---
title: "data sources"
description: "Data sources are the origin points of information in a data pipeline or analytics workflow."
canonical: "https://motherduck.com/glossary/data-sources/"
related:
  - title: "Data Warehousing Overview | MotherDuck Docs"
    url: "https://motherduck.com/docs/getting-started/data-warehouse/"
  - title: "From Data Lake to Lakehouse: Can DuckDB be the best portable catalog?"
    url: "https://motherduck.com/blog/from-data-lake-to-lakehouse-duckdb-portable-catalog/"
  - title: "How to Build Robust Data Pipelines with AI | MotherDuck"
    url: "https://motherduck.com/videos/robust-data-pipelines-ai/"
gated_asset:
  title: "DuckLake on MotherDuck"
  url: "https://motherduck.com/product/ducklake/"
---

# data sources

> Data sources are the origin points of information in a data pipeline or analytics workflow.

Data sources are the origin points of information in a data pipeline or analytics workflow. They can include databases, APIs, files, or streaming platforms that provide raw or structured data for processing and analysis. Common examples include relational databases like [PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/), cloud storage services like [Amazon S3](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/), SaaS application APIs like [Salesforce](https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api_rest.meta/api_rest/intro_what_is_rest_api.htm), and streaming platforms such as [Apache Kafka](https://kafka.apache.org/). In the context of DuckDB, data sources can be directly queried using SQL statements, often without the need for explicit data loading. For instance, you can query a CSV file stored on disk or in cloud storage using syntax like:

```sql
SELECT * FROM 'path/to/file.csv';
```

Or query a Parquet file:

```sql
SELECT * FROM 'data.parquet';
```

Understanding various data sources and how to connect to them is crucial for aspiring data professionals, as it forms the foundation for data integration and analysis workflows.