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Instance Preferences
Configure scheduler, email, LDAP, SSO, and FTP settings for your Data Trust instance.
Overview
Instance Preferences is the primary configuration section for your Data Trust installation. It provides control over the scheduler, outbound email (including SMTP and test capabilities), LDAP directory authentication, Single Sign-On (SSO), and FTP storage settings. Changes made here affect all users on the instance and take effect immediately after saving.
Prerequisites
- You are logged in to Data Trust with an Admin Pro-User role.
- Admin Console access has been granted by your system administrator.
Navigating to Instance Preferences
Path: Data Trust › Admin Console › System Preferences › Instance Preferences
Figure 1: System Preferences navigation option
Click System Preferences from the Admin Console menu to access the full list of platform configuration tiles. This option is only visible to users with the Admin Pro-User role. The System Preferences landing page displays all available configuration areas as individual tiles.
Figure 2: System Preferences page
The System Preferences page presents all configuration sections as tiles; scroll to locate the Instance Preferences tile. Tiles are organised in a grid layout and each one opens a separate configuration panel when clicked. Instance Preferences is one of the most frequently used tiles and covers core platform settings such as email, LDAP, SSO, and FTP.
Figure 3: Instance Preferences tile
Click the Instance Preferences tile to open the multi-tab configuration panel for this Data Trust instance. The panel contains separate tabs for Global Settings, Email Settings, Custom SMTP, LDAP, SSO, and FTP — each grouping related configuration options together. Changes made on any tab affect the entire instance and all users immediately after saving.
Global Settings Tab
Figure 4: Global Settings tab
The Global Settings tab contains instance-level options including the scheduler management toggle and other platform-wide controls. Review all fields on this tab before making changes, as each setting applies broadly across the entire Data Trust deployment. Save the tab before navigating to another tab to avoid losing any unsaved changes.
Disabling the Scheduler
- On the Global Settings tab, toggle the Disable Scheduler option.
Figure 5: Disable Scheduler toggle
The Disable Scheduler toggle stops all scheduled jobs from executing across the entire Data Trust instance. Use this toggle during planned maintenance windows to prevent scenarios from running while configuration changes are applied. Notify all users before disabling the scheduler so that they can account for any missed scheduled executions during the maintenance period.
Figure 6: Scheduler disabled confirmation
After disabling, the scheduler status indicator updates immediately to show that no scheduled tasks will run until the toggle is re-enabled. Jobs that were queued at the time of disabling will not execute; they must be re-triggered manually once the scheduler is re-enabled. Remember to re-enable the scheduler after the maintenance window is complete to resume normal automated processing.
Email Settings Tab
- Click the Email Settings tab to configure the outbound email address used for notifications.
- To verify the configuration, click Test Email.
Figure 7: Email Settings tab selected
The Email Settings tab lets you configure the sender address and basic SMTP details used for all outbound notifications from Data Trust. Fields on this tab include the From address, display name, and default reply-to address that recipients will see. These settings affect all system-generated emails including job completion alerts, validation notifications, and user account messages.
Figure 8: Email settings saved successfully
A success toast confirms that the email configuration has been saved and will be applied to all future outbound notifications. Immediately send a test email after saving to confirm the new settings are working correctly before relying on them for production alerts. If no success toast appears, check for validation errors on the form fields and correct them before retrying.
Figure 9: Test Email button
The Test Email button sends a test message using the current saved email configuration to verify server connectivity and authentication. Click this button after saving any changes to the Email Settings or Custom SMTP tabs to confirm the mail flow is working. A dialog will appear prompting you to enter a recipient address for the test message.
Figure 10: Test Email pop-up dialog
The Test Email dialog asks for a recipient email address where the verification message should be sent. Use a mailbox you have access to so you can confirm receipt of the test message quickly. Click Send after entering the address to dispatch the test email through the configured SMTP settings.
Figure 11: Providing email address for test
Type the destination email address where the test notification should be delivered in the input field provided. Ensure the address is correctly formatted; an invalid address will cause the test to fail with a validation error. Check the spam or junk folder in the recipient mailbox if the test email does not appear in the inbox within a few minutes.
Figure 12: Test email sent successfully
A success message confirms that the test email was dispatched from Data Trust using the configured email settings. Open the recipient inbox to verify the message was received and inspect the sender address and subject line for accuracy. If the email is not received, review the SMTP settings on the Custom SMTP tab or consult your mail server logs for delivery errors.
Figure 13: Test email received in inbox
The test email appearing in the recipient inbox confirms that the SMTP settings are correctly configured and mail is flowing from Data Trust. Verify that the From address, display name, and email content match the values configured in the Email Settings tab. If the email lands in spam, work with your email administrator to whitelist the Data Trust sending domain.
Custom SMTP Settings Tab
- Click the Custom SMTP Settings tab.
- Configure the SMTP host, port, and authentication method, then click Save.
