Prerequisites

MongoDB Database - A running MongoDB instance (version 4.4 or higher) with your data

Database Credentials - Connection string or host/port with read access permissions

Network Access - Database should be accessible from the internet or through VPN/tunnel

SSL Certificate - SSL encryption for secure data transmission (recommended)

Connection Methods

Choose the connection method that best fits your MongoDB setup.

Connection String

Use a MongoDB connection string for quick setup with authentication.

Manual Configuration

Configure host, port, database, and authentication separately.

Atlas Cloud

Connect directly to MongoDB Atlas with cluster connection strings.

Connection Guide

Step 1: Access MongoDB Integration

Navigate to Integrations in Datapad and select MongoDB:

MongoDB connect screen on Datapad UI

Step 2: Enter Connection Details

Choose your preferred connection method and enter details:

MongoDB connection configuration

Connection String Format:

mongodb://[username:password@]host1[:port1][,...hostN[:portN]][/[defaultauthdb][?options]]

Required Information:

Connection String or Host/Port
Database Name
Username and Password
Authentication Database (if different)

For MongoDB Atlas, use the connection string provided in your cluster dashboard.

Step 3: Configure Collection Access

Select which collections you want to analyze:

MongoDB collection selection

Available Options:

All Collections (recommended for full analysis)
Specific Collections (for focused analysis)
Collection Patterns (using regex matching)

Create Read-Only User (Recommended)

For security, create a dedicated user with read-only permissions:

// Connect to your MongoDB instance
use admin

// Create a read-only user for Datapad
db.createUser({
  user: "datapad_readonly",
  pwd: "secure_password",
  roles: [
    { role: "read", db: "your_database" },
    { role: "read", db: "your_other_database" }
  ]
})

Replace "your_database" with your actual database names and choose a strong password for the datapad_readonly user.

Example Queries

Here are some example questions you can ask once your MongoDB data is connected:

"Show me the most common document structures in my user collection"

"What's the average order value by customer location in the orders collection?"

"How many documents were created each day this month?"

"Which fields are missing or null across documents in the products collection?"

"Show me the distribution of array sizes in the tags field"

"What's the most common value for the status field across all collections?"

💬 NoSQL Query Tips

Use collection names in your questions for better targeting

Ask about document structure analysis to understand your data schema

Request field distribution analysis for data quality insights

Use business terms that align with your document field names

Behind the Scenes

Datapad connects to your MongoDB database and analyzes document structures, field distributions, and data patterns. Our AI understands NoSQL document relationships and generates optimized aggregation pipelines for complex queries, providing insights that are difficult to obtain with traditional MongoDB queries.

Troubleshooting

Connection failed

If MongoDB connection fails:

Verify your connection string format is correct
Check that your username and password are accurate
Ensure the database is accessible from external connections
Test connectivity using MongoDB Compass or mongo shell

Authentication error

If authentication fails:

Verify the user has read permissions on the target databases
Check that the authentication database is correctly specified
Ensure the user account isn't locked or expired
Try connecting with the same credentials using MongoDB client tools

Collection access issues

If specific collections aren't accessible:

Verify the user has read permissions on those collections
Check that collection names are spelled correctly
Ensure collections contain documents for analysis
Contact support if permissions appear correct but access still fails