Data Sources - How to Create and Manage Them – TapClicks

What are Data Sources?

The sources that generate data for your client are referred to as Data Sources. Numerous platforms might be hosting your campaign but you need to allow TapClicks to pull the data and generate a report for your client. Managing Data Sources allows you to connect your data, assign it to the relevant client record, and pull the data into the TapClicks platform. After initial configuration, all Data Sources will be available when you build widget visualizations or work with other TapClicks features.

There are different types of Data Sources within TapClicks, all of which provide data to your dashboard, Instant On, Smart Connectors, and Smart Connector Marketplace Templates. See image below.

Instant On: these data sources have been organized by TapClicks for you to use and are maintained by TapClicks on an ongoing basis. Each Instant On connector may have specialized requirements to connect.

Smart Connectors: these data sources have been created on your instance by you or a member of your team using the TapClicks Smart Connector feature. The Smart Connector is a powerful feature that allows you to bring in any data you may need to enhance your data story.

NOTE: If you cannot access Smart Connectors, it’s possible your feature package may not be enabled for this feature. Reach out to your Customer Success Manager or customercare@tapclicks.com to learn more about your options.

Smart Connector Marketplace: these are Smart Connector data sources that have been pre-configured for a streamlined installation flow. When you find a Smart Connector marketplace tile that you want to use, simply click the tile to be brought to the pre-configured Smart Connector page. You can opt to modify the settings on screen, or simply use the Smart Connector as is. When you save, the new Data Source will appear under the Smart Connector section of the Manage Data Sources page.

View your Data Sources

To view your Data Sources, on the left navigation bar click Data to access the Data Management submenu and then click Data Sources.

NOTE: If you cannot see this area, you may need to reach out to your system admin for assistance.

Classic MDS - navigation highlight.png

When on this screen, you will see available Data Sources. This includes sources that you are currently connected to as well as those you have yet to connect to. Any Data Source that has a green plug icon in the upper right corner (as shown below), is currently connected.

Connecting to a Data Source

To connect to a Data Source, click on the Data Source tile. This will initiate a flow to connect to the data source. In most cases, you will either be prompted to enter in your credentials into a form to connect, or you will be pulled through an authentication flow on the Data Source. For Data Source specific guides about how to connect, please review the resources here.

Assign a Data Source to a TapClicks Client

Follow this procedure to assign a Data Source to your client. It is the same for both Instant On connectors and Smart Connectors.

1] Hover over the desired Data Source and click Assign to Clients.

2] A list of all available records from the Data Source will appear on the screen.

NOTE: what appears in this list will vary based on the data provider. In the image below, Google Analytics presents a list of "Views” while Google Ads will present a list of “Advertisers”. For more data source specific details, please review the information in this section of the knowledgebase.

3] On the left side, click the desired Data Source record from the list.

4] On the right side, select an existing client from the right dropdown, or create a new client by typing their name into the textbox at the right edge of the screen.

Note: You can edit the client’s information from the available options if needed.

5] Click Assign Client to save the changes.

After the data source is connected and data is assigned, you can close this window and either click Fetch My Data or wait until the regular data fetch occurs for data to start flowing into your dashboard.

Manage, Edit, Pause or Disconnect Your Data Source Connection

In some cases, you may need to modify or remove the entire Data Source connection. This can happen if your account password for a data source changes, if a member of your team leaves your organization or if you no longer wish to report on a given Data Source in your dashboard. Please note, if you no longer require fresh data from that source but still need access to the historical data it has provided, you can pause a data connection. Learn how to pause the data in this article.

Follow this procedure to manage a Data Source.

1] Hover over the plug icon of the desired Data Source.

2] The plug icon changes to the settings icon.

3] Click the icon.

4] The Manage Connections dialog box appears

5] Select the account from the dropdown that you want to take action on.

6] Select what action you want to take:

Click Re-Authenticate or Edit the connection
Click Disconnect the connection
Click Disconnect All to remove all connections to the Data Source

NOTE: You may see Re-Authenticate or Edit, depending on what is required from the Data Source to connect. For more data source specific details, please review the information in this section of the knowledgebase.

After you edit a connection, any subsequent data fetches will be made against the new set of credentials. After you disconnect a connection, all assigned records will be removed from the Data Source and you will no longer be able to access this data in reports.

What's Next?

To monitor how these connections are functioning, check out the Data Load Status page in the Data Management menu on the left side of your dashboard. For more information about Data Load Status, please see this article.

If you need more assistance, our Customer Care team is standing by to help at customercare@tapclicks.com.