A data source is where onboarded data lands in Occtoo. Data can come from a PIM, ERP, CRM or any other system, and one system usually maps to several sources — an ERP might feed a prices source, a stock source and a customer source.
Each source holds entries (rows, identified by an entry ID) and properties (the fields those entries carry). Properties are created automatically the first time data arrives for them, or you can define them up front. See Source properties.
A data provider represents the integration application that writes to sources. Each provider has a provider ID and a secret, used to get a token for the ingest API. A provider can be granted access to several sources, and a source can accept data from several providers.
Sources and providers live on the same page, in two tabs: Sources and Data providers. Both tabs are under Sources in the left navigation.
Which route gets data in
There are two ways to put data into a source:
- A data provider calling the ingest API — the normal route for anything recurring. See Import data.
- The built-in CSV importer — a manual upload in Studio, no provider needed. See Import data from a CSV file.
Sharing IDs between sources
Sources that describe the same thing under the same entry IDs can be linked with Shares ID with. That link is what lets a card combine properties from several sources into one view. See Create a source. 
