Custom Data Source is a flexible integration designed for teams who use their own internal tracking systems or third-party platforms that aren’t natively supported by TheOptimizer. Instead of being limited to a fixed set of importable fields, you define exactly which metrics matter to your workflow — and then push that data in via CSV or API.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://theoptimizer.io/docs/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
Why Custom Data Source
Before this integration, TheOptimizer’s CSV and Google Sheets import options only supported a fixed structure: conversions, clicks, and revenue. That was sufficient for basic use cases but left teams unable to bring in richer data like custom sales events, add-to-cart actions, upsell completions, or any other metric tracked in their backend. Custom Data Source solves two specific problems: 1. Flexible metric definition. You create your own fields — give each one a name, choose a type, and TheOptimizer treats it as a proper metric across reporting and automation. You can define up to 50 fields in total across all your Custom Data Source integrations. 2. API-based submission. In addition to manual CSV uploads, every Custom Data Source integration generates a unique API key and endpoint instructions, so your technical team can automate the entire data delivery process.The Custom Data Sources View
Navigate to Integrations → Custom Data Source to see all integrations you’ve created.
Creating a Custom Data Source
Click Connect New Account to open the configuration dialog.
Integration Name
Give the integration a descriptive name that makes it easy to identify later — for example,Internal CRM – US Revenue or Shopify Sales Data. Since you can create multiple integrations, names that reflect the source or purpose are more useful than generic labels.
Currency
Select the currency in which you’ll be submitting data. This affects how all fields of type Currency are interpreted when they arrive.If the ad accounts you’re uploading data for use a different currency — for example, your data is in USD but your Taboola accounts report in EUR — TheOptimizer will automatically convert the submitted values to match each ad account’s currency. You don’t need to pre-convert your data; just select the currency your backend data is denominated in.
Defining Data Fields
This is the core of the setup. Each data field becomes a column in your CSV template and a reportable metric in TheOptimizer. To add a field: enter a name, select a type, and click Add. Repeat for every metric you want to import. Field types:| Type | Use when |
|---|---|
| Number | Whole-number counts — conversions, sales, clicks, add-to-cart events, page views, etc. |
| Decimal | Fractional values that aren’t monetary — ratios, rates, scores |
| Currency | Monetary amounts — revenue, cost-per-sale, upsell value, etc. |
Reusing Fields Across Integrations
When you create a second (or third) Custom Data Source integration, you’ll see a list of data fields already defined by your other integrations. You can toggle any of them on to include them in this integration’s CSV template as well. Hovering over the lock icon on a field shows which integration owns it, its type, and its current status.Active vs. Inactive Fields
Toggling a field off does not remove it from TheOptimizer’s reporting or hide its data. It only removes that field from the downloaded CSV template for this integration, giving you a more compact upload file. If you stop tracking a particular metric temporarily, turning off its field keeps your CSV tidy without losing any historical data.Working with a Data Source
Once a Custom Data Source integration is created, three actions are available — directly from the card in the list view, or by opening Edit.
Download CSV Template
Downloads a pre-formatted CSV file containing all your active data fields as column headers, plus the required system columns. The filename matches the integration name. Use this template as the base for every upload — do not add or rename columns manually. See CSV Format & Upload Guide for a full explanation of how to fill in the template correctly.Upload CSV
Opens a file picker to upload a completed CSV directly. This is the manual upload path — useful for one-off imports or when you’re not yet ready to automate via API. You can also access this by clicking Edit on the integration and using the upload fields there.Send Data via API
Opens a dialog with everything needed to automate data submission programmatically:- A unique API key scoped to this specific integration
- Endpoint and request instructions for sending the CSV file via API call
Editing a Custom Data Source
Click Edit on any integration card to open the same configuration dialog used during creation. From here you can:- Rename the integration
- Change the currency
- Add new data fields or deactivate existing ones
- Access the upload and API panels
