> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.upstackdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# What are data sources in Upstack Data?

> Data sources are the platforms Upstack pulls data from to power your attribution dashboard. Learn how Shopify, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and TikTok sources work.

Data sources — referred to in the Upstack dashboard simply as **Sources** — are the platforms that Upstack pulls data from to power your attribution dashboard and analytics. While [destinations](/what-are-destinations) handle sending event data **out** to your ad platforms, data sources handle bringing reporting data **in** — ad spend, campaign structure, impressions, clicks, and order information.

<Tip>
  The product term in the dashboard is **Sources**. We use "data sources" throughout this article for clarity, but they are the same thing.
</Tip>

## Why data sources matter

Without data sources, your Upstack [attribution dashboard](/concepts/attribution-and-reporting) would only show one side of the equation: revenue. You'd know which orders came in and how they were attributed, but you wouldn't know how much you spent to generate those orders.

Data sources complete the picture by providing:

* **Ad spend by channel, campaign, and ad set** — so you can calculate ROAS.
* **Campaign structure** — so you can drill down into performance at the campaign, ad set, and ad level.
* **Impression and click data** — so you can understand the full funnel from ad exposure to purchase.
* **Order and product data** — from Shopify, which is the foundation for revenue attribution.

When both destinations and data sources are connected, Upstack combines outbound conversion data with inbound spend data to give you a unified attribution view that no single ad platform can provide on its own.

## Available data sources

Upstack supports four data sources today, all connected via OAuth.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Shopify" icon="shopify" href="/sources/shopify">
    Orders, revenue, products, customer data, and refunds. **Required** — this is the foundation of your tracking.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Facebook Ads (Meta)" icon="meta" href="/sources/facebook-ads">
    Campaign structure, ad spend, impressions, and clicks from your Facebook and Instagram ad accounts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Google Ads" icon="google" href="/sources/google-ads">
    Campaign structure, ad spend, impressions, and clicks from your Google Ads account.
  </Card>

  <Card title="TikTok" icon="tiktok" href="/sources/tiktok">
    Campaign structure, ad spend, impressions, and clicks from your TikTok Ads account.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Shopify

Shopify is the foundational data source for Upstack. It provides the order and customer data that everything else is built on.

**What Upstack pulls:**

* Order details (order ID, total value, currency, line items)
* Product information (product names, SKUs, categories, prices)
* Customer data (new vs. returning status, email, order history)
* Refund and cancellation data
* Discount and coupon usage

**How it's connected:** Shopify is typically connected automatically when you install the Upstack app from the Shopify App Store. The app requests the necessary API permissions during installation. See [Install on Shopify](/get-started/install-on-shopify).

**Why it matters:** Every attribution metric in Upstack starts with Shopify order data. Without it, there's no revenue to attribute. Shopify data also powers features like new vs. returning customer classification (used for `nc_purchase` and `rc_purchase` events).

### Facebook Ads (Meta)

Facebook Ads as a data source provides the spend and campaign performance data Upstack needs to calculate ROAS for your Facebook and Instagram advertising.

**What Upstack pulls:**

* Daily ad spend (at the campaign, ad set, and ad level)
* Impressions and reach
* Clicks and click-through rates
* Campaign, ad set, and ad names and IDs
* Campaign objective and optimization settings

**Why it matters:** Meta is typically the largest ad spend channel for Shopify brands. Without Facebook spend data, your Upstack dashboard can't calculate Meta ROAS or show accurate cross-channel comparisons.

### Google Ads

Google Ads as a data source provides spend and performance data for your Google advertising — Search, Shopping, Performance Max, Display, and YouTube campaigns.

**What Upstack pulls:**

* Daily ad spend (at the campaign level)
* Impressions and clicks
* Campaign names and IDs
* Campaign type and bidding strategy

**Why it matters:** Google Ads is often the second-largest spend channel for Shopify brands. Connecting it lets you compare Google and Meta performance side by side using the same attribution model.

### TikTok

TikTok as a data source brings TikTok ad spend and campaign performance into your attribution dashboard so you can compare it directly with other paid channels.

