create an API Key. This ensures that your requests to Local Insight are accepted, so make sure to save it in a safe place. If deactivated, an API key can no longer be used for authentication.
3. Choose the indicator you’re interested in exporting. You can use the search bar to find indicators, or choose from the suggested list.
4. Select which time points you want to export.
5. Choose which of your Custom Areas you want to export the data for. You can also import area codes.
6. Choose data formatting options, such as whether to include unit labels.
7. Once all required fields are completed, your query is ready! You’ll now see the option to copy the query in various formats, including: PowerQuery (for Power BI or Excel) and Python.
8. Copy and paste the query code into your tool of choice.

For more detailed steps on how to create a query, we suggest that you head to the Help Centre, where we explain the best way to:

1. Search for indicators in the API
2. Use the Query Builder
3. Create API keys
4. Connect with API with Power BI, Excel and Postman

Advanced users who are interested in developing their own queries can explore the API documentation, for a detailed explanation of the code structures and formatting.

What are some of the potential use cases?

The Datastore API is a flexible solution to data challenges, and there are many different ways that it can be incorporated into your workflows. Here’s a few ideas on how to use the API:

1. Populate your Power BI dashboards: Data from Local Insight can be pulled directly into Power BI, saving valuable time in exporting, cleaning and uploading data.
   
2. Evidence your decision-making: Bring Local Insight data into your reporting, and show constituents or stakeholders that you’re making evidence-based decisions and tracking progress with trustworthy, up-to-date data
   
3. Combine locally-held data with Local Insight data – rather than uploading your information to the Local Insight platform, instead fold our data into yours to draw fresh insights and deepen your analysis

Are there limits on data access?

All users have a 20 MB per month limit of API requests. For context, this would allow data for all the wards in a Local Authority to be exported thousands of times.

The smaller the geographic area, the larger the size of the API call, due to exporting information from a larger quantity of areas.

If you have more intensive data call requirements, we offer unlimited access to the Local Insight Datastore API as a paid add-on to a subscription. If you’re interested in exploring this for your organisation, please email us at: support@ocsi.co.uk.

Access the Local Insight Datastore API

Local Insight Group Admins can head to the platform and explore the Datastore API today.

Not a subscriber, but interested in how the Datastore API could benefit your organisation? Book a demo, and receive a two-week free trial that includes access to Local Insight and the Datastore API.

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