Data Sources

How data gets into Vantage. Foundation for every other book.

How do I upload an Excel or CSV file as a source?

Overview

Lets you upload an Excel (.xlsx) or CSV (.csv) file as a data source for dashboards. Vantage reads the file's columns and rows and makes the data available to widgets. You can upload multiple files and later join them using relationships.

When to Use

Use this feature when:

Concepts

Set Up Guide

From the Home Page, click the Vantage Dashboard widget to open Vantage. If you have not added this widget yet, follow the Custom Widget help doc to set it up.

  1. Go to Data Sources
  2. Click + Add Source → select Excel / CSV

  3. Choose your Source
  4. Name the data source
  5. Choose your .xlsx or .csv file
  6. Review the column mapping

  7. Click Next and Review the Data.
  8. Click Confirm Import

Best Practices

FAQs

Can I upload more than one file?
Yes, each file becomes its own data source.

What file formats are supported?
Excel (.xlsx) and CSV (.csv).

Can I update the data after uploading?
Yes — re-upload and choose Replace or Append.

What if my column names change between uploads?
Vantage may create new columns; keep names consistent.

Version Notes

Last Updated: Oct 2026

How do I connect a REST API source?

Overview

Lets you pull data from any external system with a REST API (ERP, CRM, HRMS, IoT). Syncs automatically on a schedule — no manual re-uploads needed. Uses a Connection → Dataset → Run model: one connection, multiple datasets, each sync tracked as a run.

When to Use

Use this feature when:

Concepts

Set Up Guide

Open Vantage from the Vantage Dashboard widget on the Home Page.

  1. Go to Data Sources
  2. Click Connect API

  3. Click New 
  4. Enter the base URL
  5. Add credentials (API key, token, or basic auth)
  6. Click Save to create the connection
  7. Click + Add Dataset → enter the endpoint path and parameters
  8. Configure pagination
  9. Set the sync schedule (interval or cron) and time zone
  10. Choose the import strategy — Append, Replace, or Upsert (Upsert needs a key field, so pick which column uniquely identifies each row)
  11. Review the column mapping [TODO: confirm this screen exists — not found in the audit]
  12. Click Save — the first sync runs at the next scheduled check (within 5 minutes), or click Run Now to sync immediately

Best Practices

FAQs

What response formats are supported?
JSON, NDJSON, XML, CSV, and TSV.

Can I connect to an API that requires OAuth?
Only via a token — browser-redirect OAuth flows aren't supported.

What happens if a sync fails?
The run is marked failed and the cursor doesn't advance; after 5 consecutive failures the dataset auto-disables.

Can I have multiple datasets on one connection?
Yes — they share the base URL and credentials but each has its own schedule and settings.

What are date tokens?
Placeholders like {today} or {month_start} that resolve to real dates at sync time.

Version Notes

Last Updated: Oct 2026

How do I sync Converse forms into Vantage?

Overview

Syncing a Converse form into Vantage turns its submissions into a Vantage data source, so you can build dashboards and widgets from them. Once set up, new submissions keep flowing in on their own.

When to Use

Use this feature when:

Concepts

Set Up Guide

  1. Go to the Forms section.
  2. Click the form you want to pull data from
  3. Click the form's Settings icon
  4. Click Add to Analytics
  5. Review the schema that's shown — check the field types and update any that need fixing
  6. Click Create Entry to send the form's data to Vantage
  7. The form now appears as a data source in Vantage, named after the form — its submissions show up there automatically

Best Practices

FAQs

Can I sync a draft form?
No — only published forms can be synced.

Do I need to resync manually every time?
No — new submissions sync in automatically once the form is set up. Resync is only for pulling in a submission right away instead of waiting.

Version Notes

Last Updated: Oct 2026

How do I use DDE (Dynamic Data) tables as a source?

1. Overview

DDE (Dynamic Data Engine) tables are data tables managed within the Converse platform. They are commonly used as master lists — store directories, product hierarchies, partner details, region mappings — and as the backend for form dropdowns. You can bring any DDE table into Vantage as a source, making its data available for dashboards, widgets, and AI queries alongside your other sources.

