Connecting Your Data
Learn how to import data and connect it to your data blocks.
What is a Data Source?
Understand how your data is imported into Dashbreeze.
A data source is simply where your information already lives — a spreadsheet, a file on your computer, or an app you use every day, like Notion or Stripe. It's the starting point for everything you build in Dashbreeze.
When you connect a data source, Dashbreeze reads the data inside it and brings a copy into your workspace. That copy is what powers your dashboards.
Important:Connecting a data source never changes your original data. Dashbreeze only reads it — your spreadsheet, file, or app stays exactly as it was.
Two ways to bring in data
There are two kinds of data sources you can connect, depending on where your data lives.
Integrations
You give Dashbreeze access to the app where your data lives, creating an integration with that app. You can sync manually anytime, or set an update frequency so Dashbreeze refreshes your table on its own.
Files
A file you upload straight from your device, such as a XLSX file. This is a one-time snapshot of your data. If your file changes, you upload it again to update it.
Right now, Dashbreeze supports the following data sources:
| Source | Type |
|---|---|
| Google Sheets | Integration |
| Google Analytics | Integration |
| Airtable | Integration |
| Notion | Integration |
| Stripe | Integration |
| CSV, XLSX, XLS, JSON, Parquet | File |
Integration vs. file: what's the difference?
Both get your data into Dashbreeze, but they behave differently once they're connected. Here's how they compare:
| Integration | File | |
|---|---|---|
| How you connect | Give Dashbreeze access to the app where your data lives, creating an integration with that app | Upload a file directly from your device |
| Staying up to date | Sync manually anytime, or set an update frequency so Dashbreeze automatically refreshes your table on that schedule | Upload the file again whenever it changes |
| Best for | Data that changes often and you want to refresh regularly | A one-off snapshot of data you already have on hand |
Either way, the setup steps are the same: choose your data source, walk through its short setup, and Dashbreeze turns it into a table you can use in your dashboards.
From data source to dashboard
A data source by itself doesn't show up in a dashboard. To use it, Dashbreeze first turns it into a table — an organized copy of your data, stored inside your workspace. Tables are what you connect to the data blocks in your dashboards.
Data Source
→Table
→Data Block
One data source can be used to create more than one table. For example, a single Google Sheets integration can power several different tables, each feeding different blocks across your dashboards.
Ready to bring in your own data? Check out this guide for a step-by-step walkthrough of creating a table from a data source.
