---
schema_version: "1"
id: 3a7c0f7c307ad21f1fee4c23928fb253f1db46d5866220f05fe807013606ccd8
title: Add Data Source Nodes to Your Definition
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/ind/264-0-0/dpe_create_a_node.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_create_a_node.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: b30cb22437438b22bc9ca1404465745bc67b780bd8c36ad83c9c049db4586535
description: Use the Data Source node to define the origin of the data that the definition must transform and process. Data sources can include objects, files, CRM Analytics datasets and the supported data source types differ based on the definition's runtime platform. Before you add transformation nodes in a definition, add the data sources. Every definition must have at least one data source node.
products:
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Add Data Source Nodes to Your Definition

Use the Data Source node to define the origin of the data that the definition must transform and process. Data sources can include objects, files, CRM Analytics datasets and the supported data source types differ based on the definition's runtime platform. Before you add transformation nodes in a definition, add the data sources. Every definition must have at least one data source node.

### Required Editions

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small edition"><colgroup><col></colgroup><tbody><tr class=""><td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;"><a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_editions.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Review the supported editions and availability for Data Processing Engine (DPE).">View supported editions</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table class="slds-table slds-table_bordered slds-max-medium-table_stacked slds-m-bottom_small permission">
        <colgroup>
          <col style="width:50%">
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        <thead class="slds-text-title_caps ">
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            <th scope="colgroup" class="slds-cell-wrap" colspan="2" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;" id="d4400e62">User Permissions
              Needed</th>
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        </thead>
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            <td data-label="User Permissions Needed" class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d4400e62 ">To create nodes:</td>

            <td class="slds-cell-wrap" style="vertical-align:top;" headers="d4400e62 "><span>
                <a href="https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_setup.htm&amp;release=264.0.0&amp;type=5" title="Assign users system permissions, object access, and permission sets that they require to manage, run, and monitor Data Processing Engine (DPE) definitions. User permissions for Data Processing Engine vary based on the runtime platform your company uses to run definitions.">View permissions information.</a>
              </span></td>

          </tr>
        </tbody>
      </table>

1. In the node canvas, click **New Node**.
2. Select Data Source as the node type.
3. Enter a name for your data source.
    
    The API name automatically populates from the name. For example, if the data source name is Test Source, the API name autopopulates as Test\_Source.
4. Optionally, enter a description.
5. Save the node.
    
    The data source node appears on the node canvas.

![Example](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-ind-data_processing_engine-264-0-0-production-enus/80e06924-e6c0-4b82-81cf-e99ccd77d857/images/icon_example.png)

Example The sales team wants to analyze sales performance by region and product. The admin creates a definition that uses multiple standard Salesforce objects as data sources. The admin selects the Opportunity object to get sales data, the Account object to get related information like customer region, and the Product object to get details about the items sold.

- **[Configure Data Source Nodes in CRM Analytics (CRMA) Runtime](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_create_data_source_node_crma_runtime.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    After you add a data source node to your definition, select the data source and what you want to use from the data source in the definition. In the CRMA runtime, you can use Salesforce objects or Analytics datasets as your data sources.
- **[Configure Data Source Nodes in Data 360 Runtime](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_create_data_source_node_datacloud_runtime.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5)**  
    After you add a data source node to your definition, select the data source and what you want to use from the data source in the definition. In the Data 360 runtime, use Salesforce objects, Data 360 objects, or CSV files as data sources.

#### See Also

- [Add Transformation Nodes to Your Definition](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_create_transformation_nodes.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "After you create and configure the source and target nodes, add additional nodes that specify how the source data in the data source node must be processed before the results are written to the writeback object node.")
- [Add Writeback Object Nodes to Your Definition](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=ind.dpe_configure_writeback_object_node.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Add one or more writeback object nodes to your Data Processing Engine definition to write back the transformed results from your data source. Configure your writeback object node to select the appropriate target object based on the runtime where you plan to run your definition.")