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Create a new Connection

The creation of inbound data connections is the first setup set when configuring your Data Refinery.

The Data Refinery supports a large number of inbound data connections, if a data connection is not supported, please raise a support request by contacting support@thedatarefinery.co.uk

Role Requirements​

Only users that have the Manage Connections role have access to the connection creation module with The Data Refinery.

The Connection Creation Wizard​

To begin the connection creation process, navigate to the Connections page within the Integrations module. From the connections page choose to Add Connection.

Create Connection

Alternatively you can Add a Connection directly. The first stage of connection creation is to select the data source to be connected to The Data Refinery. A connection can be located in the presented list.

Create Connection

A connection can also be located by searching for the required connection.

Create Connection

Selecting a connection will present the Connection configuration settings.

Connection Configuration​

To setup a new connection, detail about that connection is required. Each connection has a different configuration requirement as setup and authentication is (as expected) different for each connection platform.

In the example above, a shopify connector only requires a unique system name to complete the configuration step.

Configure Connection

Refinery Insights​

It is also possible to enable or disable insights to be built from this connection. Refinery Insights are advance analytical insight that have been built specifically for the connection in scope. Not all connections have advanced insight capabilities, but that list is ever expanding. The options represent:

  • Enabled: Connection data will be processed and made available for advanced analytics
  • Disable: Connection data will not be processed, so can only be accessed directly from the original source tables using our Discovery feature.

Authorisation​

For each connection type (Shopify/Mailchimp/Hubspot) authorisation requirements differ. When creating a new connection, guidance is provided on how to complete the steps required to authorise access. In order to allow data to flow into The Data Refinery, this step must be completed.

In order to reap the full benefits of the refinery, we recommend enabling Refinery Insights to power Dashboards.

Frequently asked questions​

How many connections can I configure?

The number of connections you are permitted to setup is bound by the subscription you have active. Our pricing plans can be found here

Can I view the amount of data that has been synchronised by a connection?

Not currently, this is a feature that we will introduce as part of our next connection management release

Can I cherry pick which tables from a connection are synchronised?

Not currently, this is a feature that we will introduce as part of our next connection management release

Why does The Data Refinery use the Fivetran platform?

The Data Refinery is powered by Fivetran, this provides a secure and reliable mechanism to synchronise data. Whilst The Data Refinery has a number of data connections that have been built exclusively by our engineers, we rely primarily on connections built by Fivetran