Data Sources

Data source is a representation of external source of data, typically maps to a file or the database table. Data source defines the attributes and order of attributes. Using the data sources, you can import data into repositories, identify records to create subsets, and transform data. Using data sources, you can perform the following main actions:

  • Input information into repositories.
  • Define a subset.
  • List valid values for validation and cleansing.
  • Input data validation rules, and so on.

Data sources can be in different formats within an organization. A data source is defined by:

  • Format: SQL database or comma-separated files. An SQL data source is an alias for a database table or SQL select statement. This allows the use of any external table without making a copy of the data.
  • List of the record attributes: Those automatically extracted from column headings or configured manually.