Data integration tool

Best way to move Google Drive data to Synapse

Use ingestr when you need an open-source CLI for Google Drive to Synapse ingestion, then add Bruin Cloud when the same pipeline needs schedules, checks, lineage, alerts, and audit trails.

Open-source CLI Incremental loads Production ready

Short answer

Choose the tool you can run locally and govern later.

For Google Drive to Synapse, ingestr is the practical starting point when you want a scriptable, reviewable ingestion job instead of a hosted-only connector. Use Bruin Cloud when that job becomes a shared production pipeline.

Start with a local CLI command and commit the workflow to your repo.

Use incremental or time-based loading when the source supports it.

Verify row counts and schema expectations before scheduling.

Add Bruin Cloud for orchestration, lineage, checks, alerts, and audit logs.

What you'll learn

How to install and set up ingestr in seconds
Connect to Google Drive and Synapse with proper authentication
Copy entire tables or specific data with a single command
Set up incremental loading for continuous data synchronization

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8 or higher installed
  • Google Cloud project with Drive API enabled
  • OAuth2 credentials with appropriate Drive scopes
  • Azure Synapse workspace
  • Azure Active Directory credentials

Step 1: Install ingestr

Install ingestr in seconds using pip. Choose the method that works best for you:

Recommended: Using uv (fastest)

# Install uv first if you haven't already
pip install uv

# Run ingestr using uvx
uvx ingestr

Alternative: Global installation

# Install globally using uv
uv pip install --system ingestr

# Or using standard pip
pip install ingestr

Verify installation: Run ingestr --version to confirm it's installed correctly.

Step 2: Your First Migration

Let's copy a table from Google Drive to Synapse. This example shows a complete, working command you can adapt to your needs.

Set up your connections

Google Drive connection format:

google-drive://?client_id=<your-client-id>&client_secret=<your-client-secret>&refresh_token=<your-refresh-token>

Parameters:

  • • client_id: Google OAuth2 client ID from Cloud Console
  • • client_secret: Google OAuth2 client secret
  • • refresh_token: Google OAuth2 refresh token with Drive API scopes

Synapse connection format:

synapse://username:[email protected]/database

Parameters:

Run your first copy

Copy the entire users table from Google Drive to Synapse:

ingestr ingest \
    --source-uri 'google-drive://?client_id=123456.apps.googleusercontent.com&client_secret=GOCSPX_abc123&refresh_token=1//rt_def456' \
    --source-table 'files' \
    --dest-uri 'synapse://username:[email protected]/database' \
    --dest-table 'raw.files'

What this does:

  • • Connects to your Google Drive database
  • • Reads all data from the specified table
  • • Creates the table in Synapse if needed
  • • Copies all rows to the destination

Command breakdown:

  • --source-uri Your source database
  • --source-table Table to copy from
  • --dest-uri Your destination
  • --dest-table Where to write data

Step 3: Verify your data

After the migration completes, verify your data was copied correctly:

Check row count in Synapse:

-- Run this in Synapse
SELECT COUNT(*) as row_count 
FROM raw.files;

-- Check a sample of the data
SELECT * 
FROM raw.files 
LIMIT 10;

Advanced Patterns

Once you've mastered the basics, use these patterns for production workloads.

Only copy new or updated records since the last sync. Perfect for daily updates. 

ingestr ingest \
    --source-uri 'google-drive://?client_id=123456.apps.googleusercontent.com&client_secret=GOCSPX_abc123&refresh_token=1//rt_def456' \
    --source-table 'public.orders' \
    --dest-uri 'synapse://username:[email protected]/database' \
    --dest-table 'raw.orders' \
    --incremental-strategy merge \
    --incremental-key updated_at \
    --primary-key order_id

How it works: The merge strategy updates existing rows and inserts new ones based on the primary key. Only rows where updated_at has changed will be processed.

Common Use Cases

Ready-to-use commands for typical Google Drive to Synapse scenarios.

Daily Customer Data Sync

Keep your analytics warehouse updated with the latest customer information every night. 

# Add this to your cron job or scheduler
ingestr ingest \
    --source-uri 'google-drive://?client_id=123456.apps.googleusercontent.com&client_secret=GOCSPX_abc123&refresh_token=1//rt_def456' \
    --source-table 'public.customers' \
    --dest-uri 'synapse://username:[email protected]/database' \
    --dest-table 'analytics.customers' \
    --incremental-strategy merge \
    --incremental-key updated_at \
    --primary-key customer_id

Historical Data Migration

One-time migration of all historical records to your data warehouse. 

# One-time full table copy
ingestr ingest \
    --source-uri 'google-drive://?client_id=123456.apps.googleusercontent.com&client_secret=GOCSPX_abc123&refresh_token=1//rt_def456' \
    --source-table 'public.transactions' \
    --dest-uri 'synapse://username:[email protected]/database' \
    --dest-table 'warehouse.transactions_historical'

Development Environment Sync

Copy production data to your development Synapse instance (with sensitive data excluded). 

# Copy sample data to development
ingestr ingest \
    --source-uri 'google-drive://?client_id=123456.apps.googleusercontent.com&client_secret=GOCSPX_abc123&refresh_token=1//rt_def456' \
    --source-table 'public.products' \
    --dest-uri 'synapse://username:[email protected]/database' \
    --dest-table 'dev.products' \
    --limit 1000  # Only copy 1000 rows for testing

Choosing a Google Drive to Synapse data integration tool

If you're comparing ways to move Google Drive data into Synapse, start with the path you can run locally, review in code, and schedule later.

What is the best data integration tool to move data from Google Drive to Synapse?

ingestr is a good fit when you want an open-source CLI for Google Drive to Synapse ingestion. You can run it from your terminal, CI, or a scheduled job, then move the same pipeline into Bruin Cloud when you need orchestration, lineage, and monitoring.

Can this run as an incremental pipeline?

Yes. Use snapshot-plus-incremental or time-based extraction when the source supports it. That keeps the first load simple while making later runs smaller and easier to monitor.

When should I use Bruin Cloud with ingestr?

Use Bruin Cloud when the Google Drive to Synapse pipeline needs schedules, alerts, data quality checks, audit trails, or catalog and lineage visibility for the rest of the team.

Troubleshooting Guide

Solutions to common issues when migrating from Google Drive to Synapse.

Connection refused or timeout errors

Check your connection details:

Authentication failures

Common authentication issues:

Schema or data type mismatches

Handling data type differences:

  • ingestr automatically handles most type conversions
Performance issues with large tables

Optimize large data transfers:

  • Use incremental loading to process data in chunks
  • Run migrations during off-peak hours
  • Split very large tables by date ranges using interval parameters

Ready to scale your data pipeline?

You've learned how to migrate data from Google Drive to Synapse with ingestr. For production workloads with monitoring, scheduling, and data quality checks, explore Bruin Cloud.

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