---
title: Add and Connect to a Data Source
slug: rm/add-and-connect-to-a-data-source
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-06-09T13:38:47.481Z
---

With Blueprint AutoTag, you can create document templates using data from your Blueprint project.

To connect to an XML file data source for your document templates:

1. Open a template or a blank Word or Excel document.
2. Click the **Data Sources** button located on the Blueprint Manager tab on the ribbon.

   ![](https://files.helpdocs.io/4rdnduk17o/articles/12clcsxnla/1584636460671/add-connect-to-data-source-1.png)
3. In the Data Sources dialog displayed, click the **Add** button.

   ![](https://files.helpdocs.io/4rdnduk17o/articles/12clcsxnla/1584636472718/add-connect-to-data-source-2.png)
4. In the Data Source Connector dialogue displayed:
5. Set the **Vendor** option to **xml (file or url)**. The vendor option controls what kind of data is retrieved.
6. The **Name** text box must be left blank. Blueprint only supports unnamed (empty) data sources.
7. Click the **Browse** button and locate the XML file that contains your project data.
8. Click the **Test** button to validate the data source connection. The following message appears when the data source is validated successfully: `Connection to data source successful, data source validated.`

   ![](https://files.helpdocs.io/4rdnduk17o/articles/12clcsxnla/1584636516003/add-connect-to-data-source-3.png)
9. Click **OK** to close the Datasource Connector dialog. The Data Sources dialog now contains a line of data:

   ![](https://files.helpdocs.io/4rdnduk17o/articles/12clcsxnla/1584636539163/add-connect-to-data-source-4.png)
10. To refine your data, click the **Datasets**button\:This brings up the Datasource Preferences dialog. In this pane, you can uncheck data nodes and sub-nodes that you do not want included in your Tag Editor, Data Bin and Data Tree.
    This limits the available choices to only the data items needed for your template, thereby minimizing scrolling and searching. To add data items back to the Tag Editor, Data Bin and Data Tree, simply check the box next to the desired data item.Click **Close** in the Datasource Preferences dialog and in the Data Sources dialog.

    ![](https://files.helpdocs.io/4rdnduk17o/articles/12clcsxnla/1584636555991/add-connect-to-data-source-5.png)

    ![](https://files.helpdocs.io/4rdnduk17o/articles/12clcsxnla/1584636580849/add-connect-to-data-source-6.png)