Connect Public APIs to Your Data

This guide shows how to connect to any public REST API (like REST Countries), sync the data into InstantRows, join it with your own files, and enrich your data with external information. Perfect for enriching customer data, adding geographic context, or combining any public API with your datasets.

Prerequisites

• Be logged into your InstantRows Account
• Download the sample file:
  • E-commerce Sales by Country (CSV)

Step 1 — Connect to REST Countries API

1. Click Connect API
2. Enter a name for the API: REST Countries
3. Enter the API endpoint: https://restcountries.com/v3.1/all?fields=name,cca2,region,subregion,population,capital,area
4. Select No Authorisation
5. Click Test connection
6. Click Import All Data
7. Once complete, you'll see the countries data with fields like name.common, cca2, region, population

Step 2 — Upload Your Data File

1. Click Upload button
2. Select your data file (e.g., ecommerce_sales_by_country.csv)
3. The data should load showing your records

Step 3 — Join Your Data to API Data

1. Click Join in the toolbar
2. Select Left table: Your uploaded file
3. Select Right table: REST Countries API data
4. Set Join condition: country_code (from your file) = cca2 (from API)
5. Select Join type: Left join (to keep all your data)
6. Click Apply
7. Your data is now enriched with API data (population, region, geographic info)

Step 4 — Compute Revenue Per Capita

1. Click the revenue column header → Compute
2. Select Divide (A ÷ B) from Compare Values
3. First column: current_revenue
4. Second column: population
5. Column name: revenue_per_capita
6. Click Add Computed Column
7. This shows how much revenue you generate per person in each country

Step 5 — Compute Population in Millions

1. Click the population column header → Compute
2. Select Divide (A ÷ B) from Compare Values
3. First column: population
4. Second column: Type or create a constant column with value 1000000
5. Column name: population_millions
6. Click Add Computed Column
7. This normalizes population for easier analysis

Step 6 — Compute Revenue Penetration Score

1. Click the current_revenue column header → Compute
2. Select Divide (A ÷ B) from Compare Values
3. First column: current_revenue
4. Second column: Type 100000 (or create constant)
5. Column name: revenue_score
6. Click Add Computed Column
7. This creates a 0-1 scale showing market penetration (higher = more saturated)

Step 7 — Filter for High-Potential Markets

1. Click the population column header → Filter
2. Select Greater than operator
3. Enter value: 10000000 (countries with 10M+ people)
4. Click Apply
5. Click the current_revenue column header → Filter
6. Select Less than operator
7. Enter value: 50000 (markets where you're under-penetrated)
8. Click Apply
9. You'll see countries like Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, Philippines - large populations with low sales

Step 8 — Sort by Population (Largest First)

1. Click the population column header
2. Select Sort Descending
3. Your largest untapped markets are now at the top
4. Look for countries with high population and low revenue_per_capita

Step 9 — Export Your Expansion Report

1. Click Download → Excel (.xlsx) or CSV
2. Your expansion analysis is ready with:
   • Country name, region, and population (from API)
   • Your current revenue and customer count (from your file)
   • Revenue per capita (computed)
   • Population in millions (computed)
   • Revenue penetration scores (computed)

Key Insights You'll Discover

• Untapped Markets: Countries like Indonesia (275M people) or Nigeria (220M people) with very low revenue
• Regional Patterns: Where you're strong (e.g., Western Europe) vs. weak (e.g., Southeast Asia)
• Per Capita Performance: Which markets have the lowest revenue per capita (growth opportunity)
• Strategic Targets: Large populations in specific regions aligned with your strategy

Business Value

This 30-second analysis helps you:

• Prioritize which countries to target for expansion
• Identify under-served large markets
• Plan regional expansion strategies
• Allocate marketing budget based on market potential

That's it — you've turned raw API data and sales numbers into actionable expansion insights!