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

# Data layer overview

> How Solya brings your retail data in: data sources, ingestion specs, and ingestion runs.

The **data layer** is everything that gets your business data into Solya in a clean,
consistent shape. It has three building blocks that work together:

Here's the ingestion pipeline:

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart TB
    Source["Data source<br/>(POS, API,<br/>file upload)"]
    FileArrives["File arrives<br/>at landing zone"]
    IngestionSpec["Ingestion spec<br/>(detect, parse,<br/>transform)"]
    IngestionRun["Ingestion run<br/>(tracked execution)"]
    AnalyticsTables["Analytics tables<br/>(gold/silver)"]
    
    Source --> FileArrives
    FileArrives --> IngestionSpec
    IngestionSpec --> IngestionRun
    IngestionRun --> AnalyticsTables
```

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Data sources" icon="plug" href="/en/data-layer/data-source">
    The systems you import from — POS systems, APIs, or file uploads.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ingestion specs" icon="file-lines" href="/en/data-layer/ingestion-spec">
    The rules that tell Solya how to read each incoming file.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ingestion runs" icon="play" href="/en/data-layer/ingestion-runs">
    The record of every import — status, timing, and logs.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## The flow

<Steps>
  <Step title="Activate a data source">
    Choose the systems your organization uses (e.g. Polaris or Kezia POS, or file
    uploads). Each activated source has a place where its files land.
  </Step>

  <Step title="An ingestion spec interprets the file">
    When a file arrives, the matching **ingestion spec** describes how to detect it,
    parse its columns, and transform it into Solya's standard data model.
  </Step>

  <Step title="An ingestion run executes the import">
    Each execution is tracked as an **ingestion run** you can monitor, with full logs
    and a clear success / failure status.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Once data is ingested, it powers the rest of Solya — analytics, risk detection,
forecasting, recommendations, and your plans.