For Geometry Data Sets, Time Series Data Sets, and Movement Path Data Sets, the platform supports two variants:
Native (file-based) data sets: Data sets created by uploading files to the platform. The platform parses (processes) the files and stores the records in its native data storage.
Database data sets: Data sets that connect dynamically to tables in an external database. No files need to be uploaded, and no parsing or preprocessing step is required. All visualization and analytical queries are executed on the fly.
The platform supports Postgres and ClickHouse databases.
Choose native data sets when:
Your license does not include database data set support.
You need to use the Points or Movement data set type, for example when analyzing GPS-based data.
You do not want to set up and manage a database server yourself.
You are using a database technology other than Postgres or ClickHouse.
You need access to 100% of the platform capabilities at the highest performance.
You require built-in data storage capabilities.
Choose database data sets when:
Your data resides in Postgres or ClickHouse.
The data is of type Geometry, Time Series, or Movement Path.
You want to avoid extracting and uploading data.
You do not require all platform capabilities.
See the Movement data uploads article for an explanation of how to upload movement data to the platform.
See the database data sets article for a more detailed discussion of the capabilities and limitations of database data sets.