Data Sources FAQ
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Data Sources FAQ

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Article Summary

How to change an existing source?

To edit an existing source, go to Sources and click on the three dots next to the source you wish to edit. You can edit scheduling, snapshot retention policy, and write mode (on the backend). More information can be found here.

What data types does Dataddo support?

Dataddo currently supports four data types:

  • INTEGER - stores whole numbers. They can be positive, negative, or zero that range from -2,147,483,647 to 2,147,483,647 for 9 or 10 digits of precision.
  • FLOAT - stores double-precision floating-point numbers with up to 17 significant digits. Floating point numbers are numbers with a decimal. E.g. 4.5, 0.0004, -324.984, and other non-whole numbers.
  • STRING - is used to represent text rather than numbers. It is comprised of a set of characters that can also contain spaces and numbers. For example, the word "hamburger" and the phrase "The order was 3 hamburgers" are both strings.
  • DATE - stores the calendar date, in Dataddo the format is always the same: 2022-06-09 10:03:54

Can I add the metric "X" to my existing source?

No, you cannot edit a source, you can only edit the snapshotting settings for an existing source. If you need to change metrics or other configurations, you need to create a new source. You can use the Clone function (click on the three dots next to the source) to duplicate the source and configure it with different metrics or choose a different dataset.

What can be changed in the existing source?

You can edit the source name, scheduling, snapshot retention policy, and write mode (on the backend).

Can I add or remove a metric?

The metrics are given by the particular service (e.g. Facebook API). If you are missing an attribute from the list of available attributes (a list of the available endpoints can be found on the page of each connector), contact us at support@dataddo.com.

Why do I need to know my Source ID / Extraction ID?

We can help you resolve your problems with your Data sources faster when you provide us with Source Id and Extraction ID.

Where can I find Source ID or Extraction ID?

Go to Sources, click on the three dots next to the source, and under the Basic info tab you will find the Source Id and Extraction ID.

Problems when configuring source

There are a few possible causes, but in most cases, the problem can be found in:

  • Invalid Metrics - Some metric combinations can be invalid, check the documentation for the specific service. Look for the connector in the top search bar.
  • Bad snapshotting timeframe.
  • No data is available - make sure you have some data to be sent (for example, for Instagram Story, data is available only when the story is active).

Why do I have duplicated data?

In most cases, data duplicates due to incorrect snapshotting settings. When configuring your snapshotting, consider what destination is it for:

  • Storage, database, warehouse - choose Replace sync type
  • Dashboarding apps - choose Append for sync type
Check your date range

The date range while creating a source is not meant to be used for loading historical data, so setting it to, for example, the last 30 days is not correct. The most common setting would be to set it to Yesterday and pull yesterday's data daily adding them to the previously pulled ones. If you need to load the last 30 days, create a source with a date range set to yesterday, and then use the Ad-hoc data load to load the extra 29 days.
If you choose the Snapshot keeping policy is to Append and keep all the snapshots, it would mean that Dataddo crates 29 days of duplicates every day.

How to delete sources connected to flows?

To delete a source, go to Sources and click on the three dots next to the source you wish to delete. A warning window will pop up for you to confirm the deletion. You will also see which flows connect the source and will be automatically deleted afterward as well. To confirm, write DELETE into the field box.

How to schedule flow after source?

Flows should always be scheduled after the source because the source extracts the data and flow inserts them to the destination. There is already an automatic feature that places the flow's schedule 2 hours after the source's schedule. To do it manually, simply click on the three dots next to the flow and click on Re-schedule. Set it to time which is around 1-4 hours apart from the source.

How to request a new connector?

In order to request a new connector, you have to be a Pro or Enterprise subscriber. You will need to provide us with a list of the exact API endpoints of the service that you'd like to access, or the types of data you'd like to access. The connector development process usually takes about 4 weeks (based on the volume of requests). If you're interested in Dataddo creating a custom connector for you please contact your account representative or support@dataddo.com.

Can I test my sources?

Yes. Go to Sources, click on the three dots next to the source and select Test. The window with a test log will pop up.

Why is my source broken and how to ensure it won't happen again?

The most common reason are missing data or the need to re-authorize the account, timeout issues, or service provider issues (e.g. Facebook).
However, the issue may be in empty data or API issues. Read more about broken sources here.

What limit to set up for Google Analytics?

There is no exact number or general rule for limits in Google Analytics, as it depends on each case. In general, it should not be set up too high. Check your daily average and add some safety. For example, if you have daily 5145 rows, set up your limit for 7000 to be safe. If you would choose for example 100 000 rows, you might break the source.

Where can I find connector limits?

