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Connect Data
To get started with Data 360, you connect a data source, through either data federation or data ingestion. Data federation sets up direct connectivity with data sources. It uses a zero copy integration that eliminates the need to ingest data into Data 360. During data ingestion, data is brought into Data 360 in its original form and stored in a data lake object (DLO).
As of October 14, 2025, Data Cloud has been rebranded to Data 360. During this transition, you may see references to Data Cloud in our application and documentation. While the name is new, the functionality and content remains unchanged.
Connectors
You can connect data sources, such as Amazon S3, Marketing Cloud Engagement, and Google Storage, to Data 360 using a dedicated connector. Select the data source connector that you want to import data from, and then indicate the objects or dataset that you want to connect. Data 360 retrieves a sample of your data and provides a recommended source schema for your review. Find detailed integration and connector documentation in the Data Cloud Integration Guide.
Data Streams
A data stream uses a connector to establish a connection with a data source. A data stream acts as a pipeline for connecting data to Data 360. The ingested data is organized into a schema and stored as data lake objects (DLOs).
When creating a data stream, you specify the category and optionally the event time, primary key, and organization unit identifier. You can enhance your data using formula fields to clean and adjust raw data. You can also configure the scheduling details to manage how often data is refreshed.
- Data Object Concepts and Schema in Data 360
During ingestion, Data 360 retrieves a sample of your data and recommends a source schema. You can then review and modify the recommended schema. - Data Sources in Data 360
Data sources are ingested into or connected to Data 360 in different ways with specific requirements and steps that an admin configures before creating a data stream. - Data Streams in Data 360
Data streams are the connections and associated data ingested into Data 360. - Private Connect for Data 360
Private Connect uses AWS PrivateLink to establish a point-to-point network integration between your AWS VPC and your Data 360 tenant. Private Connect provides a connection from Data 360 to your data source without exposing your network traffic to the public internet.
