# Connect to a database
## Define the source and destination database
Before you can synthesize your data, you must first create a workspace by connecting to a **source** and **destination** database. The **source** database contains the data that you want to synthesize. The **destination** database is the location where you want to write the synthetic data to.
Syntho supports connecting to a variety of different databases.
### Supported databases
## Batch size options
Syntho processes data in batches. **Batch size** controls the maximum datapoints Syntho reads, generates, and writes per batch. Lower values reduce memory usage for large databases. To change this setting, see [View and adjust generation settings](/configure-a-data-generation-job/generation-and-validation/view-and-adjust-generation-settings.md#advanced-generation-settings).
## Request a new connector
If Syntho doesn't have a native (built-in) connector for your data, you can request it with your Syntho contact person. Syntho regularly reviews requests by customers to help determine and prioritize what features should be added to the product.
## Connector considerations & limitations
This section outlines the general considerations and limitations associated with various connectors. For specific considerations or limitations of a particular connector, visit its respective page.
* All connectors, except for Microsoft SQL Server, write special Unicode characters as-is (e.g., `De\u200bC → De\u200bC`).
* For Microsoft SQL Server, behavior depends on the driver:
* ODBC Driver: Interprets and removes special Unicode characters (`De\u200bC → DeC`).
* FreeTDS Driver: Cannot interpret special characters, replacing them with `?` (`De\u200bC → De?C`).
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