Table of contents
What is a data source?
A data source contains all your raw data. It can store information about your calls, sales, transactions, projects, tasks, and any other metric you use.
You can get data into Plecto from:
External systems,
Databases,
Enter it manually, or
Send it via custom API.
You can see all the different options in Data management > Data sources > + New data source.
Data source structure
Data sources are organized in rows and columns. In Plecto, we call them registrations and fields. A data source can contain various types of fields such as decimal number, text, list (dropdown), Yes/No, and other fields.
Each data source requires some mandatory fields. This applies to all data source types (external systems, manual, databases, API):
ID – Each registration in Plecto must have a unique ID. The ID is what allows you to find or update a specific registration in your data source.
Employee – Every registration must be linked to an employee. If your system doesn't send data about employees, we'll use the system name that all registrations will be linked to.
Created date – Every registration must have at least one time stamp. That way, you can create KPIs to see data for today, this week, next month, and so on. If there are multiple date fields in a data source, you can choose which should be the default (primary) date field.
Custom fields
In some cases, Plecto allows you to add custom fields to your data sources. All manual data sources support custom fields, and many integration data sources do as well.
The custom fields imported from integrations depend on the type of integration. Visit our integration pages to find all the technical details such as the update frequency, custom field support, available data types, and more.
Filter data in your data source
If you have a large data source, you can filter the information to find or troubleshoot your registrations.
Open a data source and click All fields in the top menu.
To apply a filter, click the filter icon and adjust the filtering parameters. For example, Status = answered if you want to see all your answered calls.
You can also choose to hide (or make visible) entire columns by clicking the eye icon on the right.
Manual data sources
Use Plecto as your own CRM system and add registrations manually. Create individual employee targets, meeting schedules, and more.
Go to Data management > Data sources > + New data source.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose one of the options under Manual Data Entry. Regardless what option you select, you will likely have to add more fields to the data source to match your needs.
Open the data source settings and click + Add field to create a new custom field.
Fill in the details such as field name, data type, and others.
Click Save to finish.