Merged Data Sources

Amerged data source(also called aCombinedsource) lets you group two or more existing data sources into a single logical source. When you search or browse a merged source, the platform queries all member sources simultaneously and presents the results in one unified view — without having to switch between sources manually.

Merged data sources are managed on theNews → Data Sourcespage alongside all other custom sources.

Why Use a Merged Data Source?

Individual data sources each cover a specific website, social channel, or feed. When you need to monitor a topic across several of these sources at once, switching between them one by one is tedious and risks missing results. A merged data source solves this by acting as a single entry point for all the sources it wraps.

Common use cases include:

• Unified media monitoring— Combine several news site sources so you can search all of them with one query.
• Cross-platform social tracking— Merge YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit sources for a creator or brand to see all content in one place.
• Topic-specific bundles— Group all sources relevant to a particular industry, region, or project for reuse across searches and dashboards.

Capabilities

A merged data source inherits the combined capabilities of all its member sources. If at least one member supportsLatest, the merged source supports Latest. If at least one supportsWeb SearchorAPI Search, those capabilities are available on the merged source too.

This means you can use a merged source anywhere a regular source would appear — in theSearch module, inDeep Search, on dashboards, and as a target for entities.

For a full description of what each capability means, seeData Source Capabilities.

Creating a Merged Data Source

1. Go toNews → Data Sources.
2. Click+ Addto open the data source wizard.
3. In the type list, selectCombinedunder theAI-enhancedcategory.
4. In the Details step:
   • Enter aNamefor the merged source (and an optional description).
   • Selecttwo or more existing data sourcesfrom your organization to include as members.
5. ClickAddto save.

The merged source appears immediately in the data source list and is available to all members of your organization.

Note:You can only merge data sources that already exist in your organization. Built-in data sources (the platform's 100+ preconfigured sources) cannot be added as members. If you need to include a built-in source, first add it as a custom data source of its own type, then include it in the merged source.

Editing and Deleting

Merged data sources appear in the data source list just like any other custom source. You canrenamethem using the pencil icon, ordeletethem with the bin button. Deleting a merged source does not delete the individual member sources — only the combination is removed.

For general instructions on managing data sources, seeHandling Data Sources.

Searching Across Multiple Sources

If you want to search across several data sources without permanently grouping them, you can create a merged data source specifically for that purpose. This is the recommended way to run a single query against multiple sources at once.

SeeAbout Searchfor details on running searches and selecting data sources.