# Create a data source and show it in a widget

A data source tells Szenera what to fetch and how often. Create it once, then choose it in the widget of an app.

> **Type:** guide
> **For:** anyone who feeds the apps Posts, Table, Reviews, Dashboard, Warning, or Calendar with data from other systems
> **Prerequisite:** the **Manage data sources** permission, which Owners and Managers have by default. Most kinds also need a [connection](/content/data-source-connections).
> **Where in the portal:** **Data sources** › **Create source**

## Steps

### Create a source

1. Open **Data sources** and click **Create source**.
2. Choose the kind of source. The kinds are ordered by form: **Posts**, **Table**, **Reviews**, **View**, **Warning**, and **Events**. **Change** takes you back to this choice.
3. Under **Connection**, choose the connection. If exactly one fits, it is already chosen. If none exists, **Set up connection** takes you there. News feeds, warnings, Looker Studio reports, and posts on X need no connection. A Power BI report needs the service account of your organization. Posts on X need the booked app [Posts from X](/apps/x-posts), and **To the store** takes you there if it is missing.
4. Choose what to read, such as the site, file, sheet, dashboard, report, or calendar. The [reference](/content/data-source-reference#the-kinds-of-sources) lists the choices for each kind.
5. Check the **Name**. The window suggests one, such as “Warnings for your locations”.
6. Under **Refresh**, choose how often Szenera fetches the source. If a kind offers only one interval, this choice is missing.
7. Click **Fetch a sample** if you want to see what the source delivers first. Own warnings have no sample.
8. Click **Create**. The window confirms “The source is created and is being fetched for the first time.” and the source opens.

> **Tip:** Choose the longest interval that still feels current. A menu that changes once a day needs no fetch every five minutes.

### Choose a source in a widget

1. Place the widget of one of the apps in a scene and open its settings window ([Configure widgets](/content/configure-widgets)).
2. Under **Source**, choose a source. The list shows only sources of the matching form. If there is none, **Create source** opens the **Data sources** page in a new tab, ready for that form.
3. Below the list you see the **Connection**, the interval, the state, and the number of entries. **Fetch now** fetches the source right away. **To the source under Data sources** opens it.

Interval and **Fetch now** act on the source, so on every content that shows it. The widget only remembers which source it uses.

### Look at a source and keep it running

Click a row on the **Data sources** page to open the source. The view shows **Status**, **Last fetched**, **Next fetch**, and **Used**. After a failed fetch, **Last error** joins them. **What the source delivers** is a preview, and **History** lists the latest fetches.

- **Fetch now** fetches the source immediately.
- **Pause** stops the fetches, and the displays keep showing the last data. **Resume** starts them again.
- **Extend sign-in** or **Reconnect** appears when the sign-in of the connection is missing.
- **Delete** exists only for sources you created yourself. Content that shows the source stays empty until you choose another one.

A news app creates its own sources. You change them in the widget, and here only the interval and pausing. If nobody reads such a source for a week, it disappears. Without the **Manage data sources** permission, the view has no buttons.

## Check the result

The new source appears in the list as **Fetching**, shortly afterward as **Current**. Its view shows a preview and the first fetch in the **History**. Once a widget uses the source, **Used** shows the number of contents, such as “1 content”.

## If something goes wrong

| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| **Create source** is grayed out | You lack the **Manage data sources** permission. | Ask an Owner or Manager ([Roles and permissions](/organization/permissions-by-role)). |
| “This needs a connection to Microsoft.” | No connection fits the kind, or it lacks the needed capability. | [Set up a connection](/content/data-source-connections) with the fitting capability. |
| “Power BI reads only through the service account of your organization at Microsoft 365. Set it up under connections.” | Only accounts of people are connected, and no service account. | Set up the connection with **As the organization service account** ([Release Power BI](/content/data-source-connections#release-power-bi)). |
| A note says the source needs the app to be booked | The app [Posts from X](/apps/x-posts) is not booked or not installed. | Click **To the store** and book the app. |
| **Failing** with a reason under **Last error** | The provider did not answer or answered with an error. | Click **Fetch now** later. If the problem persists, check the service at the provider. |
| **Sign-in needed** | The provider rejected the sign-in of the connection. | Click **Extend sign-in** or **Reconnect** in the view. For Grafana, click **New key** under **Settings › Organization › Connections**. |
| The history says “provider's fetch limit reached” | The provider allows no further fetches for the period. | Nothing. The next fetch follows as soon as it is free again. |
| “None of your locations has a position.” | No location carries latitude and longitude. | Enter the position under **Settings › Organization › Locations** ([Create locations and assign displays to them](/displays/create-locations)). |

## Related

- [Data sources: options, intervals, and states](/content/data-source-reference)
- [Own warnings and the emergency override](/content/warning-sources)
- [Configure widgets](/content/configure-widgets)