---
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title: Understand Named Credentials, Connections, and Pipelines
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mc_mi_namedcreds.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_mi_namedcreds.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 6bb0c2b2a379f272b8fcfcbe06bc6be0c74c97090fd38a38678175e3c43a71b8
description: "When you create a data pipeline in Marketing Intelligence, three components work together to ingest data: Named Credential, Connection, and a Pipeline. This architecture separates authentication, connectivity, and data processing so you can reuse credentials and configure pipelines efficiently."
products:
  - Marketing
  - Marketing Cloud Intelligence
  - Marketing Cloud Next
release: "264"
---
# Understand Named Credentials, Connections, and Pipelines

When you create a data pipeline in Marketing Intelligence, three components work together to ingest data: Named Credential, Connection, and a Pipeline. This architecture separates authentication, connectivity, and data processing so you can reuse credentials and configure pipelines efficiently.

## Named Credentials

A Named Credential specifies the authentication details and the endpoint for an external system. It acts as a centralized configuration that services reference so you don't have to define authentication details every time you create a connection.

A Named Credential typically includes:

- The external system endpoint URL
- The authentication method, such as OAuth or basic authentication
- Required credentials, such as tokens, usernames, or passwords

## Connections

A Connection links Data Cloud to an external data source. It defines how Data Cloud interacts with the source system and prepares the data for ingestion.

A Connection typically includes:

- Connector configuration for the source system
- Authentication using a Named Credential

## Pipelines

A Pipeline manages the end-to-end data ingestion and processing workflow. It retrieves data from the Connection and prepares it for use in Data Cloud.

A Pipeline handles:

- Data ingestion from the source system
- Data transformation
- Data harmonization
- Loading processed data into Data Cloud objects

## Component Relationships

 
| Relationship | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Named Credential → Connection | One Named Credential can be used by multiple Connections. |
| Named Credential → Pipeline | One Named Credential can support multiple Pipelines. |
| Connection → Pipeline | Each Connection is associated with one Pipeline. |

## How the Components Work Together

When a pipeline runs:

1. The Named Credential provides the authentication and endpoint to access the external system.
2. The Connection uses that credential to establish the link between Data Cloud and the external data source.
3. The Pipeline retrieves data through the connection and performs ingestion, transformation, and loading into Data Cloud.

![Note](https://sf-zdocs-cdn-prod.zoominsoftware.com/tdta-mktg-mc_mi-264-0-0-production-enus/1b98e128-929e-4c79-a9f3-86e27aefc8d6/images/icon_note.png)

Note Separating these responsibilities allows you to reuse authentication settings and makes pipeline configuration modular and easier to manage.

## Example: Connecting Multiple Google Ads Accounts

Suppose you want to ingest data from three different Google Ads accounts for your organization. Instead of configuring authentication three times, you can:

1. Create one Named Credential called "Google Ads Auth" that contains your OAuth token and the Google Ads API endpoint.
2. Create three separate Connections—one for each account—that all reference "Google Ads Auth" for authentication.
3. Create three Pipelines—one per Connection—to ingest, transform, and load account data into Data Cloud.

If your Google Ads authentication token expires, you only need to update it in one place: the Named Credential. All three Connections and Pipelines automatically use the updated credential without requiring individual reconfiguration.