Uploading CSVs with data input tables

Sometimes you may want to use data in an analysis that isn’t already in a database schema, for data enrichment or an initial exploration. With a data input table, you can add data to Omni by entering it manually or by uploading a CSV or XLSX file, without changes to your data pipelines.

Requirements

To add data input tables, you’ll need:

A configured Omni connection that supports upload tables
Restricted Querier, Querier, or Connection Admin permissions
The Upload data ability enabled. This setting must be enabled for the organization and, if a document is shared with others, also in the document’s settings.

Omni recommends creating a schema in your database where Omni can write the table uploads. See the setup guide for your database for more information.

Limitations

Currently, data input tables:

Must be added in a workbook
Are limited to 500,000 rows
Can’t be used in joins unless the table is pushed to a database. Adding a schema to the connection’s Schema for table uploads setting enables this functionality. Refer to the setup guide for your database for more information.

Creating data input tables

Omni UI
API

Data input tables can be added in the workbook of any document.In a workbook, navigate to Edit > New blank table. A new tab with a blank data input table displays.To get data into the table, you can manually enter it or upload a CSV or XLSX:

Manually enter data

In the first row, add the names of the columns. The first row must be a header row to allow Omni to generate a schema for the table.
Enter data into the cells. To add line breaks, use Ctrl + Enter.
To add rows or columns, use the Add Row and Add Column buttons.
When you’re finished editing the table, click Save changes near the top right corner of the page.
Enter a Name for the table.
If you have Querier permissions or higher, you’ll see a Create topic checkbox. Select this checkbox to create a topic from the data you entered. If you’re a Restricted Querier, Omni creates a topic automatically.
Click Save.

Use the Columns section in the Details panel to change a column’s data type. See Column types for more information.

Upload a CSV or XLSX file

To upload a CSV or XLSX:

The first row must be a header row
The file can’t exceed 500,000 rows

Additionally, if the XLSX file contains multiple sheets, Omni uploads only the first sheet.

Click the Upload CSV option near the top right corner of the page.
Browse for or drag the file you want to upload into the upload dialog.
Review each column’s detected type and format, and change them if needed. If you select Date or Timestamp, you’ll also need to select a Format. Note: Changing a column’s type re-reads the file using the updated schema. If a value doesn’t match the new type, Omni highlights the row where it occurs.
If you have Querier permissions or higher, you’ll see a Create topic checkbox. Select this checkbox to create a topic from the uploaded file. If you’re a Restricted Querier, Omni creates a topic from the file automatically.
Click Upload to upload the file.

Use the Upload a CSV file endpoint to upload a CSV and create a new data input table as a view in the shared model:

curl --request POST \
   --url https://{your-omni-org}.omniapp.co/api/v1/uploads \
   --header 'Authorization: Bearer {token}' \
   --header 'Content-Type: multipart/form-data' \
   --form 'file=@example-file;type=text/csv' \
   --form modelId=880e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440003 \
   --form branchId=990e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440004 \
   --form branchName=my-branch \
   --form viewName=custom_view_name

If the view name for a new upload is already taken, Omni adds a numeric suffix (for example, orders_2) instead of merging the upload into the existing view.

You can manually update the table’s data - including values, column types, and formatting - at any time in the table’s source tab.

Using data input tables

You can query data input tables like any other table. For example, you can use the field picker, the SQL editor, calculations and formulas, and joins.

Querying

After there’s data in the table, click Use in query to create a query using the data:

Data input table with five rows of data in the Omni UI, with the Use in query button

The table will also become available in the field picker in other queries.

Joining data

How you join data from a data input table to other data depends on whether table uploads are enabled for the database connection used by the workbook:

Traditional joins
XLOOKUP joins

Traditional joins with data input tables require that connections have a Schema for table uploads configured.

If table uploads are enabled for the connection, you can use traditional joins, in point-and-click queries or in SQL, to create relationships between data input tables and other data.If you try to use a data input table in a traditional join and table uploads aren’t enabled, you’ll see this validation error in the model IDE:

View "<view_name>" references an uploaded table. Uploaded tables cannot be used in joins.

If table uploads aren’t enabled for the connection, you won’t be able to use traditional joins with data input tables. You can, however, use XLOOKUP to perform cross-tab analysis in a workbook:

=XLOOKUP(lookup_value, <query_tab_name>!<lookup_range>, <query_tab_name>!<return_range>)

For example, you have a workbook with two tabs: Sales, which is backed by a topic, and Products Upload, which is a query on a data input table. You want to include the names of products purchased in an order alongside other sales data.To join the data in the Products Upload tab to your sales, you can use an XLOOKUP formula like the following to create a new calculation in the Sales tab:

=XLOOKUP(A1,'Products Upload'!B:B, 'Products Upload'!C:C)

Modeling and promoting data input tables

When a data input table is added to a workbook, a few things happen in the workbook model:

Omni creates a view representing the data input table. Omni automatically adds an uploaded_table_name parameter to these views:
products.view
# Reference this view as products uploaded_table_name: products.csv::1a3497f5-cba8-47c0-bab9-b2df84d1b141
Omni creates a topic based on the data input’s view if:
- Create topic was selected while uploading a CSV or XLSX, or
- A Restricted Querier performed the upload
Topics created from table uploads automatically receive empty required_access_grants, meaning they don’t inherit model-level default_topic_required_access_grants and are accessible to all users by default.

Promoting data input tables

Views and topics created from data input tables can be modeled like any other view or topic. To make the changes available outside the workbook, promote them to the shared model.

