We’re now approaching six months since we launched the new StatsWales open data service, and it’s a good moment to share an update on how the service is progressing, the improvements we’ve made, and what comes next.

Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg.

When we introduced the new service last autumn, we described it as a major step forward in how we publish and share Wales’s official statistics, and that we would continue to evolve the platform based on what matters most to you, our users. That remains central to our approach.

Continuing to improve the service, shaped by user needs

During the beta phase, we’ve focused on changes that make it easier to find, explore and use data.

One of the most common requests early on was for a simpler way to get to the right dataset. In response, we recently introduced a search bar across the service. Feedback so far is positive, especially from users who access StatsWales regularly and told us they wanted a quicker route to their data.

We’ve also improved the filtering experience when you’re viewing a dataset. You can now search within filter options, which is especially useful for datasets with long lists such as local authorities, age groups or time periods. It’s a small change that can save a lot of time, and it reflects the kind of iterative improvement we aim to keep making.

To make it easier to keep track of your chosen filters, we’ll soon be adding a summary table that clearly displays the variables and selected values. This enhancement will give you greater visibility of your selections, especially when you’re working with datasets that contain lengthy lists of options.

When we published the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation, users found they couldn’t select all the small geographical areas they needed because of a limit on the number of filters. We’ve now fixed this, so you can select as many filters as you like.

A highly requested feature: creating your own tables

We’re continuing work on one of the most requested features: the ability for users to create their own simple tables.

We had previously indicated this would be available in February. Development has taken slightly longer than expected, which isn’t unusual for a complex feature like this.

But progress is good and we’re currently expecting to make this functionality available during March, as long as testing doesn’t throw up any major issues.

When it launches, this feature will give users far more flexibility, making the new StatsWales a more powerful way to get precisely the data and breakdowns you need.

Retiring the old service

We’ve now reached an important milestone: all well used and regularly updated data has been migrated from the old StatsWales site to the new platform. This has involved careful work across many teams to manage the transition. With this migration complete, the old StatsWales service is now being retired.

The old service will be closing shortly. If you try to access the old service, you should be automatically redirected to the new service. (However, it’s possible you may come across some saved links which do not automatically redirect you).

Closing the old site allows us to focus our time and resources entirely on improving the new service and delivering the features that users have asked for.

How to share your feedback

We’re continuing to develop the service openly, and your feedback is central to that process. If you’d like to share suggestions, report an issue, or tell us how you’re using StatsWales, please use the feedback form at the top of the StatsWales site.

We’ve recently improved this form so that, if you choose to provide your contact details, we can reply directly to you. This helps us understand your needs better and lets us keep you informed when we make changes based on your input.

We also gathered valuable insights on StatsWales through our recent consultation on statistics outputs, and we’ll be drawing on that feedback as we shape our future direction.

What’s next

Our priorities over the coming months include:

• completing and releasing the new create-a-table feature
• continuing to refine search, navigation and filtering
• preparing a road map for longer term improvements and feature development
• getting ready to move out of beta when we’re confident the service meets the level of stability and functionality users expect

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback so far. It’s genuinely shaping the future of StatsWales. If you haven’t yet explored the new service, now is a great time to take a look. And if you have suggestions for how we can make it better, we’d really like to hear them.