---
title: Data Source
description: "**Data Source** is a variable, that gets input from end user, sends it to external system, receives answer from that system and represents result to end-user. **Data Source** variables are managed in portal by company administrators. [Read more about Data…"
url: "https://templatise.it/docs/data-source/"
updated: "2024-06-03"
category: Variables / Variable Types
---

# Data Source

**Data Source** is a variable, that gets input from end user, sends it to external system, receives answer from that system and represents result to end-user.

**Data Source** variables are managed in portal by company administrators. [Read more about Data Sources management on a portal](https://templatise.it/docs/portal-data-sources/).

### When to use?

When you need to make call to external system and show results in a document.

For example: find user info from Azure AD by user name, fetch info about customer from CRM by company name, calculate capital increase for each new shareholder.

### How end user see it?

Usually **Data Source** is visible for end-user as a search field, after call to external system performed, end-user can select result.

### How to create it?

- To create a Data Source variable you should specify **Title**, **Data Source type** and **select a specific Data Source** to use within this variable.
- After you save a Data Source you will see a list of available variables which you can connect to your document.

**Note**: Each **Data Source** already have defined variables when you add it to template. You need just to connect those variables (not necessary all of them) to the text in a document

### Example - using Azure AD Data Source to search for user

1. **Create a Data Source variable using Azure AD Data Source.**

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-102-1024x482.png)

2. **Connect variables.**

To do that you can:

- press **Connect** button on the variable card to connect one place in a document
   ![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-116-1024x128.png)
- **open variable** and then use **Connect** button from there to connect multiple places in a document
   ![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-117-1024x390.png)

Do the same for **[LASTNAME]** word in the document and **Surname** variable.

You will have the following result:

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-118-1024x475.png)

3. **Search and select data:**Navigate to Template Filling form

3.1. **Press** **Search** button to open a search dialog

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-119-1024x237.png)

3.2. **Enter search query** and **press Search** button to see external system response

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-120-1024x476.png)

3.3. Click on one of the search results and press **Select**

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-121-1024x381.png)

4. Next, press **Generate Document** button

Generated document will look like this:

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-122-1-1024x415.png)

### Advanced - chaining Data Source into another Data Source

### When to use?

When you need that result from a call to external system (Data Source 1) will be used as input to a call to another external system (Data Source 2).

So it works like this: end user input -> Data Source 1 output -> Data Source 2 output -> end user

### How end user see it?

Can be seen as 2 Data Sources, or, for simplicity, Data Source 2 can be hidden. So end user will make input only for Data Source 1 and will receive output from Data Source 2.

### Example 2 - using Norwegian Business Registry Data Sources to search for information about company by its name

There 2 Data Sources:

- First Data Source: takes input as company name and returns company org. number
- Second Data Source: takes input company org. number and returns information about roles in a company

In this example you will see that we:

1. Add Data Source 1 - BrReg Entities
2. Add Data Source 2 - BrReg Roles
3. Chain output from Data Source 1 as input to Data Source 2

**Creation Proccess**

1. Create **BrReg Entities**Data Source variable

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-123-1-1024x532.png)

2. Create **BrReg Roles**Data Source variable

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-124-1024x532.png)

3. **Connect variables:**As shown in previous example

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image-80-1024x408.png)

4. Chain **Company Roles** variable into **Search For Company Details**variable

4.1. Open **Company Roles** Data Source
 4.2. Navigate to **Binding** tag
 4.3. **Select source variable:**Choose **Search For Company Details**variable4.4. **Bind inputs:**Bind **Org Number** variable from **Search For Company Details** into **Company Roles** input search field
 4.5. Check **Hide Data Source in Template Filler View**if you want to hide **Company Roles** from form
 4.6. Press **Save **

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Group-126-1024x492.png)

5. **Create a document**

5.1. **Search for data**: As shown in previous example
 5.2. Press **Generate Document**

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image-88-1024x313.png)

Generated document will look like this:

![](https://templatise.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image-89-1024x451.png)

Chaining allows to reduce number of actions needed to use multiple Data Sources.