Connecting data is the first step in the seven-step workflow. Add data by uploading files directly or by connecting to an external source. RootCause supports connecting to databases, data warehouses, cloud storage or APIs.
The Import Manager
From your workspace Home, click + Import Data Sources on the Data Sources card. The Import Manager opens with two tabs:
Current Imports — data sources already connected to this workspace
New Import — add a new source
Filter by category: All Sources, Databases, Cloud Storage, File Upload, and APIs & Services.
The Import Manager lists all available connectors. Sources marked Setup need credentials configured before use.
File Upload
File upload is the quickest way to get started. RootCause accepts CSV, Excel, Parquet, JSON, PDF, and image files.
In the Import Manager, click Local File Upload
Drag files onto the drop zone, or click to browse
Drop files onto the zone or click to browse. You can add multiple files at once.
Files appear in a list with names and sizes — remove any with the × button
Click Upload (n) to start the transfer
Files staged and ready. The Upload button shows the number of files queued.
An upload progress panel appears in the bottom-right of the screen. When all files show "Completed", ontology processing begins automatically in the background.
Upload progress panel. A badge on the Progress icon in the left sidebar indicates that ontology processing is still running.
Ontology building — each column becomes a concept; columns with shared names or matching patterns across datasets are flagged for review
Data Views created — a default Data View is generated for each dataset; datasets that share an identifier column get a recommended joined view (covered in Step 3: Build 360 Data Table)
When processing finishes, your workspace Home updates to show your datasets, Data Views, and any recommended joins.
Workspace Home after processing. Two datasets, two auto-created Data Views, and a recommended linked view based on a shared Customer Id field.
Data Connectors
For live, continuously synced data, connect directly to your source system. Each connector requires credentials — click Setup next to the connector name to configure.
After connecting a source, configure its sync frequency — manual, hourly, daily, or weekly. When a sync runs, all dependent Data Views and analyses update automatically.
Next steps
By the time import finishes, RootCause has already built a first-pass ontology. Step 2: Build Ontology covers how to review the auto-detected concepts, merge columns that represent the same thing, and classify identifiers and time fields.
After that, Step 3: Build 360 Data Table shows how to turn those datasets into a single joined table ready for causal analysis — using the recommended join RootCause has already prepared.
