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

# Connect your data

> Choose a warehouse connector, verify access, and narrow the data Dex can read. Set spending limits before profiling or building on a metered warehouse.

Use this path when you already have a warehouse or DuckDB file. If you want to
learn the commands first, the [quickstart](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/quickstart.md) creates a local demo.

## 1. Choose the connector

The skill wrapper selects the connector extra from your project's configuration.
For a standalone CLI, install the matching extra as described in
[Installation](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/installation.md).

| Your data | Setup and configuration | CLI extra |
| - | - | - |
| Local DuckDB file | [DuckDB](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/connectors/duckdb.md) | `duckdb` |
| Google BigQuery | [BigQuery](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/connectors/bigquery.md) | `bigquery` |
| Snowflake | [Snowflake](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/connectors/snowflake.md) | `snowflake` |
| Databricks SQL | [Databricks](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/connectors/databricks.md) | `databricks` |
| Amazon Redshift | [Redshift](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/connectors/redshift.md) | `redshift` |
| PostgreSQL | [PostgreSQL](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/connectors/postgres.md) | `postgres` |
| ClickHouse | [ClickHouse](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/connectors/clickhouse.md) | `clickhouse` |
| Trino or Starburst | [Trino](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/connectors/trino.md) | `trino` |

Each connector page names its authentication sources and configuration keys.
Keep credentials in the connector's credential store or environment, rather than
pasting them into a chat or committing them to `.dex/config.yml`.

## 2. Verify the connection

For an existing DuckDB file, pass its path directly:

```bash theme={null}
dex connect test --path /absolute/path/to/warehouse.duckdb
```

For a configured project:

```bash theme={null}
dex config validate
dex connect test
```

Check the reported connector, target, and capabilities before profiling. A working
dbt profile alone does not always select Dex's connector; use the configuration
and discovery rules on your connector's page.

> [accordion] Inspect or change an existing configuration
>
> `dex config get` shows effective settings and where they came from.
> `dex config set` first returns a diff; reissue it with `--confirm` only after
> reviewing that diff. See the [configuration commands](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/cli/config.md).

## 3. Decide scope and spending limits

Start with the databases or datasets relevant to your task. Connector settings
establish the source allowlist; `--scope` can narrow it for an individual command.
A dev build destination is separate from the source scope.

On a metered warehouse, read the estimate before approving work. Budget units
vary by connector. The person running the session chooses the per-command and
daily limits; an agent must not invent them.

See [cost controls](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/guardrails/cost-controls.md) for the confirmation flow and
what belongs in each ceiling. Hosted dbt Cloud semantic queries have a different
boundary and are outside Dex's cost guard.

## 4. Start with an inventory

```bash theme={null}
dex explore inventory --rank
```

Use that shortlist to decide what to profile, or ask your agent to
[explore the warehouse](https://docs.exmergo.com/dex/guides/explore.md). A successful connection proves
access; it does not prove the tables' grain or the joins between them.


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