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Local File

Import data from files stored on your local machine into your Rill project.

Overview​

The Local File connector allows you to import data from CSV, JSON, Parquet, and other supported file formats directly from your local filesystem. This is perfect for working with local datasets, exports, or files you've downloaded.

Adding a Local File Source​

Option 1: Using the Rill UI​

  1. In the left navigation pane, click the "+" button next to Sources
  2. Select "Local File" from the connector options
  3. Navigate to and select your file, or drag and drop it directly onto the Rill interface

Option 2: Using Code​

Create a YAML configuration file in your project's sources directory:

type: source
connector: local_file
path: /path/to/your/data.csv

Important: When using relative paths, they should be relative to your Rill project root (where rill.yaml is located), not the sources directory.

Importing Multiple Files​

Use glob patterns to import data from multiple files at once:

type: source
connector: local_file
path: /path/to/data/*.csv

Examples:

  • data/*.csv - All CSV files in the data directory
  • exports/2024-*.parquet - All Parquet files from 2024
  • logs/**/*.json - All JSON files in logs and subdirectories

For detailed glob pattern syntax, refer to the DuckDB multiple files documentation.

Supported File Formats​

The Local File connector supports various file formats including:

  • CSV
  • JSON
  • Parquet
File Size Limits

When ingesting the Data into Rill, you'll notice a new /data folder path with a copy of the CSV file. This is designed so that when you publish to Rill Cloud, the file will also be included. Note that there is a 100MB limit to each unique file. Files over 100MB will not be deployed with your project.