How Tinkery Handles Data
Tinkery connects to your data sources — but it doesn't alter your original data. Instead, it makes a copy that lives safely inside your active Project. This ensures that:
✅ Your source data remains untouched
✅ Each Project has its own context and tables
✅ Any changes in one Project don’t affect others
Connecting Your Data Sources
Tinkery starts working once it has data to work with — and the best part is, connecting your sources is fast and code-free. You can import spreadsheets, sync your CRM, and connect files from Google Drive or other platforms in just a few clicks.
Let’s walk through how to get your data into Tinkery.
What You Can Connect
You can import data from:
CSV and Excel files
Google Sheets and Google Drive documents
CRMs like HubSpot or Salesforce
Ad platforms including Google ads, Linkedin ads and Meta ads
Google Analytics
In the near future, you will also be able to connect to a larger variety of CRMs, as well as to the most common ad platforms, analytics tools or Service and Support tools (like Zendesk or Freshdesk), among many others.
⚠️ Tinkery does not connect to live APIs at this time. Instead, data is imported and a project-specific copy is created.
How to Add a Data Source
Go to the Data Sources module
Click the 📄 Data Sources icon (4th from the top) in the left-hand navigation bar.
Click “+ Create Data Source”**
Found in the top-right corner of the Data Sources view.
Choose your method of upload
File Upload**: Select and upload a CSV or Excel file from your computer.
Google Drive**: Authorize access and select the doc or sheet you want to import.
CRM : Click to connect and follow the OAuth authentication flow.
Confirm Upload
Once confirmed, your data source will appear in the list — but remember:
✅ A connected data source is not yet *in use* — it must be linked to a Project to activate it.
Using Data Sources Across Projects
You can use the same data source in multiple Projects.
Each Project receives its own independent copy of the data.
Changes you make inside a Project (e.g. renaming columns, updating values) will not affect the original or other Projects.
Best Practices
Use descriptive file names and table descriptions during import — this helps the AI interpret your data faster and more accurately.
For CRM integrations like HubSpot, make sure your user account has access to the fields you want to pull.
Avoid uploading multiple versions of the same file; instead, reuse a connected source across Projects.
What’s Next?
Once your data source is added and linked to a Project, Tinkery will analyze the schema, extract tables, and prepare your workspace.