A data warehouse is an OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) that can distribute query workloads across compute infrastructure and where data is organized in a structured manner to make it ready to analyze. Storage is managed separately from the compute services so the query can access only the data it needs.
Connect CARTO to Your Data Warehouse
While using demo data during your onboarding process is great for learning and exploring the platform, nothing feels more real than using your own data in CARTO to create maps, analyses, and interactive applications.
The main way to use your own data in CARTO is to connect CARTO to your data warehouse, but if you still don't have a data warehouse (or if you don't have your geospatial files there) you can also import files from your computer or from a URL.
CARTO Connectivity Explained
The CARTO platform is cloud-native by design. This means that we will always query the live data in your data warehouse, and your data warehouse will return the results, removing the need for ETLs and other costly and inefficient systems. We never make a copy or store the data on our servers, which means:
- If you change the data in your data warehouse, your map will also reflect the changes (except cached results)
- If you add to or modify the data in your data warehouse, it will also be immediately available in CARTO for you to create maps, workflows, and more.
Because of this, CARTO allows for unparalleled performance and scalability.
Go to the documentation to create your first live connection to your data.
