Data sources power the visualizations on your dashboard. They connect your chosen files, databases, applications, and services to Klipfolio PowerMetrics.

To get the most out of PowerMetrics, think about what source or service you want to get data from, the subset of data you want to bring in, and how you want to visualize that data.

This article introduces you to data sources and answers the following questions:

• What data sources are supported?
• How do I connect to my data?
• What do data sources look like in PowerMetrics?
• I have my data - what's next?

What data sources are supported?

PowerMetrics includes hundreds of pre-built connectors for many popular services. See a list of supported connections.

If we don’t have the pre-built connector you’re looking for there are lots of custom options available.

We support data sources from:

• Cloud applications, for example Facebook, Basecamp, QuickBooks Online, and many other cloud applications with REST APIs
• Files on your computer, for example spreadsheets
• Cloud file sharing services, for example Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box
• Email attachments with the file extension .xlsx, .csv, .json, or .xml
• SQL Databases, such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Amazon Aurora

We accept the following file formats from all sources: .xlsx, .csv, .json, and .xml.

How do I connect to my data?

This article includes general information on how to connect to your data and create data sources. There are too many connection options to describe each of them in detail here. For example, you might want to connect to a service, like Facebook or Google Analytics 4, or to a database, or to a local file. For detailed information on how to connect to all kinds of data, refer to this section of our Knowledge Base.

In PowerMetrics, you connect to your data and create modelled data sources:

• For use with instant metrics
• For use with custom metrics

Modelled data sources for instant metrics

When you add an instant metric, we create and model the data source for you. To ensure the integrity and accuracy of your instant metrics, note that the underlying data in these modelled data sources is managed by Klipfolio PowerMetrics and cannot be edited.

Navigate to your list of data sources by clicking your Account Name in the left navigation sidebar and selecting Data Sources. You can tell which data sources are managed by Klipfolio PowerMetrics by referring to their Type in the data source details page (see below).

To see the details for a managed data source, select the data source from the list.  From this page, you can edit the data source name, share the data source with others, or click the link beside Uses data source to go to the details page for the raw data source that the managed data source is based on.

Go here for more details on connecting to your data when adding instant metrics.

Modelled data sources for custom metrics

The method for connecting to and modelling your data when creating custom metrics depends on the data service you choose. Go to this section of our Knowledge Base for detailed instructions by data service.

Some data services, for example, QuickBooks and HubSpot, support both instant and custom metrics. For those data services, you'll connect to your data, define the data to be queried, and model the data source before, optionally, creating a custom metric. For services that only support custom metrics, the method used to connect to and model your data is slightly different. Learn more about creating custom metrics.

When creating custom metrics, you can either create a data source and model it before you add custom metrics or as you build custom metrics.

If you choose to create a modelled data source first, you can select it later when you're ready to create some metrics.

To create metrics from an existing modelled data source:

• Select the data source from your list of data sources to open its details page (accessed by clicking your Account Name > Data Sources in the left navigation sidebar). Click Create metrics.

OR

• Click the + button beside Metrics in the left navigation sidebar and, on the Where is your data? page, click Use an existing data source. Then, select the data source you want from the list.

What do data sources look like in PowerMetrics?

Klipfolio retrieves data in two formats: tree-structured data (JSON or XML) and tabular data (for example, CSV).

Regardless of the data format, the result is a raw data source. You can model a raw data source to create a streamlined, simplified modelled data source.

Note: When you add an instant metric, we model the raw data source for you. The underlying data for a modelled data source that’s created in this way cannot be edited.

Refer to the following table for more detailed information:

Tree-structured data In tree-structured data, you navigate through the data in an expand and collapse format, typically a JSON or XML file type. Learn more about JSON and XML data sources.
Tabular data Tabular data is broken down into columns and rows, typically a CSV or Excel file type.
Modelled data sources After data is brought into PowerMetrics in one of the formats above, you can model your data source. This enables you to simplify and restructure your data before building a custom metric. Updating a modelled data source updates all metrics that use that data source. Note that some data sources, such as Facebook, return modelled data automatically. Learn more about modelled data sources.

 

I have my data - What's next?

Now that you have brought in your data, it's time to start building metrics! Refer to the articles in this section of our Knowledge Base for more information.