When you sync a DDE table, Vantage uses a truncate-and-reload approach: it drops the existing rows and reloads the full table from DDE, so the analytics data always matches the current state of the DDE table.

2. When to Use

3. Concepts

4. Set Up Guide

Open Vantage from the Vantage Dashboard widget on the Home Page.
1. Click Sources from the navigation, then click Add Source
2. Select Dynamic Data as the connector type
3. Choose the DDE table you want to bring in from the list of tables available in your organisation
4. Vantage reads the table and loads it into ClickHouse — the source appears in the Sources list with a row count once complete
5. The DDE source is now available for widgets, relationships, and AI queries like any other source
6. To combine DDE data with form or Excel data, define a relationship between the two sources (see the Relationships book)

5. Best Practices

Does Vantage keep DDE data in sync automatically?
No. DDE source syncs are manual. Click Resync in the source settings whenever the DDE table has been updated.

Will resyncing a DDE source break my existing dashboards?
As long as column names haven't changed, widgets continue working after a resync. If columns were renamed or removed in the DDE table, affected widgets may need reconfiguration.

Can I use a DDE table as a lookup to enrich form data?
Yes. Add both the DDE table and the form as separate sources, then define a relationship between them using a shared key column (e.g., store ID). This is covered in the Relationships book.

7. Version Notes

Last Updated: 04 Sep 2026

How do I refresh a source?

1. Overview

Source data in Vantage does not stay in sync with upstream changes automatically. When new form submissions come in, a DDE table is updated, an API endpoint has fresh data, or you have a new version of an Excel file — you need to resync the source so that dashboards and widgets reflect the latest data.

Resyncing is a manual action available on every source type.

2. When to Use

3. Concepts

4. Set Up Guide

1. Open Vantage from the Vantage Dashboard widget on the Home Page, and click Sources from the navigation
2. Locate the source you want to refresh in the list and open it
3. For Excel / CSV: upload a replacement file with the updated data — Vantage re-ingests it and replaces the previous dataset
4. For API / Internal Form / DDE: click Resync — Vantage re-fetches from the upstream system and reloads it
5. Wait for the source status to update once the sync finishes — the row count updates accordingly
6. Open dashboards and widgets using this source to confirm the data looks correct
7. If numbers still look stale, wait a few minutes for the widget cache to clear, then refresh the page

5. Best Practices

Will resyncing disrupt live dashboards?
No. Widgets continue to work during a resync. Once the ingest completes, widgets serve the updated data on the next load.

Can I schedule automatic resyncs?
Not currently. All resyncs are admin-initiated. Automatic scheduled syncs are planned for a future release.

How do I know if a resync succeeded?
The source status in the Sources listing updates and the row count reflects the new data volume. If ingest fails, the source shows an error state.

My dashboard still shows old numbers after a resync. Why?
Widget results are cached for up to 5 minutes. Wait a few minutes and refresh the dashboard page. The updated data will appear once the cache clears.

7. Version Notes

Last Updated: Oct 2026

How do I view and edit data in a source?

Overview

View Data shows you every row of information inside a source, like opening a table and looking through it. From here you can also search the data, download it, or fix a wrong value everywhere it appears.

When to Use

Use this feature when:

Concepts

Set Up Guide

  1. Go to Data Sources
  2. Click the source you want to check
  3. Click View Data
  4. Use search or filters to find the rows you need
  5. To download the data, click Export and choose CSV or Excel
  6. To fix a value, click Find & Replace
  7. Type the value you want to find (for example, "Banglore")
  8. Choose whether to match the full value or just part of it
  9. Turn on "match case" only if the fix should apply just to that exact spelling (capital or small letters)
  10. Click Preview to see how many rows will be affected
  11. Click Apply to make the change

Best Practices

FAQs

Can I undo a Find & Replace?
No. Always check the Preview count before applying.

Can I use Find & Replace on any source?
No — only Excel and API sources support it.

Why didn't my download include everything?
Large files are limited to keep things fast — try downloading a filtered set instead.

Version Notes

Last Updated: Oct 2026