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Connection Explorer — Overview
Create, manage, rename, duplicate, test, and delete database connection profiles from the Admin Console.
Overview
The Connection Explorer (also referred to as Profiles) is the central hub in the Data Trust Admin Console where administrators create and manage database connection profiles. Each connection profile stores the authentication details, connection type, and performance settings needed for Data Trust to communicate with a data source. Connections are referenced by scenarios, queries, and jobs throughout the platform.
Prerequisites
- You are logged in to Data Trust with an Admin Pro-User role.
- You have the connection string, credentials, and driver details for the database you wish to connect.
Accessing the Connection Explorer
Navigate to Admin Console in the left-hand sidebar, then select Connection Explorer.
Path: Data Trust › Admin Console › Connection ExplorerFigure 1: Selecting Connection Explorer from the Admin Console navigation.
The left-hand navigation bar highlights Connection Explorer under Admin Console. Clicking this item opens the full list of all connection profiles configured in the system.
Figure 2: Connection Explorer — the main listing page showing all existing connection profiles with their status, source type, and metadata.
The Connection Explorer table displays every profile with columns for Last Status (Passed / Failed indicator), Connection Name, Source Name, Source Type, Connection Status (Enabled / Disabled badge), Created By, Created On, Modified By, Modified On, and Last Status Date. The toolbar at the top provides action icons for Edit, Rename, Duplicate, Delete, Where-Used List, Enable/Disable, Download, search, and filter. Click + New Connection to create a new profile.
Creating a New Connection
- Click the + New Connection button at the top-right of the Connection Explorer page.
The Create Connection page opens.
Figure 3: Clicking “+ New Connection” to start the profile creation process.
The + New Connection button is always visible in the top-right corner of the Connection Explorer. Clicking it navigates to a blank Create Connection form where you specify the connection name and source.
Figure 4: Create Connection page — enter a Connection Name and select a Source Name to reveal the connection-type options.
The Create Connection page has two mandatory fields on the left panel: Connection Name (a unique identifier you choose) and Source Name (the type of database, e.g., MSSQL, Oracle, Snowflake, MySQL). Once a Source Name is selected, the Type Of Connection dropdown appears, letting you choose between JDBC and Non JDBC. The right panel then populates with the corresponding connection parameter fields.
Connection Parameters tab
- Enter a Connection Name — the name must be unique across the system. A “Connection Name is available!” confirmation appears when the name is valid.
- Select a Source Name from the dropdown (e.g., MSSQL, Oracle, MySQL, Snowflake).
- Select the Type Of Connection (JDBC or Non JDBC). The parameter fields in the right panel update accordingly.
- Fill in the required fields on the Connection Parameters tab (fields vary by source type — see below).
Figure 5: Connection Parameters tab for a Non-JDBC MSSQL connection showing Data Source, Initial Catalog, User Id, and Password fields.
For Non-JDBC connections, the required fields are minimal: Data Source (server hostname or IP), Initial Catalog (database name), User Id, and Password. JDBC connections show a different set of fields including Connection String, User Name, Password, Driver Class, and Default Enclosure Character.
Figure 6: Connection Parameters tab for a JDBC connection showing Connection String, User Name, Password, Driver Class, and Default Enclosure Character.
When JDBC is selected as the connection type, the form shows: Connection String (the full JDBC URL, e.g., jdbc:sqlserver://hostname;databaseName=mydb), User Name, Password (masked, with a visibility toggle), Driver Class (optional override), and Default Enclosure Character (double-quote by default). An AWS Secrets Manager checkbox is also available for credential delegation.
Additional Settings tab
- Click the Additional Settings tab to configure performance and access parameters.
- Set Default Parallelism, Max Parallelism, Default Packet Size, and Max Packet Size as needed.
- Assign one or more User Groups that are permitted to use this connection.
- Optionally set a Query Timeout In Seconds value to limit long-running queries.
Figure 7: Additional Settings tab — configure parallelism, packet sizes, permitted user groups, and an optional query timeout.
The Additional Settings tab controls how Data Trust executes queries against this connection. Default Parallelism (default: 1) and Max Parallelism (default: 20) govern concurrent thread usage. Default Packet Size (50,000 records) and Max Packet Size (1,000,000 records) control data retrieval chunking. User Groups restricts which user groups can see and use this connection. Query Timeout In Seconds, if set, terminates any query that runs longer than the specified duration.
Testing and saving the connection
- Click Test Connection to verify that Data Trust can reach the database with the supplied credentials.
A green “Test Connection Successful!” toast notification appears at the top-right if the connection is valid.
Figure 8: A green “Test Connection Successful!” toast confirms the database is reachable with the provided credentials.
Always test a connection before saving. The toast appears in the top-right corner for a few seconds. If the test fails, a red error toast appears instead — check the connection string, credentials, network access, and firewall rules before retrying.
- Click Save to commit the new connection profile.
The connection is saved and appears in the Connection Explorer listing.
Figure 9: Clicking Save to persist the new connection profile.
The Save button stores all connection parameters and settings permanently. After saving, you are returned to the Connection Explorer where the new profile appears in the list with a Passed or Failed last-status indicator.
Figure 10: Connection Explorer after creation — the new connection profile appears in the list with its status and metadata.
The newly created connection appears at the top of the Connection Explorer table. The Last Status column shows the result of the most recent test. Connection Status is set to Enabled by default, making the connection immediately available for use in scenarios and queries.
Renaming a Connection
- In the Connection Explorer, select the checkbox next to the connection you want to rename.
- Click the Rename icon (pencil icon) in the toolbar.
Figure 11: Select a connection and click the Rename toolbar icon to open the Rename Connection dialog.
