How DashboardFox connects to data
Four ways DashboardFox brings data in. Pick the card that matches where your data lives — that's your lesson.
By the end of this lesson
- You'll know which of the four connection paths fits your data
Background
There are four ways to bring data into DashboardFox: a direct database connection, a data warehouse over ODBC, a file upload, or an API endpoint. Pick the card below that matches where your data lives — that's the lesson you read next.
Direct database
PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Azure SQL, Oracle.
Data warehouse (ODBC)
BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, Dremio, MongoDB.
File upload
Excel workbooks or CSV files. Fastest path.
API endpoint
Google Sheets, Salesforce, HubSpot, or any REST API.
Not sure which path is yours?
Three quick questions:
• Is your data in a spreadsheet you could email yourself? → File upload.
• Does someone on your team manage a database — transactional (Postgres, MySQL) or a cloud warehouse (BigQuery, Snowflake)? → Direct database or Data warehouse.
• Are you trying to pull data out of a SaaS tool? → API endpoint.
Still unsure? Email team@dashboardfox.com with where your data lives — we'll point you at the right lesson.
Whichever card you pick, every connection follows the same three phases — covered in Do it below:
Stuck anywhere on this page or in the lesson it sends you to? Email team@dashboardfox.com. Real human, same business day.
Do it
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Phase 1 — Gather (on your data side)
What "gather" looks like depends on where your data lives — but every path needs you to get the data side ready before you open DashboardFox.
- Direct database: four connection details (host, database, user, password) and an open firewall to DashboardFox's IP. About five minutes once you have the details.
- Data warehouse (ODBC): install the ODBC driver on the DashboardFox server, then create a DSN (a named connection profile) with your warehouse credentials. The longest setup of the four — but only the first time.
- File upload: a tidied-up Excel workbook or CSV. Clean column headers, consistent data types, no merged cells.
- API endpoint: a working API URL with an API key. Test it in your browser or with curl first — if it returns JSON, you're ready.
The specific lesson for your path walks you through what to gather and where to find each value.
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Phase 2 — Configure (in DashboardFox)
Open DashboardFox and go to Settings → Integrations → Active Integrations → Create App. Pick the type that matches your path — Database, ODBC, File, or API. Fill in the form with what you gathered, then click Test Connection.
A green check means the connection works. A red error shows you exactly what your data source said back — DashboardFox passes the message through unchanged. The pitfalls below cover the most common errors.
When the test passes, click Save & Apply. Your app exists. But it's not visible to anyone yet — that's Phase 3.
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Phase 3 — Grant access (same every path)
This is the step that trips up almost everyone, including the Admin who created the app. Saving the app does not grant access — not even to you.
Go to Settings → Security → Apps, find your new app, click Edit, and assign roles. Pick App Builder for yourself if you're going to shape the data model, Composer for analysts who'll build reports, Agent for the people who'll just run them. Then click Save & Apply.
Why it works this way: it stops accidental "we just connected the payroll database to the whole company" moments. It's a deliberate friction. The Roles & permissions lesson covers the role model in depth.
If you're stuck
Conceptual stumbles people hit before they even start the connection lesson.
I connected my data source but nothing shows up — not even for me
You skipped Phase 3. Connecting and granting access are separate, on purpose. Go to Settings → Security → Apps, find your new app, click Edit, and assign yourself the App Builder role. Save & Apply. Refresh the page, and the app shows up in App Builder. The Roles & permissions lesson explains why this is on purpose.
My data fits two paths — which do I pick?
Two cases that come up a lot:
- Google Sheet. File upload if the sheet rarely changes. API path (Google Sheets API) if it updates often and you want DashboardFox to stay in sync without re-uploading.
- CSV from my CRM each week. File upload works, but re-uploading every week gets old fast. If your CRM has a database or an API, those usually pay off after a few weeks.
Do I need ODBC?
Quick rule:
- Cloud data warehouse (BigQuery, Snowflake, Redshift, Dremio, MongoDB) → yes. Use the Data warehouse lesson.
- Transactional database (Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server, Azure SQL, Oracle) → no. These have native drivers built in. Use the Direct database lesson.
- File or SaaS API → no. Different paths entirely.
My data isn't in any of these four places
Email team@dashboardfox.com with the source name (the product, the platform, wherever it lives). There's almost always a route — sometimes via ODBC, sometimes via API, sometimes via a periodic file export. We'll talk you through it.
None of these match my issue
Email team@dashboardfox.com with what you were trying to do and what's happening instead. Same business day reply.
