Welcome to the world of Insights, a powerful and free tool designed for visually exploring your PostgreSQL databases. Whether you’re looking to analyze business performance over time or just eager to dive into your data without the baggage of proprietary software, Insights has got you covered! In this guide, we’ll walk you through the setup process and some of its amazing features, while offering troubleshooting tips to ensure a smooth journey.

Why Choose Insights?

Think of Insights as your friendly local tour guide to your data. Just like Google Data Studio or Google Looker, but without the corporate confines, Insights allows you to dive deep into your data landscape and generate stunning visual representations—all free and self-hosted!

For a sneak peek into how Insights can bring your data to life, check out the live demo featuring Widgets Inc, a fictional e-commerce site.

Essential Prerequisites

Before you embark on this exciting journey, make sure you have the following:

• Node.js version 10 or higher installed on your system.

Installation Steps

Let’s get Insights up and running:

npm install -g insights
insights init
insights start

After running these commands, a hidden folder named .insights will be created, containing all the essential configuration and runtime data needed for Insights.

Exploring the Features of Insights

With Insights now set up, let’s explore its remarkable features:

• Self Hosted Installation: It’s installed via NPM, making it easy to set up and manage.
• PostgreSQL Connection Support: Seamlessly connect to your PostgreSQL databases.
• Auto-Detect Schema: Automatically detect your database schema, including foreign keys!
• Multiple Database Connections: Connect to various databases effortlessly.
• Edit Schema: Customize your database schema and add SQL fields directly in the interface.
• Data Explorer: Navigate through your data with ease.
• Time-based Graphs: Create insightful graphs reflecting time-based data.
• Custom Filtering: Filter your data for tailored analysis.
• Keyboard Navigation: Access features quickly and efficiently.
• Pinned Fields: Keep important fields accessible at all times.

Coming Soon Features

Keep an eye out for these exciting upcoming features:

• Embedding React or iframe components.
• Improved mobile support.
• Google Account login integration.
• Access control for data subsets.
• Export options for PDF and XLSX files.
• Enhanced graphing capabilities.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter challenges during installation or usage, here are some troubleshooting insights:

• Node Version: Ensure you are using Node.js version 10 or higher. Use node -v to check your current version.
• Permission Issues: If you’re facing permissions errors, consider running the installation with sudo (for Mac/Linux) or use an administrator command prompt on Windows.
• Database Connection: Verify that your PostgreSQL server is running and accessible. Check connection parameters like username and password.
• App Not Starting: Double-check the installation steps and consider restarting your terminal or your machine.

For more insights, updates, or to collaborate on AI development projects, stay connected with fxis.ai.

Encouraging Contributions

Insights is MIT-licensed Sponsorware—if you find it useful in your business, please consider contributing to its development. Together, we can enhance its capabilities!

Join the Development

If you’re keen to contribute to Insights, here’s how you can do it:

• Fork the [repository](https://github.com/sponsors/mariusandra) on GitHub.
• Clone it using git clone git@github.com:YOUR_NAME_HERE/insights.git.
• Install all dependencies with yarn.
• Start the app using:

yarn run init
yarn start

• Open http://localhost:3000 and start hacking!

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.

Final Thoughts

With Insights, you have a powerful tool at your fingertips for diving deep into your PostgreSQL databases. Revel in the opportunity to visualize and comprehend your data like never before. Happy exploring!