Making Local Falcon Data Available to Microsoft Copilot: A No-Code Setup Guide

Want to ask Microsoft Copilot questions about your Local Falcon rankings? With Microsoft Power Platform's no-code tools, you can connect your Local Falcon data to Copilot in just a few steps!

This guide will walk you through the exact steps to set up this integration with no code required, allowing you to have insightful, AI-powered conversations about your local search performance with Microsoft Copilot.

What You'll Need

• Microsoft 365 Business/Enterprise account with Copilot
• Power Platform access
• Local Falcon Data Retrieval API key
• Power Apps per-user or per-app license
• Dataverse environment

Step-by-Step Setup Process

1. Creating the Local Falcon Custom Connector

First, we'll create a way for Microsoft to talk to Local Falcon:

1. Open Power Apps (make.powerapps.com)
2. Navigate to Data > Custom Connectors
3. Click "New custom connector" > "Create from blank"
4. Name it "Local Falcon Connector"

Basic Configuration

General Information: - Connector name: Local Falcon Data - Host: api.localfalcon.com - Base URL: /v1

Security Configuration

Authentication type: API Key Parameter label: api_key Parameter name: api_key Parameter location: Header

Define Actions

Next, set up these key endpoints:

1. Get Connected Locations

Endpoint: /connected-locations Method: GET Response schema: Add sample response from API

2. Get Scan Reports

Endpoint: /scan-reports Method: GET Parameters: - start_date (optional) - end_date (optional) - place_id (optional) - limit (optional)

3. Get Trend Reports

Endpoint: /trend-reports Method: GET Parameters: - place_id (optional) - keyword (optional)

2. Setting Up Dataverse Tables

Now we'll create places to store your data:

1. Open Dataverse
2. Create these tables:

Connected Locations Table

Table name: lf_locations Columns: - Location Name (Text) - Place ID (Text) - Address (Text) - Store Code (Text)

Rankings Table

Table name: lf_rankings Columns: - Place ID (Lookup to lf_locations) - Keyword (Text) - Ranking (Number) - Grid Size (Number) - Scan Date (DateTime)

Trends Table

Table name: lf_trends Columns: - Place ID (Lookup to lf_locations) - Keyword (Text) - Historical Rankings (Text - JSON) - Date Range (Text)

3. Creating the Power Automate Flow

Then, let's automate data collection:

1. Open Power Automate (make.powerautomate.com)
2. Create new Scheduled Flow
3. Set schedule (recommended: daily at midnight)

Flow Steps:

• Get Locations

Action: Local Falcon Connector Operation: Get Connected Locations Store in: lf_locations table

• Get Recent Rankings

Action: Local Falcon Connector Operation: Get Scan Reports Parameters: - start_date: formatDateTime(addDays(utcNow(), -1), 'MM/dd/yyyy') - end_date: formatDateTime(utcNow(), 'MM/dd/yyyy') Store in: lf_rankings table

• Get Trends

Action: Local Falcon Connector Operation: Get Trend Reports Store in: lf_trends table

4. Testing the Integration

Before relying on the data:

1. Run manual flow test
2. Check Dataverse tables for data
3. Verify data freshness
4. Test basic queries

5. Making Data Available to Copilot

The data is now ready for Copilot to use:

1. Open Microsoft 365 Admin Center
2. Navigate to Copilot settings
3. Enable Dataverse connection
4. Select your tables

Using Copilot with Your Data

Now you can ask Copilot questions like:

Basic Queries

You: "How are our rankings in Chicago?" Copilot: "Looking at your Chicago locations' data: - Average ranking: 4.2 - Top performing keyword: "emergency plumber" - 3 locations improved rankings this week - 1 location needs attention"

Trend Analysis

You: "Show me ranking trends for emergency keywords" Copilot: "Analyzing emergency service keywords: - Overall upward trend (+15% this month) - Best performing: "24/7 emergency" - Most improved: "emergency repair" - Suggestion: Consider expanding grid size for better coverage"

Location Comparisons

You: "Compare Miami and Tampa performance" Copilot: "Based on your Local Falcon data: Miami averages position 3.1 Tampa averages position 4.2 Key differences: - Miami: Better in service keywords - Tampa: Stronger in product searches Want me to create a detailed report?"

Best Practices for Getting the Most Out of Your Local Falcon-Microsoft Copilot Integration

Data Refresh

• Set flows to run daily
• Monitor for failures
• Keep API usage within limits
• Archive old data regularly

Query Tips

• Be specific about locations
• Mention time periods
• Ask for specific metrics
• Use follow-up questions

Maintenance Tasks

1. Weekly:
1. Check flow runs
2. Verify data accuracy
3. Monitor storage usage
2. Monthly:
1. Review API usage
2. Clean up old data
3. Update location list

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Flow Failures

To troubleshoot flow failures, do the following:

• Check API key validity
• Verify endpoint access
• Monitor rate limits
• Check error logs

Data Issues

To troubleshoot data issues, follow these steps:

• Verify table relationships
• Check for duplicates
• Validate data types
• Monitor refresh times

Copilot Access

To troubleshoot Copilot access problems:

• Confirm permissions
• Check table connections
• Verify data visibility
• Test basic queries

Advanced Features

Custom Views

Create filtered views for:

• High-priority locations
• Problem keywords
• Competitive analysis
• Trend tracking

Automated Alerts

Set up notifications for:

• Ranking drops
• Grid coverage issues
• Competitor changes
• Data refresh failures

Conclusion

Congratulations; upon completing this setup, you've created a bridge between Local Falcon and Microsoft Copilot, enabling AI-powered conversations about your local search performance. The no-code approach makes it accessible while still providing powerful capabilities to maximize the benefits of your ranking data.

Next Steps

1. Set up the custom connector
2. Create your Dataverse tables
3. Configure daily data refresh
4. Test with basic queries
5. Expand to advanced analysis

Remember to monitor your setup initially to ensure smooth operation, and gradually expand your use of Copilot as you become comfortable with the integration.

Need help? Contact Microsoft Support for Copilot and Power Platform questions, or Local Falcon support for API-related inquiries.

Lastly, if you want to get a taste of what chatting with a copilot about your Local Falcon rank tracking data feels like before setting up your own custom Copilot integration, why not give Falcon Assist a try? This built-in local search copilot is available and ready to use out of the box; right from your Local Falcon dashboard!