**What Upstack pulls:**

* Daily ad spend (at the campaign and ad group level)
* Impressions and clicks
* Campaign and ad group names and IDs

## What data becomes available after connecting

Once your data sources are connected, your Upstack attribution dashboard can display:

| Metric                        | Requires                                        |
| ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- |
| Revenue by channel            | Shopify (orders) + destination event data       |
| Ad spend by channel           | Ad platform data sources (Meta, Google, TikTok) |
| ROAS by channel               | Both revenue attribution and ad spend data      |
| Cost per acquisition (CPA)    | Ad spend + order count                          |
| New customer acquisition cost | Ad spend + new customer order data              |
| Campaign-level performance    | Ad platform data sources                        |

<Warning>
  Without ad platform data sources connected, you'll see revenue and order metrics but **not** spend, ROAS, or cost-per-acquisition.
</Warning>

## How to connect a new data source

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Sources section">
    Navigate to the **Sources** section in your Upstack dashboard.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the platform">
    Choose Shopify, Facebook Ads, Google Ads, or TikTok.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Authenticate">
    You'll be redirected to log in and grant Upstack read access to the platform's reporting data.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select the account">
    Pick the specific ad account or property to pull data from.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm">
    Confirm the connection. Data typically begins populating within a few hours, with historical data backfilling over the following 24–48 hours.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Common issues

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="My dashboard shows revenue but no spend data">
    You've connected Shopify and your destinations, but you haven't connected your ad platforms as data sources. Remember: destinations send events out, data sources pull spend data in. You need both. See [Destinations vs sources](/concepts/destinations-vs-data-sources) for a full explanation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My Facebook spend shows $0 for yesterday">
    * **Check the time zone.** If your Upstack account and Facebook ad account use different time zones, yesterday's data may not have fully synced yet.
    * **Verify account access.** If your Facebook authentication has expired or permissions have changed, Upstack may not be able to pull spend data. Try re-authenticating the connection.
    * **Confirm you had active campaigns.** If no campaigns were running, \$0 is correct.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I don't see campaign-level breakdowns">
    Campaign-level data requires the ad platform data source to be connected and the API permissions to include campaign-level reporting access. Verify your connection has the necessary permissions.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Historical data is missing">
    After connecting a new data source, historical data may take 24–48 hours to fully backfill. If data is still missing after 48 hours, the platform's API may limit how far back data can be retrieved. Contact Upstack support for assistance.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Permission errors during connection">
    * **Meta:** Ensure you have admin access to the Facebook Business Manager and the specific ad account you're connecting. Standard or analyst roles may not have sufficient permissions.
    * **Google:** Ensure you have at least read access to the Google Ads account. MCC (manager) accounts can also be used if your account is managed through one.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Is Shopify connected automatically?">
    In most cases, yes. When you install Upstack from the Shopify App Store, the app requests the API permissions needed to access your order and product data. You shouldn't need to configure Shopify as a data source separately.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How often is data source data refreshed?">
    Ad spend data is typically refreshed daily. There may be a delay of several hours between when spend occurs on the ad platform and when it appears in your Upstack dashboard. Shopify order data is processed more frequently, often in near real-time.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I connect multiple ad accounts for the same platform?">
    This depends on your Upstack plan and the platform. If you run ads from multiple Meta ad accounts, you may need to connect each one separately.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I switch ad accounts?">
    If you move your advertising to a new ad account, you'll need to connect the new account as a data source. Historical data from the old account will remain in your dashboard, but new spend data will come from the newly connected account.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Sources overview" icon="arrow-right-to-bracket" href="/sources/overview">
    See every supported data source and how each one is connected.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Destinations overview" icon="arrow-right-from-bracket" href="/destinations/overview">
    Learn how Upstack pushes enriched event data **out** to your ad platforms.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Destinations vs sources" icon="arrows-left-right" href="/concepts/destinations-vs-data-sources">
    A full breakdown of how the two integration types work together.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Attribution and reporting" icon="chart-line" href="/concepts/attribution-and-reporting">
    How Upstack combines source data with conversion events to attribute revenue.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Connect Shopify" icon="shopify" href="/sources/shopify">
    Shopify is the foundational data source. Start here.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>