What Is a Data Source?

A data source refers to the origin of a specific set of information. As businesses increasingly generate data year over year, data analysts rely on different data sources to measure business success and offer strategic recommendations. Having data literacy means you can identify, understand, and interpret crucial data and its results.

Data sources play a key role by bundling information into accessible formats, enabling seamless integrations between different types of systems. This ensures relevant information about a data set is readily available while remaining hidden, allowing analysts to focus on data interpretation and analysis.

Extremely large data sets used by data analysts are called big data, and they require a framework that scales with their volume and variability. Within big data, most data sources are separated into two main categories based on the data’s storage, access, and use: machine data sources and file data sources.

• Machine data sources are labelled by users, stored in the input machine, and not easily shareable. The data source integrates with various components essential for accessibility, like the server location and driver engine.

• File data sources reside within single, shareable files, allowing multiple users to access and edit the data from different locations.

These data sources can be further classified into smaller categories:

• Internal data: Created by organisational processes, including email marketing, customer profiles, and online activity

• External data: Derived from outside sources like social media, historical demographic data, and websites

• Third-party analytics: Provided through analytics platforms like Google Analytics

• Open data: Free, publicly accessible data, like government and health and science data

Data analysts transport this data through several methods, including file transfer protocol (FTP) and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). Websites provide application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow people to transfer data sets from their platforms.

What are examples of data sources?

Many data sources are readily available. Examples of data sources you may be familiar with include:

• Databases: Examples include Oracle, SQL, and Amazon SimpleDB.

• APIs: Examples of companies that utilize APIs to enhance their services include PayPal, Google Maps, and weather applications such as Apple Weather.

• Flat files: These simple text files include CSV files, Excel spreadsheets, and XML formats.

• Streaming data: Examples of streaming data sources include IoT devices, sensors, and live feeds. 

• Cloud services: AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure all provide cloud services.

• Manual input: Data users or operators may manually enter data into systems.

Related terms

• Metadata

• Database

• Dashboard

• Data integrity

• Business intelligence

Learn more about sources of data on Coursera

A data source is the origin of data used in analysis. Data analysts rely on various internal and external sources to understand a business and make recommendations. These sources include files, databases, and APIs.

Use Google’s Data Analytics Professional Certificate on Coursera to sharpen your data analysis skills. In just about six months, you can learn the fundamentals of data analysis for an entry-level role in this high-demand field.