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Quick Start Guide

This guide walks you through creating your first data workflow in FactoryThread. In about 5 minutes, you'll connect to a data source, transform data, and preview the results.

Prerequisites​

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • Access to a FactoryThread workspace
  • A data source to connect to (database, Excel file, or API)

If you don't have a data source ready, you can upload an Excel file to get started quickly.

Step 1: Create a Connection​

Connections are how FactoryThread accesses your data. Let's create one:

  1. Click Connections in the left sidebar
  2. Click the + New Connection button
  3. Select your connection type:
    • SQL for SQL Server databases
    • Redshift for Amazon Redshift
    • Upload for Excel or CSV files
    • API for REST endpoints
    • OpenAI for AI services

For a Database Connection​

  1. Select SQL or your database type
  2. Enter a descriptive Name (e.g., "Sales Database")
  3. Fill in the connection details:
    • Server - your database server hostname
    • Database - the database name
    • Username and Password
  4. Click Test Connection to verify it works
  5. Click Save

For a File Upload​

  1. Select Upload
  2. Enter a Name for your connection
  3. Click Choose File and select your Excel or CSV file
  4. Click Save

Once saved, FactoryThread automatically discovers all tables, sheets, or endpoints in your connection.

Step 2: Open the Designer​

The Designer is where you build workflows visually:

  1. Click Designer in the left sidebar
  2. You'll see your existing flows and views organized by category
  3. Click + New in the top toolbar
  4. Select View to create a data transformation

Step 3: Add a Data Source​

Now let's pull data into your workflow:

  1. In the left panel, you'll see your connections listed
  2. Expand your connection to see available entities (tables/sheets)
  3. Drag an entity onto the canvas, or:
  4. Click the Entity button in the toolbar to open the entity selector

Tip: You can select multiple entities at once by holding Cmd (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) and clicking each one, then dragging them all onto the canvas.

Once added, you'll see an entity node on the canvas representing your data source.

Step 4: Preview Your Data​

Before transforming, let's see what data we're working with:

  1. Click on the entity node to select it
  2. Click the Preview button in the toolbar (or press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter)
  3. A dialog appears showing your data in a table

The preview shows the first rows of your data, column names, and data types. This helps you understand your data before adding transformations.

Step 5: Add a Transformation​

Let's filter the data to show only relevant rows:

  1. From the left panel, find Filter under Transforms
  2. Drag the Filter node onto the canvas
  3. Connect the entity node to the filter node:
    • Click and drag from the right handle of the entity node
    • Drop onto the left handle of the filter node
  4. Click the Filter node to open its configuration panel

Configure the Filter​

In the Filter configuration panel:

  1. Click Add Condition
  2. Select a Field to filter on (e.g., "Status")
  3. Choose an Operator (e.g., "equals")
  4. Enter a Value (e.g., "Active")
  5. The filter configuration auto-saves

Step 6: Preview the Results​

Let's see the filtered results:

  1. Click on the Filter node
  2. Click Preview in the toolbar
  3. You should now see only rows matching your filter condition

The preview always shows data at the selected node, so you can check results at any point in your workflow.

Step 7: Save Your Work​

Your workflow auto-saves as you work, but you can also manually save:

  1. Click the Save button in the toolbar (or press Cmd/Ctrl + S)
  2. Give your view a descriptive name if prompted

What's Next?​

Congratulations! You've built your first data workflow. Here's what you can explore next:

Add More Transformations​

Try adding other transformation nodes:

  • Map - Select and rename columns
  • Transform - Add calculated fields with expressions
  • Group By - Aggregate data (sum, count, average)
  • Merge - Join data from multiple sources
  • Distinct - Remove duplicate rows

Create a Flow​

To automate your workflow:

  1. Click + New and select Flow
  2. Add a Trigger (Schedule, HTTP, or Manual)
  3. Add your view or build transformations
  4. Add an Action (Write to database, call API, etc.)
  5. Click Deploy to activate the flow

Monitor Executions​

After deploying a flow:

  1. Go to Dashboard to see execution metrics
  2. Go to Insights for detailed execution history
  3. Click any execution to see input, output, and errors

Keyboard Shortcuts​

Speed up your workflow building with these shortcuts:

ShortcutAction
Cmd/Ctrl + SSave
Cmd/Ctrl + ZUndo
Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ZRedo
Cmd/Ctrl + EnterPreview
DeleteDelete selected node
?Open help panel

Need Help?​