LinkedIn is a great source of professional data that can provide valuable insights when connected to Power BI. Power BI is a powerful business intelligence and data visualization tool that enables you to transform LinkedIn data into meaningful reports and dashboards. In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through the step-by-step process of importing data from LinkedIn to Power BI.
Prerequisites
Before we get started, there are a few things you need to have in place:
- A LinkedIn account
- The LinkedIn Sales Navigator plan or access to the LinkedIn Recruiter plan
- Power BI Desktop installed on your computer
- Basic knowledge of Power BI and how to connect data sources
With these prerequisites met, you are ready to move onto the steps for importing your LinkedIn data into Power BI.
Step 1: Export LinkedIn Data
The first step is to export your LinkedIn data. This will create a CSV file that can then be imported into Power BI. Here is how to export data from LinkedIn:
- Log into your LinkedIn account and navigate to the My Network page.
- Click on the ‘Export LinkedIn Connections’ button (on the Sales Navigator plan this is located below your list of connections).
- Select the data you want to export. You can choose from profile data, company data, group data, interests, shares, etc.
- For the file format, choose CSV.
- Click request archive. LinkedIn will email you a link to download the CSV when it is ready (usually within minutes).
This will create a CSV file containing your exported LinkedIn data ready for import into Power BI.
Step 2: Get LinkedIn Data API Key
To pull live LinkedIn data into Power BI, you will need to connect to the LinkedIn API. This requires an API key which can be obtained as follows:
- Go to https://www.linkedin.com/developers/ and log in with your LinkedIn account.
- Click on ‘Create Application’.
- Fill in the application name, description, application logo, website URL, business email etc.
- Agree to the terms and conditions.
- LinkedIn will generate a Client ID and Client Secret (treat the client secret like a password).
Make note of the Client ID and Client Secret as you will need to input them when connecting to the LinkedIn API in Power BI.
Step 3: Import LinkedIn CSV into Power BI
Now we are ready to import the LinkedIn CSV file into Power BI Desktop. Here are the steps:
- Open Power BI Desktop.
- Click ‘Get Data’ from the Home tab.
- Select ‘Text/CSV’ as the data source.
- Navigate to and select your exported LinkedIn CSV file.
- In the query editor window, review the data to make sure it imported correctly. You may need to change data types.
- Click ‘Close and Apply’ to load the CSV into Power BI.
Your LinkedIn data will now be imported into Power BI as a usable dataset! You can now create reports and visualizations using this data.
Step 4: Connect LinkedIn API in Power BI
While the imported CSV provides a snapshot of LinkedIn data, connecting directly to the API allows you to extract live up-to-date information. Here is how to connect to the LinkedIn API:
- In Power BI Desktop, select ‘Get Data’ then choose ‘Web’ as the data connector.
- Enter the LinkedIn API URL you want to connect to (see LinkedIn API documentation for details).
- When prompted, input your LinkedIn Client ID and Client Secret and click OK.
- Power BI will connect to the API and import available data.
- In query editor, transform the data as needed then load it into Power BI.
Now your reports can leverage live LinkedIn data via the direct API connection!
Step 5: Create Power BI Reports
With your LinkedIn data loaded into Power BI, you can start building reports and visualizations. Here are some tips for creating Power BI reports using LinkedIn data:
- Start by asking specific questions you want to answer about your LinkedIn contacts and activity.
- Use visuals like bar charts, metrics, scatter plots, and maps to provide insights.
- Creating relationship diagrams to connect LinkedIn data tables.
- Build a dashboard of report pages to share with stakeholders.
- Refresh reports frequently to view the latest LinkedIn data.
Some examples of LinkedIn reports in Power BI include:
- Network connection analysis – where are your connections located? What companies do they work for?
- Lead generation – view connections by industry, job role, company size to identify new sales prospects.
- Recruitment analytics – source suitable candidates based on skills, experience, location.
- Company pages – show followers, employee growth, industry comparisons.
- Sales Navigator analytics – connections by account, lead conversion rates, content shares.
Let your business needs guide what data you extract from LinkedIn to create informative Power BI reports.
Tips for Effective LinkedIn-Power BI Integration
Here are some tips to help you integrate LinkedIn with Power BI successfully:
- Plan out your LinkedIn data requirements before exporting data.
- Filter unnecessary LinkedIn data before importing into Power BI.
- Map LinkedIn fields/objects to Power BI datamodel.
- Enforce data consistency, relationships and DAX calculations.
- Automate LinkedIn API queries for scheduled data refresh.
- Focus visuals on most impactful LinkedIn metrics for your business.
- Document your LinkedIn-Power BI integration workflow.
Limitations and Considerations
While LinkedIn and Power BI can provide powerful integration, there are some limitations to be aware of:
- Requires paid Sales Navigator or Recruiter account for API access.
- Daily API call limits (rate limits).
- No access to InMail messages.
- Data ownership remains with LinkedIn.
- API data elements may change over time.
- Large reports may require Power BI Pro plan.
Understanding these constraints will help shape what you can achieve when integrating LinkedIn with Power BI.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of LinkedIn data can I import into Power BI?
You can import a wide variety of LinkedIn data into Power BI including profile info, skills, company details, interests, groups, network connections, shares, followers, employee statistics, and more. The key is exporting the fields you need for your reporting requirements.
Is a paid LinkedIn account required?
Yes, to export LinkedIn data and access the API you need a paid Sales Navigator or Recruiter account. The free LinkedIn account has very limited data export and no API access.
Can I connect multiple LinkedIn company pages to Power BI?
Yes, you can connect to the LinkedIn APIs of multiple company pages from within a single Power BI file. Just authorize each page API in the Power BI connector settings.
Can I import historic LinkedIn data into Power BI?
The LinkedIn API only provides access to current data. However, you can export your historic LinkedIn data into a CSV file (up to last 18 months) and import this static snapshot into Power BI.
Is LinkedIn data refreshed automatically in Power BI?
No, LinkedIn data will need to be refreshed manually or using Power BI scheduled refresh. You can also set up automated queries to call the LinkedIn API on a schedule.
Are there limits on how much LinkedIn data I can use in Power BI?
The volume of API calls per day depends on your LinkedIn plan. Larger reports may also require Power BI Pro for their higher data capacity. But overall, you can analyze quite robust LinkedIn datasets.
Conclusion
Integrating LinkedIn with Power BI unlocks valuable insights from your professional network data. Following the steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively extract LinkedIn data, import into Power BI, connect live API feeds, and build powerful reports to visualize LinkedIn metrics. Just remember to plan your LinkedIn data strategy, filter out unnecessary fields, enforce data relationships, and focus visuals on key performance indicators. With the in-depth business data LinkedIn provides combined with the analytics capabilities of Power BI, this integration can significantly boost your marketing, sales, and recruitment efforts.