Overview
When integrating Sprout Social with Funnel, one key setup question is how to structure your data sources — specifically, whether to:
Add all Sprout Social profiles into a single Funnel data source, or
Create one Funnel data source per Sprout Social profile.
While combining profiles into a single data source can seem simpler at first, it introduces significant risks and complications when profile access changes over time. This article explains why we recommend using one Funnel data source per profile, supported by a detailed example.
🧩 Option 1: One Data Source with Multiple Profiles
In this setup, you connect all social profiles (e.g., Facebook Pages, LinkedIn Company Pages, Instagram Accounts) under one Sprout Social data source in Funnel.
Pros
Fewer total data sources in Funnel.
Easier to manage at first setup.
Cons
Dependency on all profiles: If you lose access to one profile (e.g., a client disconnects or revokes permissions), the entire data source may throw an error or partially fail.
Backfill issues: Once you remove a profile from the data source to fix the error, Funnel will no longer have permission to fetch its historical data.
Data loss risk: If you later re-sync, Funnel may overwrite old data with incomplete or missing profile information.
🧩 Option 2: One Data Source per Profile (Recommended)
Here, each Sprout Social profile is connected as its own individual data source in Funnel.
Pros
Isolation of issues: Losing access to one profile doesn’t affect others.
Stable backfills: Each profile’s historical data remains intact, even if access to another profile changes.
Simpler maintenance: You can reconnect or remove a single profile without risking other data sources.
Cons
Slightly more setup time (one connection per profile).
More data sources in Funnel, which could affect organization or quota limits.
⚠️ Example Scenario: Why One Profile per Data Source Matters
Let’s walk through a realistic situation:
Scenario:
You have a Sprout Social account connected to Funnel with 3 profiles:
Facebook – Brand A
LinkedIn – Brand B
Instagram – Brand C
These are all part of one Funnel data source.
Step 1: Initial Setup
Everything works fine — Funnel fetches data from all three profiles and keeps it updated.
Step 2: Loss of Access
A month later, you lose access to Instagram – Brand C (e.g., the client revokes Sprout access).
The Funnel data source now throws an error because it can’t reach all profiles.
Funnel can’t fetch data for any profiles until the issue is resolved.
Step 3: Attempted Fix
To fix it, you remove Brand C (the disconnected profile) from the data source.
The data source starts working again for Brand A and Brand B.
But you’ve now permanently lost access to Brand C’s historical data through this connection.
Step 4: Consequence
Funnel will overwrite the existing dataset, excluding all Brand C data.
You can’t backfill that missing data later, because you no longer have access through Sprout.
The historical metrics for Brand C are lost in Funnel.
✅ Recommended Best Practice
Always create one Funnel data source per Sprout Social profile.
Setup Option | Data Isolation | Error Risk | Backfill Stability | Maintenance |
One data source (all profiles) | ❌ None | ⚠️ High | ❌ Lost if access changes | ⚠️ Risky |
One per profile (recommended) | ✅ Full | ✅ Low | ✅ Stable | ✅ Easy to manage |