How Precog Works

Understanding Precog's simple two-phase approach to moving data from any source into your data warehouse.

Precog makes data integration straightforward by moving data from your various sources—like Salesforce, Google Analytics, APIs, or SaaS applications—directly into your data warehouse. We handle all the complexity of connecting to different systems, so you can focus on using your data rather than managing data pipelines.

The Big Picture

Precog connects to your data sources, extracts the data you need, and loads it into your data warehouse where you can analyze it with your favorite tools. Whether you're pulling customer data from your CRM or financial data from your accounting system, Precog handles the technical details of getting that data where it needs to go.

Your Sources → Precog → Your Data Warehouse
     ↓             ↓            ↓
  Salesforce   Extracts &    Snowflake
  Stripe       Processes     BigQuery
  Database     Your Data     Redshift
  APIs                      Databricks

How Data Moves Through Precog

Precog uses a reliable two-phase system to move your data safely and efficiently:

Phase 1: Staging

When Precog connects to your data source, it first extracts your data and places it in a secure interim holding area called "staging." Think of this like a temporary workspace where Precog can safely prepare your data before moving it to its final destination.

What happens during staging:

  • Precog connects to your source system (like Salesforce or your SaaS application)
  • Extracts the data you've specified
  • Stores it temporarily in a secure staging area
  • Validates the data to ensure it's complete and properly formatted

Phase 2: Loading

After your data is safely staged, Precog moves it from the staging area into your data warehouse. This is where your data becomes available for analysis, reporting, and business intelligence.

What happens during loading:

  • Data moves from the staging area to your data warehouse
  • Precog applies any necessary transformations or formatting
  • Your data becomes available in your warehouse for querying and analysis
  • The system tracks what was loaded for future optimization

Why Two Phases?

This two-phase approach provides several important benefits:

Reliability If something goes wrong during the loading phase, your data is still safe in staging and can be reprocessed without having to extract it from the source system again.

Efficiency By keeping a record of previous loading attempts, Precog can optimize future data transfers, only moving data that has actually changed since the last successful load.

Performance This approach minimizes the impact on your source systems by reducing the frequency and duration of connections needed for data extraction.

What This Means for You

Simple Setup You just need to tell Precog what data you want and where you want it to go. Precog handles all the technical complexity of the two-phase process automatically.

Reliable Data Flow The staging phase ensures your data integration is robust and can recover gracefully from any temporary issues.

Optimized Performance As your data integration runs over time, Precog gets smarter about only moving the data that has actually changed, making your data fresher and your integration more efficient.

Getting Started

Ready to see this in action? The Getting Started guide walks you through setting up your first data integration, where you'll see this two-phase system working behind the scenes to move your data safely and efficiently.

Next Steps

Now that you understand how Precog works:

  1. Try the Getting Started Guide - Set up your first integration in minutes
  2. Get Help - Find support resources and contact information

The beauty of Precog is that while the underlying system is sophisticated, using it is straightforward. You focus on your business needs, and Precog handles the complexity of reliable, efficient data integration.