> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.summation.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MotherDuck

> Connect Summation to a MotherDuck (hosted DuckDB) database.

MotherDuck is hosted DuckDB. Summation connects with a database name and a service token.

## What you'll need

* A MotherDuck account with at least one database. See [Getting started](https://motherduck.com/docs/getting-started/).
* An **access token** for the account. See [Authenticating to MotherDuck](https://motherduck.com/docs/key-tasks/authenticating-and-connecting-to-motherduck/authenticating-to-motherduck/).

## Form fields

| Field                | Required | Stored as | Notes                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| -------------------- | -------- | --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Database**         | Yes      | Config    | The MotherDuck database name, e.g. `sample_data`.                                                                                                                                                  |
| **MotherDuck token** | Yes      | Secret    | A service token from your MotherDuck account. See [Authenticating to MotherDuck](https://motherduck.com/docs/key-tasks/authenticating-and-connecting-to-motherduck/authenticating-to-motherduck/). |

## Getting a token

1. Sign in to [app.motherduck.com](https://app.motherduck.com).
2. Open **Settings → Tokens**. (Detailed steps: [Authenticating to MotherDuck](https://motherduck.com/docs/key-tasks/authenticating-and-connecting-to-motherduck/authenticating-to-motherduck/).)
3. Create a token with read access to the database you want to expose.
4. Paste it into the **MotherDuck token** field.

## Common problems

| Error or symptom        | Likely cause                                                                     |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Authentication failed` | Token is wrong, expired, or scoped to a different database.                      |
| `Database not found`    | Database name is case-sensitive. Match it exactly to what you see in MotherDuck. |