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

# Connections Overview

> Use Connections to bring data from external tools--such as Salesforce, Klaviyo, or Braze--into your data warehouse for analysis and activation.

## Learning Objectives

After reading this article, you will be able to:

* Understand when and why to use Connections.
* Create and configure a new Connection in Hightouch.
* Select which tables and columns to import using the schema picker.
* Schedule or manually run Connection syncs.
* Manage and monitor existing Connections from your workspace.

## Overview

Connections let you bring data from third-party applications, such as Salesforce, Klaviyo, or Braze, into your data warehouse.

While [destinations](https://docs.hightouch.com/destinations/overview.md) send data *out* of Hightouch to external tools, **Connections** bring data *in*. This allows you to centralize and analyze information from multiple systems within your warehouse, supporting downstream workflows in Hightouch.

You can use Connections to:

* Import data from marketing, sales, and engagement platforms
* Enrich warehouse data with external attributes and activity
* Support analysis, segmentation, and activation across Customer Studio and other Hightouch features

Each Connection uses a secure API or OAuth authentication flow and provides schema controls so you can decide which data to include and how it’s stored.

## Before you begin

Before creating a Connection, make sure you have:

* **Access permissions** for both Hightouch and your target application (for example, admin-level or API key access)
* **A supported data warehouse**, such as Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks, or Postgres
* **Warehouse permissions** to write tables or manage schemas
* **API credentials** (if required by your integration). Some tools, like Klaviyo or Iterable, require API keys while others authenticate through OAuth.

## Create a Connection

### Access Connections

To create or manage Connections, go to **Data Management → Connections** in your Hightouch workspace or visit [app.hightouch.com/connections](https://app.hightouch.com/connections?from=docs).

From this page, you can view existing connections or click **Add connection** to start a new one.

![Connections page](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/integrations/connections/con-connections-page.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=e55117e6ad3d0bfa1a4deed9d3bc14cf)

### 1. Select a data source

Choose the external application you want to import data from.

![Select a data source](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/integrations/connections/con-select-data-source.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=b592c1f5d03d3b6dfeca51558069351d)

### 2. Select a warehouse

Choose the warehouse where you want to store your imported data.

![Select a warehouse](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/integrations/connections/con-select-warehouse.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=519ae12010ad9d5b024d027dafecf226)

### 3. Configure connection

Authenticate your selected tool using OAuth or API credentials. Read documentation for your specific [destination](https://docs.hightouch.com/destinations/overview.md) for detailed instructions.

After entering your credentials, click **Test connection** to verify that Hightouch can connect successfully before continuing.

![Configure connection](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/integrations/connections/con-config-connection.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=522b4c92eea3783ae1609375d24c44dc)

### 4. Manage schema

After connecting, Hightouch will detect the schema from your external application.

Use the **visual schema picker** to select which tables and columns to import into your warehouse.

![Manage schema](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/integrations/connections/con-manage-schema.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=a339043d3476d5f189c880be299db2a2)

### 5. Finalize and schedule

Before completing setup, decide how schema changes should be handled over time:

* **Sync all:** Include all new schemas, tables, and columns automatically
* **Sync new columns only:** Add new columns to existing tables but skip new tables or schemas
* **Do not sync changes:** Keep your schema fixed and ignore new data structures

Then, choose how and when your Connection should sync:

* **Manual:** Run the sync manually in the app or through the API
* **Interval:** Schedule syncs to run at a set interval (for example, every hour)
* **Custom recurrence or Cron expression:** Define your own schedule
* **dbt Cloud or Fivetran:** Trigger syncs automatically after jobs finish in these tools

When finished, click **Finish** to complete setup.

![Finalize setup](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/integrations/connections/con-finalize.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=8298223e0f0e9d03dbac6df70e3fea28)

> [!NOTE]
>
> For integration-specific setup instructions, such as authentication details,
> required permissions, or field mappings, see the relevant [Destination
> documentation](https://docs.hightouch.com/destinations/overview.md) for your tool.

## Manage and Edit Connections

After creating a Connection, you can manage it from the **Connections** page in your workspace.

From here, you can:

* View recent connection runs and their status
* Edit how schema changes are handled
* Update selected tables and columns when new fields become available
* Modify your sync schedule

Hightouch tracks connection activity and run results automatically, so you can monitor data freshness and resolve issues directly from the UI.

![Manage created connections](https://mintcdn.com/hightouch-3c037897/L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo/images/integrations/connections/con-edit-connections.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=L_vQfA0JQEpeGUUo\&q=85\&s=a8063889e726a25cfd1488d008f266e0)

## Related articles

* Learn more about integration setup in [Destination documentation](https://docs.hightouch.com/destinations/overview.md)
* Visit [Alerting](https://docs.hightouch.com/syncs/alerting.md) to configure sync alerts for your Connections
* Review the [Syncs Overview](https://docs.hightouch.com/syncs/overview.md) to understand how incoming data supports downstream activation