> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sourcemedium.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# After you connect a data source

> What happens once a connection is authorized, how long the first data takes, and what each connection status means.

## What happens after you connect a data source.

Authorizing a source is the fast part. What follows is a short sequence that runs on its own, and knowing its shape is the difference between waiting normally and thinking something broke.

### The first hours

<Steps>
  <Step title="SourceMedium validates the connection">
    We confirm the credential works against the platform. The connection may show **Validating** or **Setting up** while this runs. Open the connection details to see whether a setup step is yours.
  </Step>

  <Step title="The first extract runs">
    SourceMedium pulls your first batch of data. Until anything lands, the connection reads **Awaiting first data**. This is the normal state for a brand-new source, not a fault.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reports build on top of it">
    Once source data has landed, the reporting layer builds from it. The connection can read **Preparing reports** during this window: your data has arrived, the dashboards built from it have not caught up yet.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Steady state">
    The connection settles on **Connected** or **Syncing** and refreshes on its own schedule from then on.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### How long it takes

Refresh cadence is connector-specific. When a connector has a documented fixed cadence, its integration guide names it. Otherwise, use the current status and last-update details in your workspace rather than assuming one integration follows another integration's schedule.

Two things make the first load slower than the steady state:

* **History backfills take longer than incremental syncs.** Some platforms cap how much SourceMedium may request per day, so a store with a long history fills in over several runs rather than one. Where that applies, the connector's own guide says so.
* **Recent days may keep changing.** Platforms restate attribution and returns after the fact, so the most recent days can move for a while after they first appear.

<Note>
  This page covers the **connection**: whether a source is authorized and delivering. For the canonical meaning and next action for every status, see [Connection statuses](/docs/product-tours/connection-statuses). For whether your reporting tables are fresh enough to analyze, see [Data Health](/docs/help-center/core-concepts/data-health). A connection can be perfectly healthy while today's numbers are still incomplete, which is expected.
</Note>

### Read the current status

SourceMedium derives the status from the connection and its data pipeline. The [Connection statuses reference](/docs/product-tours/connection-statuses) is generated from that application logic and is the single source of truth for each label and next action.

Open the connection details before acting. **Setting up** can include a setup step for you, and **Needs attention** can cover either a SourceMedium-managed pipeline issue or information and provider access only you can supply. The details distinguish those cases.

### When a connection needs you

<Steps>
  <Step title="A reconnect or setup action appears">
    Follow the action in the connection details. For a self-service source, reconnecting or completing setup restores the credential without affecting data already collected. Managed integrations instead direct you to the appropriate support path.
  </Step>

  <Step title="An access or plan error">
    Sometimes the credential is fine and the platform is refusing the data itself, usually because the API is not enabled on your plan. Reconnecting cannot fix this, because there is nothing wrong with what you saved. Ask the platform to enable API access for your plan instead.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Rotating a working credential is the most common wasted step. If the error mentions permissions, a plan, or access rather than an invalid key, replacing the key will not change anything. Check what the connection's error message actually names before creating a new credential.
</Warning>

### Still looks wrong?

* Confirm the status above and whether it is yours to act on.
* Check the connector's own guide, which covers platform-specific timing and known quirks.
* If the connection details say SourceMedium is handling the issue and it persists, contact your account manager or [integrations@sourcemedium.com](mailto:integrations@sourcemedium.com).