Figure 14: Custom SMTP Settings tab
The Custom SMTP Settings tab allows you to specify an external SMTP relay, port, and authentication credentials for outbound email delivery. Fields include the SMTP host name or IP address, port number, encryption type (TLS or SSL), and optionally a username and password. Use this tab when your organisation requires all outbound mail to route through a specific corporate SMTP relay or cloud email service.
Figure 15: Selecting authentication method and saving SMTP settings
Choose the appropriate authentication type — options typically include Not Required, Basic (username and password), or OAuth — then click Save to apply the custom SMTP configuration. If your SMTP relay requires TLS, ensure the correct port (commonly 587) is entered alongside the authentication credentials. After saving, use the Test Email button to confirm that the new relay settings are routing mail successfully.
Figure 16: Email settings saved successfully after SMTP configuration
Confirmation that the custom SMTP settings have been persisted means all outbound emails will now route through the specified server. Check the Test Email function immediately after saving to verify end-to-end delivery works with the new relay configuration. If delivery fails after saving, re-check the host name, port, and credentials, and ensure your firewall allows outbound traffic on the configured port.
LDAP Settings Tab
- Click the LDAP Settings tab to configure directory-based authentication.
- To disable LDAP, toggle the LDAP Enablement switch off and save.
Figure 17: LDAP Settings tab
The LDAP Settings tab provides fields for the LDAP server URL, base DN, bind user distinguished name, bind password, and attribute mappings for username and email. All mandatory fields must be completed before the Enable LDAP toggle can be activated. Consult your directory services team for the correct bind credentials and base DN before configuring this section.
Figure 18: LDAP Settings configuration page
Fill in all required LDAP fields — server URL, port, base DN, bind DN, and password — to enable directory authentication for Data Trust users. Use the Test Connection button (if available) to verify that Data Trust can reach the LDAP server with the provided credentials before saving. Ensure that the bind account has read access to the user objects in the specified base DN, or authentication will fail for all users.
Figure 19: Turning off LDAP Enablement
Disabling LDAP reverts all authentication back to the built-in Data Trust user store for every user on the instance. Before disabling, ensure that local Data Trust accounts exist for all users who need to continue accessing the platform. Users who only had LDAP accounts will be unable to log in until a local account is created or LDAP is re-enabled.
Figure 20: Settings saved after LDAP change
A confirmation message confirms that the LDAP enablement change has been saved and will take effect immediately for all new login attempts. Test the login experience with a sample user account after making this change to verify authentication works as expected. Keep a record of the previous LDAP settings in case you need to re-enable directory authentication quickly.
SSO Settings Tab
- Toggle SSO Enablement on to configure Single Sign-On.
- Provide the required SSO URLs (identity provider login URL, logout URL, and entity ID).
- Click Save to activate SSO for the instance.
Figure 21: Enabling SSO Enablement toggle
Enabling SSO allows users to authenticate via an external identity provider (IdP) without needing a separate Data Trust password. Once SSO is enabled, unauthenticated users will be redirected to the IdP login page instead of the standard Data Trust login form. Ensure that the SSO URL fields are correctly populated before enabling this toggle, as an incorrect configuration may lock all users out of the platform.
Figure 22: Providing SSO URLs
Enter the Identity Provider metadata URL, Login URL, and Logout URL exactly as supplied by your IdP administrator. These URLs are provided during the service provider (SP) setup process in your IdP console (for example, Okta, Azure AD, or ADFS). Double-check each URL for typos before saving, as even a minor error will prevent all users from authenticating through SSO.
Figure 23: Saving SSO configuration
Click Save after entering all SSO configuration values; the instance will redirect all unauthenticated users to the configured identity provider from this point forward. Keep a separate admin session open in another browser window while testing SSO for the first time, in case the configuration needs to be corrected. Confirm that a successful SSO login creates or maps to the correct Data Trust user account before communicating the change to your user base.
FTP Settings Tab
- Click the FTP Settings tab to configure remote FTP storage connections.
- Click Add FTP to create a new FTP connection profile.
- Use the menu button to access additional actions such as editing or deleting FTP profiles.
Figure 24: FTP Settings tab
The FTP Settings tab enables configuration of FTP or SFTP servers for file-based data exchange within Data Trust. Multiple FTP profiles can be added, allowing different scenarios and modules to connect to different remote storage locations. Each profile requires a hostname, port, protocol type, and authentication credentials; profiles are available across the platform once saved.
Figure 25: Add FTP connection pop-up
The Add FTP connection pop-up collects all required connection details including the server hostname or IP, port number, protocol (FTP or SFTP), username, password, and target directory path. For SFTP connections, you may also provide an SSH private key file as an alternative to password authentication. Use the Test Connection button in the pop-up to verify the credentials and directory access before saving the profile.
Figure 26: Menu button for FTP profile actions
The menu button on each FTP profile row expands to reveal Edit, Delete, and Test Connection actions for managing that profile. Use Test Connection periodically to verify that the FTP server is still reachable and the credentials have not expired. Deleting an FTP profile will break any scenarios or jobs currently configured to use it, so confirm all dependencies are removed first.