🧮 Data Sources
Use data sources to connect to the data that matters most for your business.
Activations connects to a variety of data sources to power your syncs and data activation workflows. These sources include:
- Data Warehouses & Databases: Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, PostgreSQL, and more
- File Uploads: CSV files for ad-hoc or one-time data needs
This flexibility allows you to use Activations as a Universal Data Platform, unifying data from multiple sources and activating it across your business tools.
The menu to the left lists all of the data sources that Activations currently supports. If you don't see your data source listed, please let us know!
Source Types
Data Warehouses & Databases
Data warehouses and databases serve as powerful central repositories for your business data. Activations connects directly to these sources to leverage your existing data models and transformations.
File Uploads
For ad-hoc or one-time data needs, Activations supports CSV Datasets that can be uploaded directly through the UI.
Data Warehouse-Specific Features
The following sections apply specifically to data warehouse and database connections (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, PostgreSQL, etc.). File upload sources have different connection methods and considerations, which are detailed in their respective documentation pages.
️ Sync Engines for Data Warehouses
When connecting a data warehouse source, Activations offers two methods of connecting and keeping track of what's been synced (a.k.a. "state tracking"). We call these Sync Engines. When connecting a data warehouse for the first time, we'll ask you to select either Basic or Advanced Sync Engine.
Select your preferred Sync Engine when connecting a data warehouse.
While your experience of the Activations product will be identical either way, there are some important differences between these two options:
| Basic Sync Engine | Advanced Sync Engine | |
|---|---|---|
| State tracking location | Activations infrastructure | Your data warehouse |
| Sync performance | Slower | Faster |
| Ease of setup | Very easy | Slightly more involved |
| Warehouse permissions | Read-only access | Read/write access |
| Ability to switch | Ability to upgrade to advanced (coming soon) | Not possible to downgrade to basic |
If you have any questions about which Sync Engine is right for you, please reach out to our support team.
Allowed IP Addresses for Data Warehouses
Most data warehouse sources require allowlisting IP Addresses so that Activations' systems can access data from the source. BigQuery and Databricks are notable exceptions, so do check the source-specific docs if you have any questions.
If your data warehouse is protected by a firewall, please add Activations' IP addresses to the allowlist. You can find Activations' set of IP address for your region in Regions & IP Addresses.
Data Warehouse Usage
Activations performs automated processes and queries on your data warehouse, even when a sync isn't running. This activity may appear in your internal reporting but is essential to ensure Activations operates efficiently and effectively on your behalf. Activations generally has a very minor impact on data warehouse usage.
These processes and queries include and are not limited to:
- Reading metadata from the warehouse
- Regular health check queries
- Clicking into a Dataset
- Clicking into a Segment
- Adding or removing a filter in a Segment
- Segment size refresh
- Previewing a Dataset