Updating data input tables

When making updates to a data input table, keep the following in mind:

Changes must be promoted to the shared model to be accessible outside the workbook. This is necessary even if the table was previously promoted to the shared model.
If table uploads are enabled for the connection, Omni creates a new table in the database each time the table is saved. You can manage previous versions of the table in the Upload management page.

To update a data input table’s data:

In a workbook, locate the table in a query tab.
Click the icon next to the table’s name, then Edit Table.
The data input table opens in a new tab where you can edit the table’s data, column types, and formats.
Click Save changes when finished.

Upon a successful save, the updated table will immediately become available in the workbook. Omni will also log a new version of the table in the Upload management page.

Table data

Use the sheet in the table’s source tab to edit the table’s data:

To do this	Do this
Edit a cell	Click the cell and enter a value
Rename a column	Edit the column’s cell in the first row
Add a row or column at the end of the table	Click Add Row or Add Column in the toolbar
Insert or delete rows and columns	Right-click a cell and select an option
Move a row or column	Drag the row or column header to a new position
Cut, copy, or paste values	Use the right-click menu or keyboard shortcuts. When you paste, values are inserted as plain text.
Resize all columns to fit their data	Click Autosize Columns in the toolbar

Click Save changes when you’re done. If a value doesn’t match the column’s type, Omni shows an error and doesn’t save.

Table details

The top section of the Details panel displays information about the table, including the file name, size, created and updated dates, and date and time formatting options. To rename the table’s underlying file, use the File name field and save the changes. This changes the name of the file and how it displays in the workbook, but not the name of the underlying view used in queries.

Column types

Use the Columns section in the Details panel to select data types for the columns in the table. Omni supports the following data types for data input tables:

Type	Notes	Example
String		`Blob Ross`
Integer	Values must be whole numbers; can’t include commas or periods	`4`, `2000`
Float	Values can include decimals and whole numbers	`1.0`, `101`
Boolean	Values must be `true` or `false`	`true`, `false`
Date	If a date format is set, values must match it or use `YYYY-MM-DD`	`2026/09/01`
Time	Values must be between `00:00:00` and `24:00:00`. The table’s time format doesn’t apply.	`23:59:02`
Timestamp	If a time format is set, values must match it or start with `YYYY-MM-DD`	`2026-09-01 00:11:59`
Timestamp with time zone	Only available for columns already stored as this type

When you save, Omni converts the column’s data to the new type. If a value doesn’t meet the requirements for its type in the table above, Omni shows an error and doesn’t save your changes. For example, Omni can’t save a Boolean column that contains 1 instead of true.

Date and time formats

Date and time formats tell Omni how to read the values in Date and Timestamp columns. Each format applies to all columns of that type in the table. When you create a table, the formats are set to Automatic, and Omni detects the formats from the data. After you save the table with a format, Automatic isn’t available. To change the formats:

In the Details panel, click the icon next to Date or Time.
In the Date and time formats dialog, select a Date Format and a Timestamp Format.
Setting Applies to Options
Date Format Date columns MM/DD/YYYY, DD/MM/YYYY, YYYY/MM/DD, YYYY-MM-DD
Timestamp Format Timestamp columns YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS, YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.SSS
To use a format that isn’t in the list, select Custom and enter a format string. Format strings use DuckDB format specifiers. For example, %d.%m.%Y reads 01.09.2026 as September 1, 2026.
Click Save.

Setting	Applies to	Options
Date Format	`Date` columns	`MM/DD/YYYY`, `DD/MM/YYYY`, `YYYY/MM/DD`, `YYYY-MM-DD`
Timestamp Format	`Timestamp` columns	`YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS`, `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS.SSS`

Managing previous table versions

Every time you create or update a data input table, Omni adds an entry to the Upload management page. Each item in the list represents a version of the table. Entries are sorted by the time they were created, beginning with the most recent. Navigate to Settings > Uploads and select the CSV option to display the uploads:

The Upload management page in Omni with the file type set to CSV — Explore and delete previous versions

Querying previous table versions

To create a query using a specific version of a table, click the Explore button next to the table version. This opens a new workbook that uses the specified version of the table.

If you promote the changes from an older version of the table, they overwrite the data currently in the shared model.

Deleting table versions

Deleting a table version can’t be undone. Before continuing, note that:

Omni permanently deletes the version of the table from your Omni instance. If table uploads are enabled, Omni also deletes the version from the database.
Queries, views, and topics built on the version return errors after the deletion.

Organization Admins can use the Upload management page to delete previous versions of a data input table:

Navigate to Settings > Uploads.
Locate the version you want to remove and click Delete.

After the deletion is complete, you’ll also need to:

Remove views and topics built on the version from the model
Update or remove queries using the version

Getting started

Manage content

Analyze & build

Visualize & present

Deliver content

Model data

Manage integrations

Uploading CSVs with data input tables

Requirements

Limitations

Creating data input tables

Using data input tables

Querying

Joining data

Modeling and promoting data input tables

Promoting data input tables

Updating data input tables

Table data

Table details

Column types

Date and time formats

Managing previous table versions

Querying previous table versions

Deleting table versions

​Requirements

​Limitations

​Creating data input tables

​Using data input tables

​Querying

​Joining data

​Modeling and promoting data input tables

​Promoting data input tables

​Updating data input tables

​Table data

​Table details

​Column types

​Date and time formats

​Managing previous table versions

​Querying previous table versions

​Deleting table versions

Requirements

Limitations

Creating data input tables

Using data input tables

Querying

Joining data

Modeling and promoting data input tables

Promoting data input tables

Updating data input tables

Table data

Table details

Column types

Date and time formats

Managing previous table versions

Querying previous table versions

Deleting table versions