Connectors

A Connector enables Publisher to interface with various external storage systems. They provide standardized access to files and tables while managing authentication, monitoring, and data access functionality.

Required Connector Functionality

A Connector must fulfill these requirements:

Configuration

  • Provide an HTML user interface for configuring external connections

    • Store encrypted credentials for external systems (e.g., service accounts or dedicated user accounts)

    • Generate an audit trail for configuration changes

Data Access

  • Respond to requests about attached data by:

    • Listing files with current metadata (size, checksums, create/update dates)

    • Generating time-limited signed URLs for file retrieval

    • Listing tables with current metadata (column names & types, row count)

    • Dumping table data with optional column and row subsetting

    • Generating an audit trail for data access

Monitoring

  • Monitor external systems for data changes

    • Notify Publisher of changes

  • Log all external system access, including purpose and success/fail status

Connector Types

While Publisher includes DNAstack-developed connectors, third-party developers can create additional connectors for other data sources. For information on developing custom connectors, refer to the Data Source Connector Developer Guide.

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