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DuckDB as a Source

DuckDB is a fast, lightweight database designed for data analysis. It runs directly within your application, making it perfect for analytical workloads.

Rill includes a built-in DuckDB database that stores all your ingested data, by default. If you already have data in your own DuckDB file and want to visualize your data in Rill, you can import your existing tables into Rill's database.

Connecting to External DuckDB

In order to import your data into Rill, Rill will first need to be able to access the underlying DuckDB database. Once access has been established, the data will be read from your external database into the built-in DuckDB database in Rill.

If creating a new DuckDB source from the UI, you should provide the appropriate path to the DuckDB database file under DB and use the appropriate DuckDB select statement to read the table under SQL:


Cloud Deployment

When deploying to Rill Cloud, only the contents of the Rill data directory will be pushed. In other words, if your DuckDB file exists outside of your project folder, it will not upload to Rill Cloud. To ensure a smooth transition, move the DuckDB file into the data/ folder.

Live Connector (MotherDuck)

If you already have data in your MotherDuck instance and are thinking of using Rill as an application layer to visualize your data, we recommend using a live connector with MotherDuck.

Please review our MotherDuck live connector docs for more information.