Use DirectConnect to create a data stream and retrieve data directly from an external
database. You can either configure a database, or connect to a database manually with a user and
password. After connecting to the database and testing the connection, you can create a query to
determine how data from the database is represented in Marketing Cloud Intelligence. Make sure the scope of the query
is as close to the consumption requirements as possible for faster processing and
performance.
Required Editions
| User Permissions Needed |
| To create a DirectConnect data stream: |
Admin |
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On the Connect & Mix tab, select Data Streams and then
Data Streams List.
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Click Create New.
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Click DirectConnect.
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Configure your database connection as required, or manually enter the connection string
using a username and password.
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To verify the connection works, click Test Connection.
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To create a query for the database, click Next. This query
determines how your DirectConnect data is represented in Marketing Cloud Intelligence. For example, enter
* from user_visits
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After the query is created, click Validate.
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To move onto the data verification mode, click Review.
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In the Configure tab, enter a name for the table. Make sure the
table name is short, yet descriptive.
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In the Data Type section, make sure that the dimensions and
measurements were identified correctly.
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To validate a dimension or measurement, hover over a category or an individual column name.
The corresponding field is highlighted in the table.
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To redefine a column as a dimension or measurement, click the icon to the right of the
field name. In the Connect tab, edit the connection string.
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To save each query result for a defined cache duration, set the Caching
Duration time and units. Use this option if you want to improve performance. For
more information, see Real-time Connection and Performance in DirectConnect Data Streams
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Click Create.
