ETL+ Data Sources

Owned by Cortlandt _
Last updated: Oct 18, 2023
3 min read

Definition and discussion of Data Source, Data Sources and ETL+ Source Objects

In the context of ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) systems, a data source broadly refers to any location or system that provides data that can be extracted and transformed. This includes enterprise data stores from specific ERP, CRM, and other business systems.
For more about how to access specific sources see ,

An ETL+ Data Source / Source Object is a ETL+ source driver connected to a source system (a specific data repository from a source type). Examples of data sources: an MS SQL Server database, an OData URL, or a NetSuite ODBC DSN.

Configuring an Existing Data Source

Reconfigure the settings of an existing data source in the ETL Source panel.

  1. Open the page.

  2. Right-click the desired data source in the Source Objects panel → Properties.

  3. Enter the details to connect to your data source. See down below on this page for further information.

Changing an Existing Data Source Type

Use case: You open the Properties of a data source (see screenshot below) and it shows a MS SQL Server source. However, you want it to connect to an ODBC or Excel instead.

Then click the Change Data Source icon (wrench icon) and select your new data source type.

Adding Data Sources

Use the ETL Source panel on the to add and manage data sources.

In single-tenant data warehouses, you can load the tables from each data source into one of the following data warehouse SQL schemas:

  • The default schema (typically the dbo schema).

  • Or into their dedicated data warehouse (dw) schema. Loading them into their own schema can facilitate user security, and segmentation of data warehouse tables by data source. Set up this option by selecting a data source, clicking the Properties icon, checking the “Dw Schema” checkbox (see example below), editing the source Alias if needed(which also defines the schema name), and clicking Save or Connect. Now this source’s tables will load into the dw schema = source’s Alias.

  • For more about specific sources see

  • For even more technical information about each source type see

About ODBC data sources
A [ODBC] data source is a source of data combined with the connection information that is required to access that data. Examples of data sources are SQL Server, Oracle RDBMS, a spreadsheet, and a text file. Examples of connection information include server location, database name, logon ID, password, and various ODBC driver options that describe how to connect to the data source. This information can be obtained from the administrator of the database to which you want to connect.