Introduction to Data Sources

Connecting to your data is the first step in analyzing your business information. Sisense has native connectors to many SQL databases, NoSQL sources, and popular web applications.

For a short video overview of connecting to data, see below.

Data Source Connection Types

There are two ways you can connect to your data sources. The connection type you choose depends on your use-case and the data source:

1. Live:
   Live connections connect directly to the data source. Use a Live connection if your data changes frequently and your dashboard must reflect this.
   Learn more about Live Connect
2. ElastiCube:
   Import your data into the ElastiCube to take advantage of Sisense’s high performance database.
   Learn more about ElastiCubes.

Live Data Source Connectors

The following is a list of supported Live data source connectors, all of which are pre-installed in Sisense. Click a connector to view documentation about it.

• Azure Synapse
• Google BigQuery
• SingleStore
• MySQL
• Oracle
• PostgreSQL
• Redshift
• Snowflake
• SQL Server

ElastiCube Data Source Connectors

The following is a list of supported ElastiCube data source connectors. For those that are not pre-installed in Sisense, click here to download them. Click a connector to view documentation about it.

Notes for the certified connectors:

• All certified CData connectors are supported in all versions of Sisense for Linux
• The connector drivers are certified for Sisense v7.2 and above.
• Sisense prior to v8.0: Download a 30-day free-trail of the connector driver. Contact Sisense for the full license version.
• Sisense v8.0 and above: Download a ready-to-use connector driver.
• For instructions on connecting to certified connectors not included in the above list, see Connecting to JDBC Connectors Using CData Drivers.

Vendor JDBC Connectors

With Sisense's generic JDBC driver you can leverage native JDBC connectors to connect to the following additional data sources:

• Azure Data Explorer
• ClickHouse
• Denodo
• Dremio
• IBM DB2
• Impala
• Neo4j
• PrestoDB
• Vertica
• Yellowbrick

For more information, see Connecting to Vendor JDBC Connectors.

Technology Partner Connectors

Technology partners enable connections to data sources via the data pipeline. They also manage API changes and limits, and deliver comprehensive support as part of their service. Import your data into a data warehouse (such as, Redshift, Google BigQuery, Snowflake, SQL Server, MySQL, and PostgreSQL) to access your data with either ElastiCube or Live data models.

Sisense technology partner connectors include:

• Adobe Analytics
• Apple Search Ads
• AppsFlyer
• DoubleClick
• Facebook
• Facebook Ads
• Freshdesk
• LinkedIn Ads
• Magento
• Marketo
• Netsuite
• Pardot

Contact your Account Executive or Customer Success Manager to discuss the full functionality Sisense technology partners provide, and to start your free trial.

Learn more about connecting to data sources via the Stitch data pipeline.

Connecting to More Data Sources and Frameworks

You can connect to many additional data sources by leveraging Sisense’s generic frameworks such as the Connecting via ODBC Drivers, JDBC driver, JDBC Federator, Custom REST Framework. and the New Connectors Framework.

Sisense supports these frameworks with frequent upgrades and new functionality. However, full connectors to specific data sources created through these frameworks are not supported.

Dashboard Examples for Selected Connectors

Sisense has created dashboard examples for a number of connectors to help and inspire you when creating dashboards from the data set of these and other connectors. Click on the links to learn more:

• Google Analytics (Visits and Revenue and Transactions)
• ServiceNow
• Microsoft Dynamic CRM
• Facebook Page Insights
• Facebook Ads

A dashboard example for Facebook Page Insights:

General Limitations

• Sisense for Windows handles boolean field types differently to Sisense for Linux. If you use the boolean field type, when migrating to Sisense for Linux, enable the boolToTextCapitalized feature so that Sisense for Linux correctly resolves lower-case boolean values as upper-case.
• Generic ODBC and OLE DB drivers aren't supported in Sisense for Linux. Instead, use JDBC connectors. For more information, see Connecting to JDBC.