Search for each connector in the search bar at the top. The general overview contains information about limitations.

How to connect data for more than 10 metrics?

If you need more than 10 metrics for a given combination of dimensions (and given that the final combination of 10+ metrics and your dimensions works together), you can create multiple sources and blend them together.

You will need to select exactly the same dimensions in all of the sources and then blend the sources using all of these dimensions as join keys directly in your BI tool or warehouse.

Why do I need a manager account for Google Ads (MCC)?

Previously known as My Client Centre (MCC), a manager account may be a good option for large advertisers with more than one Google Ads account. It may also work well for third parties such as agencies and other online marketing professionals who manage multiple client accounts or a large number of campaigns. With a single login and dashboard, this online advertising manager can save you time with reporting, access control, and consolidated billing. Link multiple Google Ads accounts, so you can access and manage them online with a single login. Easily make updates across accounts, including changing daily budgets and pausing campaigns. Use labels to organize accounts, create automated rules, set alerts and get email notifications.

Read more information on the official Google website.

How to do an ad-hoc data load?

The ad-hoc data load in the source can be used to reload data or even get historical data into your source. The ad-hoc in the flow will send whatever is in your source to your data warehouse. When loading historical data in the source, you should be careful with the API limits, in some cases you will need to load the data in smaller batches, such as 3-6-9 months. The data in the source will remain the same until the next refresh, in case you're doing ad-hoc make sure you're sending the data to your data warehouse. You can refresh manually to see the change immediately.

I have more rows of data than I'm seeing in Dataddo

Likely a row limitation from the API. For some connectors, you should be able to change the number of results per page in the URL to return a higher value (e.g., ExactOnline, WooCommerce). GA for example can be managed using the field total rows, which can go up to 250k per source. The first step is to check how much data you have (usually visible in the URL), then if you adjust the limits in the application. If none of this will help you extract all the data, please, contact us.

I am missing data for a field

In some cases, we can reach the limit before completing the extraction. Another problem can be no access to some endpoint, fields. If none of those work for you, feel free to contact us.

Why doesn't the reach metric match what I can see in Facebook Manager?

The problem with reach and ad recall metrics is that these metrics cannot be simply summed to get the totals for longer periods. The reason for this is that these metrics are measuring the daily unique users, who either see your ad (reach) or will remember the ad (ad recall). It is not possible to get data for a specific period and keep aggregating them.

  1. One option is to get the daily breakdown and then the daily values will match, but not when summing over more days.
  2. The second solution is to get the data weekly or monthly and again, these weekly/monthly values will match Facebook exactly.

What is multi-account extraction?

If you have more accounts for some applications, e.g. Facebook, you can get many ads accounts connected to the Facebook account, or for the Dataddo Facebook Page connector, we can extract data from many pages connected to your Facebook account. For more information, contact us.

Which connectors support multi-account extraction?

Currently, Dataddo supports multi-account extraction for:

  • Facebook Ads
  • Facebook Page
  • Facebook Post
  • Facebook Video
  • Facebook Leads
  • Facebook Graph (more info will be added later, but in theory, it is possible)
  • Google Analytics
  • GA4 (Google Analytics 4)
  • Google Ads
  • Instagram Ads
  • Instagram Media
  • Instagram Story
  • Instagram User/Business
  • LinkedIn Ads
  • Snapchat
  • TikTok
  • Xero

How does multi-account extraction work?

The user must have admin access over the various accounts (Google Services, FB, etc.) First, configure one source with all of the metrics you need. We can then enable MAE for you and the same query will be applied to all managed accounts, retrieving the data from all of them.

How many accounts can I select for multi-account extraction?

It depends on the amount of data the accounts have. In case of a large amount of data, more extractions are recommended.

Can I select only some accounts for multi-account extraction?

Yes. It is up to you if you choose all of your accounts or only a few. When requesting multiple account extraction, let us know, which accounts you wish to extract data from.

How long does multi-account extraction take?

It will begin extracting from all accounts as soon as one of our techs enables the feature.

How can I change the data type of my columns?

If you encountered the following error in the app, you will need to change the data type of this column to float.

Failed to update source data: Server error: {{PUT [https://storage.prod.dataddo.com/v1.0/replace]}} resulted in a {{500 Internal Server Error}} response:\n{"status":"Internal Server Error","error":"replace: cast data: Failed to cast values of column 'columnLabel': expected integer value, but unexpected value '53.799154' given"}\n\n

To do so, go to your Source and click on the three dots and choose Edit.
Select the Data Types tab and change the affected column’s data type to float.
Data Sources - Change Data Type.png

If your source is already in a flow to a data warehouse, do not forget to change the data type in your data warehouse as well.


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