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

# Data Integrations

Move data between your app and your tenants' external apps — import, export, or keep it synchronized in both directions. Your agent can set up and manage data sync configurations, while Membrane handles authentication, pagination, data transformation, and change detection.

## Getting Started

1. Complete the [Quickstart: Product Integrations](/docs/getting-started/product-integrations) guide.
2. Ask your coding agent to build the data integration:

> "Set up a continuous data sync that imports contacts from connected CRMs into our database and keeps them up to date."

If you want to learn how it works under the hood — read on.

## Common Patterns

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Continuous Data Import" href="/docs/getting-started/product-integrations/data-integrations/continuous-data-import">
    Import data from external apps and keep it continuously synchronized.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Pushing Data to External Apps" href="/docs/getting-started/product-integrations/data-integrations/pushing-data-to-external-apps">
    Send data from your app to external systems like CRMs or databases.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bi-directional Data Sync" href="/docs/getting-started/product-integrations/data-integrations/bi-directional-data-sync">
    Keep data synchronized in both directions between your app and external apps.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Import User-selected Collections" href="/docs/getting-started/product-integrations/data-integrations/import-user-selected-data-collections">
    Let users choose which data collections to import from external apps.
  </Card>
</Columns>

## How It Works

1. **Define data sources** — Create [Data Sources](/reference/workspace-elements/data-sources) that map to the types of data you want to sync (contacts, companies, tasks, etc.).
2. **Configure field mappings** — Use [Field Mappings](/reference/workspace-elements/field-mappings) to define how fields in external apps correspond to fields in your app.
3. **Set up sync flows** — Create [Flows](/reference/workspace-elements/flows) that handle initial imports, incremental updates, and change events.
4. **Membrane handles the rest** — Authentication, pagination, data transformation, and event subscriptions are managed automatically.

## Key Building Blocks

* **[Data Sources](/reference/workspace-elements/data-sources)** — define what data to sync and where it lives in external apps
* **[Field Mappings](/reference/workspace-elements/field-mappings)** — map fields between your schema and external app schemas; let tenants customize mappings
* **[Data Links](/reference/workspace-elements/data-links)** — track relationships between records in your app and records in external apps
* **[Flows](/reference/workspace-elements/flows)** — orchestrate multi-step sync workflows with triggers, actions, and conditional logic