RainbowStats Command Reference
SOCRATA_SEARCH
Discover public Socrata datasets and copy a ready-to-run command for each numeric field.
Returns a search table
Syntax
SOCRATA_SEARCH("SearchTerm")| Argument | Meaning |
|---|---|
SearchTerm | A nonempty subject, keyword, or dataset title, such as education, crime, or emergency department visits. |
Examples
SOCRATA_SEARCH("education")
SOCRATA_SEARCH("violent crime")
SOCRATA_SEARCH("COVID-Like Illness")Reading the search table
Each row represents one numeric field. A dataset with several numeric fields appears on several rows, each with its own command.
| Column | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| ID / Dataset | Socrata dataset identifier and title. |
| Field / API header | Readable field name and exact API field name. Use the API header in commands. |
| Description | Publisher’s explanation of the field, when available. |
| Units | Catalog display format when supplied, such as a percentage or currency format. Blank means unspecified; no unit conversion is applied. |
| Data type | Catalog type of the numeric field. |
| Time field | Available date fields, or a field named year. Several dates may require a dataset-specific choice. |
| Provider | Publisher attribution, when provided. The source URL identifies the portal. |
| Last updated (UTC) | Dataset update date from the catalog. This is not the last nonmissing date for the selected field. |
| Dataset notes | A shortened publisher description, including archival notes when present. |
| SOCRATA command | Quoted command for this exact field. Copy it into the script. |
| URL | Dataset page for the complete description, definitions, license, and source notes. |
From search to chart
SOCRATA_SEARCH("COVID-Like Illness")
Visits=SOCRATA("qwib-edaw","total_covid_daily")
LINE_CHART(Visits)Check coverage before analysis
total_cli_daily values end in June 2021, while total_covid_daily continues through October 2024.The search does not download every field to calculate nonmissing counts and first/last observations. Inspect the retrieved series or cross section before aligning data or interpreting a chart. A date field alone does not guarantee one observation per date.
Scope and behavior
The command uses the US Socrata Discovery catalog and includes ordinary datasets. It displays numeric fields supported by the reader. Datasets without supported numeric fields do not produce field rows. Catalog coverage and the configured match limit determine which datasets appear; the table is not a complete global inventory.
Dataset metadata is cached for six hours. For the source’s complete methodology and usage terms, follow the dataset URL.