Connect to external data services with Domino data sources. These are a structured mechanism to create and manage connection properties available for a select set of supported external data services.

Connect to Data Sources: Lists the external systems such as databases and cloud storage services that Domino connects to and links to instructions about how to make the connection.
Reference Data Sources in Projects: Use the Domino Data API to retrieve data.
Create a Data Source: Create a data source you need access to a source that the administrator has not set up.

When to use Domino data sources vs. native libraries:

Domino data source	Native library
SQL-driven; you can fetch data from the data source into the data frame using SQL.	Fetch data using library functions.
Optimized for read-heavy workflows. Even though you can issue write queries via Domino data sources, you may have to monitor or check whether writes are successful.	Write-heavy workflows. Native libraries can accommodate asynchronous reads/writes.
Ease of use and setup is a priority. Once configured through a consistent set of steps or programmatically, you can embed the data sources into your notebooks and fetch data into your data frames through SQL.	Use of specialized library functions is a priority. This should especially be considered in non-traditional data sources or in data lakes, like GCP-BigQuery, where you might be relying on certain functions to process different shapes of data for the purpose of embedding them into your CI/CD pipelines.
Sharing of data source connectivity is a priority. Domino data sources make it easier to share data source definitions with other users across Domino projects. They also allow for admins to easily set up service accounts for all users as well as individual accounts where users have to provide their own credentials.	Sharing is not a priority. You must set up connectivity to your data sources on your own and explicitly share them with other users.
Secure connectivity with easy setup is a priority. Domino data sources allow for secure safe-keeping of individual and service account credentials in HashiCorp Vault; there is no risk of those secrets being shared with or leaking to other users.	Secure connectivity must be established through custom solutions using Kubernetes secrets or through integration with a centralized vault/safe-keeping mechanism.
Portability is not a priority. Domino data sources do not prioritize supporting integrated workflows/pipelines that pull/process data outside of Domino. Even though it is possible to call the Domino Data API from outside of Domino, it does not offer the same benefits and safeguards that native libraries can provide when talking to the services outside of Domino directly.	Portability is a priority. If you are concerned that you cannot reuse the code you wrote outside of Domino using native libraries or that you may not have the same broad functionality by calling the Data API from outside of Domino, using native libraries can be preferable.

Domino data source

Native library

SQL-driven; you can fetch data from the data source into the data frame using SQL.

Fetch data using library functions.

Optimized for read-heavy workflows. Even though you can issue write queries via Domino data sources, you may have to monitor or check whether writes are successful.

Write-heavy workflows. Native libraries can accommodate asynchronous reads/writes.

Ease of use and setup is a priority. Once configured through a consistent set of steps or programmatically, you can embed the data sources into your notebooks and fetch data into your data frames through SQL.

Use of specialized library functions is a priority. This should especially be considered in non-traditional data sources or in data lakes, like GCP-BigQuery, where you might be relying on certain functions to process different shapes of data for the purpose of embedding them into your CI/CD pipelines.

Sharing of data source connectivity is a priority. Domino data sources make it easier to share data source definitions with other users across Domino projects. They also allow for admins to easily set up service accounts for all users as well as individual accounts where users have to provide their own credentials.

Sharing is not a priority. You must set up connectivity to your data sources on your own and explicitly share them with other users.

Secure connectivity with easy setup is a priority. Domino data sources allow for secure safe-keeping of individual and service account credentials in HashiCorp Vault; there is no risk of those secrets being shared with or leaking to other users.

Secure connectivity must be established through custom solutions using Kubernetes secrets or through integration with a centralized vault/safe-keeping mechanism.

Portability is not a priority. Domino data sources do not prioritize supporting integrated workflows/pipelines that pull/process data outside of Domino. Even though it is possible to call the Domino Data API from outside of Domino, it does not offer the same benefits and safeguards that native libraries can provide when talking to the services outside of Domino directly.

Portability is a priority. If you are concerned that you cannot reuse the code you wrote outside of Domino using native libraries or that you may not have the same broad functionality by calling the Data API from outside of Domino, using native libraries can be preferable.

Data Sources