ODBC Service
Our ODBC (Open Database Connectivity) service is a read-only data access layer designed specifically for reporting and analysis. It allows clients to connect their business intelligence (BI) tools (such as Power BI, Tableau, Crystal Reports, Excel, and other ODBC applications), directly to the live data in the system. This enables users to build dashboards, run queries, and generate reports without needing to export or transform the data manually. It is optimised for query performance and structured data retrieval, making it the most efficient and reliable method for BI purposes.
The ODBC service is not capable of performing any data modification. It cannot create, update, or delete records, and only provides direct access to database views or tables. Because of this, ODBC cannot be used in place of an API when it comes to integrating external systems or automating transactions. It is strictly for read-only, analytical use cases.
API Service
The API (Application Programming Interface) provides a programmatic interface for interacting with the system in a more dynamic and flexible way. It supports standard HTTP methods like GET, PUT, and DELETE, allowing external applications to not only retrieve data but also push new records into the system and update existing entries.
This is typically used when clients need to integrate their own/other systems with iinsight (such as a CRM or HR platform), to keep data synchronised or to automate business processes.
While the API can be used to retrieve data, it is not well-suited for use with BI tools as most BI tools expect structured, tabular data access, and are not designed to handle the hierarchical JSON responses returned by APIs. BI tools also typically require large data pulls and complex joins, which the APIs are not optimized for. If attempting to use the API for this purpose, it can lead to performance issues and added complexity in transforming the data into a usable format.
The APIs are meant for transactional use cases and are best handled by developers or IT teams with experience in custom integrations.