Automation
This section provides guidance on several automation options for data publication to the CT Open Data Portal. This guidance is intended for publishers of open data within Connecticut state government. For assistance or more information about these options, contact the Open Data Portal Administrators at OPM via dapa@ct.gov.
Overview
As traffic continues to grow on the Open Data Portal, so does the need to keep datasets up to date. Agencies may find themselves with tens or even hundreds of datasets that need to be updated on a scheduled basis in order to keep data current. Rather than updating these datasets manually, a more time- and resource-efficient option is to update them automatically.
This section will cover a range of different automation options for the Open Data Portal. The automation tools covered include:
These tools are evaluated on a set of criteria, including the download, set-up, first time use, and regular use difficulty of the automation tool.
The criteria are represented by two measures:
- Set-up difficulty (including download and set-up) and
- Use difficulty (including first time and regular use).
Both measures are on a scale from 1 to 5 where 1 requires the least amount of difficulty and 5 the most amount of difficulty. Difficulty ratings are subjective and intended only as a guide. Further information is provided for each tool including resources on where to download these tools from as well as step-by-step directions for preliminary actions and set-up.
💡 A note on accounts on the CT Open Data Portal
Considering all these tools require an owner/publisher Socrata account, agencies may want to use accounts that correspond to a team or agency rather than an individual to avoid dependance on a single individual’s account. This will allow for multiple people within an agency to access and maintain data set automation, regardless of which user’s account is associated with the Socrata connection/access for these tools. To request a Socrata account for your team, contact the Open Data Portal Administrators at OPM via dapa@ct.gov.