Source & Destination is the first tab of every pipeline. It's where you tell the pipeline where its data comes from and where it should go, and it's the foundation the rest of the pipeline is built on — nothing else unlocks until these two connections are in place.
Overview
The tab shows two cards side by side. The Source card lets you import data from an existing or new connection — a database, file, or API. The Destination card lets you export data to an existing or new connection in the same way. Each card works the same way: search the connector catalog, choose an existing connection or create a new one, and test it before moving on. Once a connection is added, its card shows the connection along with its current status.
Connecting a source and destination
On the Source card, click Search for a connector to browse available connector types, or search by name. Select the connector you need, then choose to reuse an existing connection or set up a new one with your credentials. Repeat the same steps on the Destination card. You don't have to add both at once — you can add a source first and come back for the destination later, though you'll need both before the pipeline can move further.
Testing your connection
Before relying on a connection, click Test Connection on its card. This confirms the platform can actually reach the source or destination with the credentials provided, rather than just accepting that they were entered correctly. Run the test again any time you change credentials or suspect a connection has stopped working — catching a broken connection here is much faster than discovering it later when objects fail to load or a deployment is blocked.
Why the other tabs are disabled
The pipeline's tabs unlock progressively, so you can't jump ahead of the setup that later steps depend on:
Objects stays disabled until you've added a source connection.
Schema, Settings, Logs, and Versions stay disabled until you've added a destination connection and selected at least one source object.
In short: finish Source & Destination first, then choose your objects, then map the schema. Each step builds on the one before it.
Troubleshooting connection errors
A connection card can show as Active or Inactive. Active means the connection is healthy; Inactive means the platform can't currently reach it. An inactive source or destination will also block deployment — the Deploy button will tell you to check the connectivity of your source or destination connection and try again later. To fix this, use Reconnect on the connection card to re-authorize it, or open View Source Connection / View Destination Connection if an error points you there directly.
If you open the tab and see Access Denied, it means you don't have permission to view the underlying connections. Ask the connection's owner to share it with you, or ask an admin to grant you access.
If objects won't load after you've connected a source, you'll see a message asking you to check the source connection, along with Reload Objects and Go to Source Connection actions. A similar issue can show up later during schema mapping, flagged as a problem with the source or destination connection — usually because the destination connector isn't active or doesn't yet have any objects, files, or entities to map to. In either case, fix or reconnect the connection first, then reload.
Notes
Test a connection right after creating it, and again whenever you change its credentials.
You need both a source and a destination connected before you can select objects and map a schema — adding just one isn't enough to move forward.
An Inactive status will silently block deployment later, so don't skip past a warning you see early on the Source & Destination tab.
Access issues show up as a plain "Access Denied" message rather than a missing tab, so if the tab looks empty, check with the connection owner before assuming something is broken.