Connected System Object

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Create a Connected System

This video from the Integrations 101 Academy Online course explains how to store authentication credentials to access an external system.

This page provides detailed information on how to create and configure a connected system.

What is a connected system?

A connected system is a design object that stores authentication and connection information. These objects allow you to securely connect to external integrations and data sources, and provide a centralized location to manage credentials.

When to use a connected system

Use a connected system when you need to:

Store authentication credentials for an external API or database.
Centrally manage connection details so updates apply across all associated integrations.
Deploy different connection configurations across your environments (such as Dev, Test, and Prod).
Control access to data sources using object security to restrict sensitive information during development.

Connected system types

When you create a connected system, you can configure a connection using a standard protocol or configure a prebuilt template for a specific system.

Standard connected systems

Use the following connected systems to connect to external systems using standard protocols:

HTTP connected system: Connects to external APIs using standard REST protocols.
OpenAPI connected system: Connects to external APIs using OpenAPI specifications.

Data source connected systems

Use data source connected systems to connect to Appian-supported databases. Each data source connected system stores authentication credentials and connection details for a specific database, allowing you to manage the connection as a reusable, securable object.

The following data source connected systems are available:

Aurora MySQL
Aurora PostgreSQL
DB2
MariaDB
MySQL
Oracle
PostgreSQL
SQL Server

If you need to connect to an unsupported database, use a custom JDBC connected system to connect to business data using the JDBC protocol.

Prebuilt connected systems

Prebuilt connected systems provide templates that simplify the connection process for common third-party platforms.

Supported platforms include:

Event streaming connected systems

Use the Apache Kafka connected system to connect to an Apache Kafka broker to consume events from topics.

Create a connected system

To create a connected system:

In your application, go to the Build view.
Click NEW > Connected System.
Select a connected system type.
Configure the connected system properties.
Click CREATE.
In the Review Connected System Security dialog, review the security settings.
Click SAVE.

Each connected system type has its own properties. See the linked page for each connected system type to learn how to configure its properties.

Create data source shortcuts

You can display any connected system as a data source shortcut to streamline record type configuration.

Shortcuts appear in the Configure Data Source dialog when configuring the source of a record type. Data source shortcuts allow you to quickly select from database entities or integration objects associated with the connected system.

Scroll or drag to pan · ⌘+/⌘− to zoom · Esc to close

By default, Appian provides a data source shortcut for Salesforce.

To create a data source shortcut:

Create a connected system or open an existing one.
For Data Source Shortcut, select the Show as a shortcut in record type configuration checkbox.
For Shortcut Display Name, enter a name for the shortcut to display in the record type configuration.
Click SAVE.

Once you save the connected system, it will appear in the Configure Data Source dialog when creating a record type.

Connected system security

Object security is configured through role maps. The role map controls which developers can view or modify the connected system.

If you configured default security groups for your application, Appian pre-populates the role map with those groups. If not, Appian automatically assigns you Administrator permissions. System administrators can always access a connected system, regardless of object-level permissions.

See Editing Object Security to modify a connected system's security.

Security for all connected systems

The following table outlines common design-time actions available for all connected system types:

Actions	Administrator	Editor	Viewer	No Access
Select the connected system in other design objects	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
View connected system definition	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Update connected system definition	Yes	Yes	No	No
View the security	Yes	Yes	No	No
Update the security	Yes	No	No	No
Delete the connected system	Yes	No	No	No

Security for integration connected systems

The following table outlines the actions available for integration-based connected systems. Note that execution permissions for integrations are managed on the integration object itself.

Actions	Administrator	Editor	Viewer	No Access
Execute integrations that use the connected system	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Security for data source connected systems

The following table outlines the actions available for data source connected systems.

For data source connected systems using the Appian Cloud database, see Appian Cloud Database Administration for more information on how to grant access to specific schemas.

Actions	Administrator	Editor	Viewer	No Access
Execute a stored procedure called by a function or smart service	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Access a data source from a plug-in function	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

Versions

Each time you modify and save a connected system, a new version is created. All objects that use the connected system will use the latest version. All versions are accessible to designers who can view the connected system, and a connected system can be reverted back to a previous version at any time.

For information on how to manage object versions, see Managing Object Versions.

Import customization file

When you deploy connected systems, Appian includes environment-specific fields in an import customization file. This allows you to specify different values for each environment.

When you import a customization file, you must also include the connected system design object in the import package.

Fields in the import customization file can have the following characteristics:

Sensitive fields: Values for sensitive fields, such as API Keys, are not pre-populated in the export. You must provide these values manually.
Required fields: Required fields must have a value in the target environment or the import will fail.

Deployment behavior by connection type

Whenever a value is included in the import customization file, the object in the target environment takes that value. However, the deployment behavior for omitted values varies depending on the connected system type:

HTTP and OpenAPI connected systems: Environment-specific fields in the target environment are never overwritten by values from the source environment. Omitted fields always retain their value in the higher environment unless you explicitly include them. You only need to include an import customization file when initially setting the value upon creation or changing that value on subsequent deployments.
Prebuilt connected systems: Environment-specific fields in the target environment are always overwritten by values from the source environment unless they are explicitly included in the import customization file. Each time you deploy a prebuilt connected system with values that differ across environments, you must include an import customization file with those values.
Apache Kafka connected systems: The bootstrap servers, username, and password fields can be set per environment using the import customization file. SSL certificates are not included in the import customization file. Manage certificates separately through the Administration Console on each target environment.

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