# Data Ingestion

Data Ingestion is how manual performance exports get into TheContentForge. The freshness and completeness of what's ingested directly determines the quality of the [Dashboard](/thecontentforge-docs/feature-guides/dashboard.md) and [Patterns](/thecontentforge-docs/feature-guides/patterns.md).

### Who can use it

Editor and Admin only. Members don't see this page.

### What you upload

Per-platform analytics exports covering at least the last 7 days:

* X - post-level analytics export
* Instagram - Insights export
* Facebook - Page Insights export

Use the platform's native export; TheContentForge handles parsing.

### The Monday workflow

The sidebar highlights **Data Ingestion** with a "MON" badge every Monday. The recommended cadence:

1. Monday morning: pull the previous 7 days of analytics from each platform
2. Upload each file in Data Ingestion
3. Confirm the row counts and date range match what you exported
4. Open the Dashboard to verify the new data has landed

### Workflow

1. Open Data Ingestion
2. Select the platform and the file
3. Upload; the platform processes and validates the file
4. Review the import summary (row count, date range, any rejected rows)
5. If something looks off, re-export and re-upload; duplicates are deduped on import

### How it fits with Social Connections

Data Ingestion is for manual analytics exports. [Social Connections](/thecontentforge-docs/feature-guides/social-connections.md) can also fetch analytics for tracked connected profiles. Both paths help keep Dashboard and Patterns current.

### Tips

* Always export with **the longest date range your tool allows** for the period; partial files cause gaps in Patterns
* Don't skip a week. Gaps degrade trend analysis disproportionately
* If you forget a week, just upload it when you remember; the system will fill in


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