# How Connections Work

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### Types of Connections

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**Bank and Card Connections (via Plaid)**

These connect directly to financial institutions like Chase or Bank of America.

Each login creates one connection, which can include multiple accounts, such as checking, savings, or credit cards.
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**App Connections**

These connect to tools like Gusto (payroll), Stripe (payments), Ramp (cards), or Bill.com.

They use each app’s own authorization flow and may behave differently from bank connections.
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### Connections vs. Accounts

A connection and an account are not the same:

* A **connection** is the top-level link to an institution or service (for example, Chase)
* An **account** is an individual account within that connection (for example, a checking account or credit card)

A single connection can include multiple accounts.

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**Tip:** If you only need to remove or manage one account, you don’t need to remove the entire connection.
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### How Data Flows In

When you create a connection, you choose a start date. Digits imports transactions from that date forward and continues syncing automatically.

For bank and card connections, you may occasionally need to re-authorize through your bank. This is expected and helps keep the connection active.

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### Connection Statuses

<table><thead><tr><th width="270.7613525390625">Status</th><th>What it means</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Connected</strong></td><td>Syncing normally</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Connecting</strong></td><td>Initial setup or just re-authenticated (may take a few minutes)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Initial Sync In Progress</strong></td><td>Waiting for the bank or service to finish adding accounts</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Paused</strong></td><td>Connection has been manually disabled and is not syncing</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Disconnected</strong></td><td>Your bank requires you to log in again to resume syncing</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Re-authentication required</strong></td><td>A specific re-authorization is needed (distinct from fully disconnected)</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Setup Incomplete</strong></td><td>Category mappings or activation steps need to be finished</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Awaiting accountant</strong></td><td>Setup is pending your accountant finalizing the connection</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Delayed Syncing</strong></td><td>Sync is behind. Digits is working on catching it up</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Archived</strong></td><td>Permanently disconnected; no new data will import</td></tr></tbody></table>

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### QuickBooks is Not a Connection

QuickBooks works differently from other connections in Digits.

When you connect QuickBooks during setup, Digits imports your historical data up to a selected cutover date. This is a one-time import, not an ongoing sync.

After setup is complete, QuickBooks is no longer connected.

See: [Migrate Data from Quickbooks](/business-getting-started/migrate-from-quickbooks.md)

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**Related articles**

* [Change the Start Date for a Connection](/business-connections/start-date.md)
* [Delete or Remove Transactions in Digits](/business-connections/remove-transactions.md)
* [Archive and Delete a Connection](/business-connections/remove-connections.md)
* [Starting Over in Digits](/business-connections/starting-over.md)

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Got a question or feedback? Our team is all ears—come say hello!
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<p align="center"><a href="https://portal.usepylon.com/digits/forms/get-in-touch-with-digits-support" class="button primary" data-icon="envelope-open-text">Contact Digits Support</a></p>
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