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Getting Started

The Danish Parliament API (oda.ft.dk) provides unprecedented access to Denmark's parliamentary data. This guide will get you up and running in minutes.

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of REST APIs
  • Familiarity with JSON
  • HTTP client (curl, browser, or programming language)

Key Concepts

No Authentication Required

The API is completely open - no API keys, tokens, or registration required. Simply start making requests!

OData Protocol

The API uses OData 3.0, providing powerful querying capabilities:

  • $top - Limit number of records (max 100)
  • $skip - Skip records for pagination
  • $filter - Filter records by conditions
  • $expand - Include related data
  • $select - Choose specific fields
  • $orderby - Sort results
  • $inlinecount - Get total counts

Danish Language

All content is in Danish. Key terms:

  • Sag = Case/Bill
  • Aktør = Actor/Person
  • Afstemning = Voting session
  • Stemme = Individual vote
  • Dokument = Document
  • Møde = Meeting

Your First Query

Let's start with a simple query to get 5 recent cases:

curl "https://oda.ft.dk/api/Sag?%24top=5"

URL Encoding Critical

Always use %24 instead of $ in URLs. This is the #1 mistake developers make.

L Wrong: ?$top=5

✅ Correct: ?%24top=5

Response Structure

{
  "odata.metadata": "https://oda.ft.dk/api/$metadata#Sag",
  "value": [
    {
      "id": 102903,
      "titel": "Kommissionsmeddelelse om...",
      "offentlighedskode": "O",
      "opdateringsdato": "2025-09-09T17:49:11.87",
      "periodeid": 32,
      "statsbudgetsag": true,
      "statusid": 11,
      "typeid": 5
    }
  ]
}

Common Query Patterns

Filter by Date

# Cases updated today
curl "https://oda.ft.dk/api/Sag?%24filter=year(opdateringsdato)%20eq%202025&%24top=5"

Search by Text

# Climate-related cases
curl "https://oda.ft.dk/api/Sag?%24filter=substringof('klima',titel)&%24top=5"

# Cases with category information
curl "https://oda.ft.dk/api/Sag?%24expand=Sagskategori&%24top=3"

Pagination

# Get next page of results
curl "https://oda.ft.dk/api/Sag?%24skip=100&%24top=100"

Field Selection for Performance

# Only get specific fields
curl "https://oda.ft.dk/api/Sag?%24select=id,titel,opdateringsdato&%24top=5"

Understanding the Data

Entity Types

The API contains 50 different entity types organized into logical groups:

  • Core Entities: Sag (Cases), Aktør (Actors), Afstemning (Voting), Stemme (Votes)
  • Documents: Dokument, Fil (Files)
  • Meetings: Møde, Dagsordenspunkt
  • Relationships: Junction tables connecting entities
  • Classifications: Status, Type, and Category entities

Data Freshness

The API provides exceptionally fresh data: - Updates within hours of parliamentary activity - Latest example: 2025-09-09T17:49:11.87 - 50+ daily updates across all entities

Try It Yourself - Interactive Query Builder

Next Steps

  1. First Query - Step-by-step first API call
  2. URL Encoding - Master the critical encoding rules
  3. No Authentication - Understanding open access
  4. Common Mistakes - Avoid these pitfalls

Quick Reference

Purpose Endpoint Example
Cases /api/Sag Legislative bills and proposals
Actors /api/Aktør Politicians, committees, ministries
Votes /api/Afstemning Voting sessions
Individual Votes /api/Stemme How each politician voted
Documents /api/Dokument Parliamentary documents
Meetings /api/Møde Parliamentary meetings

Performance Tips

  1. Use $select - Only request fields you need
  2. Limit results - Maximum 100 records per request
  3. Filter early - Apply filters before expansions
  4. Cache wisely - Use opdateringsdato for change detection

Need Help?