Five ways to use the Local Insight Datastore API in Power BI and other dataviz tools

The Local Insight Datastore API allows you to connect any of the 2,200+ datasets within Local Insight into the tools you already use.

With the step-by-step query builder, you can copy ready-made code for tools like Power BI and Excel, and bring our maintained and reliable indicators into your systems and workflows.

Here are some practical ways that different teams are using (or could use) the Datastore API.

Keep Power BI dashboards up-to-date

Useful to:

Local Government analysts, housing performance teams, charity programme managers

What’s the use case?

Have you ever spent hours building a beautiful dashboard, only for it to go stale because the data is updated ad hoc?

The Local Insight Datastore API removes the manual steps – you choose the indicators, areas and time points, and the API creates the code. When we next update the data, your visuals will refresh to show the latest time point, for any shape or size of area.

Try it out

• Use the query builder to select an indicator. Pick the latest time point, choose your areas of interest, and how you’d like the data formatted
• Copy the generated code into the tool of your choice
• Schedule a refresh, or refresh manually whenever returning to the dashboard

Compare locally held data with contextual indicators

Useful to:

Councils, NHS Analysts, Charities

What’s the use case?

For organisations that keep sensitive, locally held data in their own secure environments, you can now add Local Insight indicators to these environments via the Datastore API and enrich this analysis. This means you can avoid uploading your data to the Local Insight platform and sidestep any data protection concerns.

Try it out:

• Set-up your dashboard, using your own locally held data
• Use the query builder to select relevant contextual data (for example deprivation, access to services, crime) 
• Use the generated code to connect this data to your secure environment
• Produce combined outputs to share with key stakeholders

Track an area’s changes over time 

Useful to:

National grantmakers, community foundations, policy-makers

What’s the use case?
With access to more than 2,200 indicators across England, Wales and Scotland across a number of different time points – track how the specific areas you work with have changed, and create reports and dashboards that target the outcomes you’re aiming to improve.

Try it out:

• Create Custom Areas that match your service provision
• Select one of the many indicators that can be used to track impact
• Use the generated code to connect this data to your reports or dashboards
• Refresh the data as needed to evidence trends and progress

Evidence your funding bids 

Useful to:
Charities and other third sector organisations

What’s the use case?

With the API, you are able to visualise Local Insight data in the way that best suits you, using the tools that you already work with. 

Connect the API to Power BI and show measurable outcomes for your beneficiaries and communities in a format that your stakeholders respond to.

Try it out:

• Use the query builder to define an indicator that helps show need within the area you’re looking to support
• Connect the data to a dashboard or report
• Evidence need using consistent up-to-date data

Focus neighbourhood investment 

Useful to:

Housing associations and regeneration teams

What’s the use case?

Combine internal data on things like repairs and complaints with useful neighbourhood-level indicators like fuel poverty, anti-social behaviour and access to services, to prioritise spend.

Try it out

• Upload your your patch boundaries using the Custom Area Manager
• Identify priority areas through the Local Insight dashboard
• Create queries for the areas with the greatest need
• Export the data and combine it with existing dashboards

Get started

Local Insight subscribers with group admin permissions already have access – just head to Local Insight and go to ‘Connect’ within the sidebar.

For guidance on using the Datastore API, we’ve got plenty of articles within the Help Centre.

Try the Local Insight Datastore API

Book a Local Insight demo and receive a free two-week trial of the platform and an opportunity to try the Datastore API.

See the Local Insight Datastore API in action

We’ve put together this short how-to video, that showcases how easy it is to build your own API query.

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