# Azure Blob Storage

Azure Blob Storage is Microsoft's cloud object storage service. It stores unstructured data — files like CSVs, JSONs, Parquets, and Excel sheets — that you can connect to Coupler.io and sync into your analytics tools, data warehouse, or spreadsheets.

## Why connect to Coupler.io?

* **Centralize cloud file data** — Pull files from Azure containers directly into Google Sheets, BigQuery, Looker Studio, or Claude without manual downloads
* **Support multiple formats** — Work with CSV, JSONL, Parquet, Excel, and unstructured data in a single data flow
* **Automate file syncs** — Schedule regular refreshes so your dashboards and reports always reflect the latest blobs
* **Combine with other sources** — Use Join or Append transformations to merge Azure file data with CRM, ad platform, or database records

## Prerequisites

You'll need:

* An active **Azure subscription** with access to Blob Storage
* **Storage account name** (find it in the Azure Portal under Storage Accounts)
* **Container name** where your files are stored
* **Storage account key** (primary or secondary, available under Access keys in the Azure Portal)
* Files in a supported format: CSV, JSONL, Parquet, Excel, or unstructured text

## Quick start

{% hint style="success" %}
Start with a single CSV or Parquet file in your container. Once you confirm the sync works, expand to multiple files using glob patterns (e.g., `data/*.csv`).
{% endhint %}

## How to connect

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
**Log in to Coupler.io** and create a new data flow. Choose Azure Blob Storage as your source.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Enter your Azure Blob Storage account name.** This is the name of your storage account in Azure (e.g., `mystorageaccount`). Do NOT include the full domain — just the account name.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Provide your storage account key.** In the Azure Portal, go to your storage account and select **Access keys** under Settings. Copy the primary key (or secondary key) and paste it into the Coupler.io form.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Enter the container name** where your files are stored (e.g., `raw-data`, `imports`, or `exports`).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Specify the file path or glob pattern.** For a single file, enter the exact path (e.g., `sales.csv`). For multiple files, use a glob pattern (e.g., `data/*.csv` to match all CSVs in the `data` folder, or `reports/**/*.parquet` to match Parquets in nested folders).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Choose your file format** from the dropdown: CSV, JSONL, Parquet, Excel, or Unstructured. This tells Coupler.io how to parse and structure the data.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Set a start date (optional).** If you want to sync only files modified after a certain date, use the date picker. Leave blank to sync all files matching your path pattern.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Choose your destination** — Google Sheets, BigQuery, Looker Studio, Excel, or an AI destination like Claude or ChatGPT. Select the target sheet, table, or dataset where you want the data to land.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
**Run the data flow manually** by clicking the play button. Wait for the flow to complete successfully before scheduling.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

## Supported file formats

| Format           | Best for                       | Notes                                                 |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| **CSV**          | Structured tabular data        | Most common; handles headers and quoted fields        |
| **JSONL**        | Nested or semi-structured data | One JSON object per line; flexible schema             |
| **Parquet**      | Large datasets, analytics      | Compressed, columnar format; preserves data types     |
| **Excel**        | Multi-sheet workbooks          | Supports `.xlsx` and `.xls`; syncs one sheet per flow |
| **Unstructured** | Logs, text, raw content        | Raw file content as plain text                        |