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SQL Connector

Propel's SQL Connector is a secure data-sharing solution for SaaS companies to share data with their end customers.

The SQL Connector provides a seamless and secure way to grant end customers access to their data from your SaaS product via a PostgreSQL-compatible SQL interface.

It enables them to use their preferred BI (Business Intelligence) tool, ELT / ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) platform, or database client to access their data.

Get started​

Get started

Check out the SQL Connector set up guide.

The SQL Connector is available to accounts on the enterprise plan. If you don’t have the SQL Connector enabled in your account, book a demo to learn more.

Use cases​

These are some common use cases Propel customers have implemented with the SQL Connector:

  1. Self-service custom reporting: Provide end customers access to create custom reports and dashboards tailored to their specific business needs from their BI tool of choice (PowerBI, Tableau, Looker, or Metabase) without relying on the SaaS company for every reporting request.
  2. Ad hoc data requests: Enable end customers to perform ad hoc queries and data explorations, allowing them to quickly access and analyze their data on demand without the need for time-consuming data exports or support requests.
  3. ELT / ETL data to data warehouse: Provide a way for end customers to efficiently export their data from your product to their own data warehouse or data lake. This will enable them to consolidate data from multiple sources and perform advanced analytics or machine learning tasks.
  4. Internal reporting and BI: Propel customers who already have their data in Propel can query it from their BI tools for internal observability and decision-making.

High-level overview​

Your end customers or users will have a set of SQL credentials and PostgreSQL connection details that they can use to securely connect and query from their tool of choice.

You can provision these credentials (Propel Applications) via Console or API with granular row and column-based access control policies. The SQL Connector queries Propel’s Data Pools, which sync data from your product in real time and ensures fast and cost-effective queries.

Propel SQL Connector

Key Features:​

  • PostgreSQL-Compatible SQL interface: The SQL Connector offers a familiar and widely-supported PostgreSQL-compatible SQL interface, making it easy for customers to integrate with their existing tools and workflows.
  • Multi-tenant access controls: With built-in multi-tenant access controls, the SQL Connector ensures that each end customer can only access their own data, maintaining data privacy and security.
  • Real-time data freshness: As Propel's Data Pools sync data from the SaaS platform in real-time, the SQL Connector will provide customers with fresh data.
  • Credential provisioning API: The SQL Connector includes a credential provisioning API that allows SaaS companies to programmatically create, manage, and revoke user credentials, streamlining the onboarding process and reducing administrative overhead.
  • Row and column-based access policies: Granular access controls enable SaaS companies to define row and column-based access policies, ensuring that end customers can only view and manipulate specific subsets of data relevant to their needs.
  • Usage logs and analytics: The SQL Connector generates detailed usage logs and provides analytics capabilities, enabling SaaS companies to track user activity and (if desired) bill customers for their usage.

Next steps​

Check out the SQL Connector set up guide to get started.