# Refreshing data

{% embed url="<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiHiVNnJLkk>" %}

Keep your maps current with Felt's dynamic data updating options. Whether you've uploaded files, connected via URL, or integrated with cloud data sources, you can refresh your layers to reflect the latest information while preserving your styling and configuration. Set up automated refreshes for live data sources or manually update when needed to ensure your spatial visualizations always represent the most current data.

## Maintaining styling when refreshing

When refreshing data, Felt preserves your layer styling, filters, and components automatically. Follow these guidelines to ensure smooth updates:

**Maintain column consistency**

* Avoid renaming columns that are used in styling, filters, or components
* Felt uses column headers to maintain styling when you upload new versions
* You can add new columns without affecting existing visualizations

**When columns change**&#x20;

If a column used in styling is renamed or removed, Felt detects this and gives you options to maintain your map:

<figure><img src="https://217108486-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FmRfGitkyjOEMvVsEyGWN%2Fuploads%2Ft7psGn4hKH9t3MggPDrO%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=687aa5bc-cf4f-4c3c-891c-ba2428c7b0d8" alt="" width="563"><figcaption><p>Felt prompts you to select a new attribute when a styled column is no longer available</p></figcaption></figure>

You can:

* Select a new attribute from the dropdown to maintain consistent styling
* Remove the missing attribute to clear your styling
* Discard the data update if you need to fix your data first

This graceful handling ensures you never lose your carefully configured map styling due to data changes.

## URL connected layers

* Select the layer you want to refresh from the [legend](https://help.felt.com/getting-started/tour-the-interface#legend)
* Go to the Data tab in the [detail panel](https://help.felt.com/getting-started/tour-the-interface#detail-panel)
* Click the option to **`Refresh`** at the bottom left
* Wait for the processing to complete (you'll see a loading indicator)
* Your map will update automatically with the new data

{% hint style="info" %}
**Tip**: When importing a Google Sheet, toggle on the **`Live`** option during import to stay in synch with updates for a quick and easy database powered map.
{% endhint %}

## File uploaded layers

* Download the updated file to your computer
* In Felt, select the layer you want to update from the [legend](https://help.felt.com/getting-started/tour-the-interface#legend)
* Go to the Data tab in the [detail panel](https://help.felt.com/getting-started/tour-the-interface#detail-panel)
* Click the option to **`Upload new version`** at the bottom left
* Select your updated file
* Wait for the processing to complete
* Your map will display the refreshed data

## Configuring live layers

Once you’ve added a layer to your dashboard you can set the refresh cadence in the Data tab in the [detail panel](https://help.felt.com/getting-started/tour-the-interface#detail-panel):

* For on-demand updates: click on the **`Refresh`** button at the bottom of the data menu
* For automatic updates: turn the **`Live`** toggle ON and select a cadence from the dropdown

{% hint style="info" %}
**Tip:** You can always find the source URL for a live layer in the Data tab.
{% endhint %}

<div align="center"><figure><img src="https://217108486-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FmRfGitkyjOEMvVsEyGWN%2Fuploads%2Fe8EhQy3sXUN1bRCXhBzS%2FUntitled%20(7).png?alt=media&#x26;token=21dd9c10-11d5-434e-8cb5-72f1d5a29f50" alt="" width="295"><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

## Refreshing cloud source

Felt requests updated datasets from your database every 24 hours and refreshes the list of datasets available for Felt. For example: if a dataset is added to the database, you will see that dataset available in Felt after a cloud source refresh.&#x20;

You can refresh all the data from your source on demand by clicking on the **`Sync Source`** option at the top of the source in the library:

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://217108486-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FmRfGitkyjOEMvVsEyGWN%2Fuploads%2FNqt3bcWL2JSleYErsCBw%2FUntitled%20(6).png?alt=media&#x26;token=17fa4fa8-4b48-498b-aa28-427f45475689" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

Note: the cloud source refresh does not refresh any data layer on maps, and does not consume any data processing.