The toolbar icons become active once a connection row is checked. The Rename icon (pencil/edit icon) is the first icon from the left. Only one connection can be renamed at a time.
- In the Rename Connection dialog, update the Connection Name field.
- Click Rename Connection to apply the change.
Figure 12: Rename Connection dialog — edit the Connection Name field and click “Rename Connection” to apply.
The Rename Connection dialog shows the current Connection Name (editable) and the Source Name (read-only). Enter the new name and click Rename Connection. The Source Name cannot be changed through rename — to change the source you must create a new connection.
Figure 13: The new connection name entered in the Rename Connection dialog before confirming.
Type the new display name directly in the Connection Name field. The name must be unique across all profiles in the system.
A success toast confirms the rename, and the Connection Explorer table updates immediately.
Figure 14: A success toast confirms that the connection has been renamed.
The green toast at the top-right confirms the rename was successful. The updated name is immediately reflected in the Connection Explorer table and in any existing references to this profile within scenarios and queries.
Editing a Connection
- Select the connection row and click the Edit icon (pencil-and-paper icon) in the toolbar, or click the connection name link directly.
- The Edit Connection page opens with all existing parameters pre-filled.
- Modify any fields on the Connection Parameters or Additional Settings tabs.
- Click Save to apply your changes.
Figure 15: Edit Connection page — all existing connection parameters are pre-populated for modification.
The Edit Connection page is identical in layout to the Create Connection page. The Connection Name and Source Name are shown on the left; the right panel shows the current connection parameters. Make your changes to any field and click Save. Note: the Source Name and Type Of Connection fields are locked on the Edit page and cannot be changed.
A success confirmation is displayed and the Connection Explorer table reflects the updated details.
Figure 16: Success confirmation after saving connection edits.
After clicking Save on the Edit Connection page, the system confirms the update and returns you to the Connection Explorer. The Modified By and Modified On columns update to reflect who made the change and when.
Duplicating a Connection
- Select the connection you want to copy and click the Duplicate icon in the toolbar.
- Confirm the action in the Duplicate Connection dialog by clicking Duplicate.
Figure 17: Select a connection and click the Duplicate toolbar icon to create a copy.
The Duplicate icon (two overlapping squares) in the toolbar creates an identical copy of the selected connection profile. This is useful when you want to create a similar connection that differs only in a few parameters (for example, connecting to a different database on the same server).
Figure 18: Duplicate Connection dialog — click “Duplicate” to confirm creating a copy of the selected profile.
The dialog shows the name of the connection being copied and asks for confirmation. Clicking Duplicate creates a new profile named <OriginalName>_Copy Of (N). You can then rename and edit the copy independently from the original.
The duplicate appears in the Connection Explorer with a “_Copy Of (N)” suffix.
Figure 19: The duplicated connection appears in the list with a “_Copy Of (N)” suffix appended to the original name.
The duplicate is immediately available in the Connection Explorer. Open it via the Edit icon to update its name, connection string, or credentials before putting it into use.
Deleting a Connection
- Select the connection and click the Delete icon (bin icon) in the toolbar.
- The Delete Connection dialog opens, listing any scenarios or queries that reference this profile.
- If the list is empty (no references found), click Delete to permanently remove the profile.
Figure 20: Select a connection and click the Delete (bin) icon in the toolbar to initiate deletion.
The Delete icon becomes active when exactly one connection is selected. It is the fourth icon from the left in the toolbar.
Figure 21: Delete Connection dialog — if no scenarios or queries reference this profile, the list is empty and the Delete button is active.
The Delete Connection dialog shows the connection name at the top and lists all scenarios and queries that currently use this profile. If the list shows “This profile does not have any scenario and queries”, it is safe to delete. If references are listed, consider reassigning those assets to another connection before deleting.
A success toast confirms the deletion and the profile is removed from the Connection Explorer.
Figure 22: A success toast confirms the connection profile has been permanently deleted.
After deletion, the profile disappears from the Connection Explorer table immediately. This action cannot be undone. If assets were referencing the deleted connection they will show errors until reassigned to a valid profile.
Where Used List
The Where Used List shows every scenario, query, or job that references a specific connection profile. Use it before renaming or deleting a connection to assess the impact.
- Select the connection and click the Where Used icon in the toolbar.
- The dialog lists all referencing assets. Use the search bar to filter the results.
- Click Ok to close the dialog.
Figure 23: Where Used List dialog — lists all scenarios and queries that reference the selected connection profile.
The Where Used List dialog shows the connection name at the top and enumerates every asset that depends on it. If the list shows “No references found”, the connection is not in active use. Use the built-in search bar to quickly find a specific asset within a long list.
Testing an Existing Connection
- Select the connection and click the Test Connection icon (plug/lightning icon) in the toolbar.
A green “Test Connection Successful!” toast appears if the connection is healthy.
Figure 24: The Test Connection toolbar icon lets you re-validate an existing connection profile without editing it.
Re-testing an existing connection is useful after infrastructure changes (server migrations, credential rotations, firewall updates). Select the profile and click the test icon. A red toast indicates a failed connection — click the Edit icon to update the credentials or connection string.
Figure 25: Green “Test Connection Successful!” toast confirming the selected existing profile is healthy.
A green toast at the top-right confirms the connection is reachable. The Last Status column in the Connection Explorer updates to Passed and the Last Status Date updates to the current timestamp.
Customising Table Columns
- Click the Table Fields icon (grid/columns icon) at the far right of the toolbar.
- A panel opens listing all available columns with checkboxes.
- Check or uncheck columns to show or hide them, then click Save.
Figure 26: Table Fields panel — check or uncheck columns to customise the Connection Explorer table layout.
The Table Fields panel lets you personalise which columns appear in the Connection Explorer table. Available columns include Connection Name, Source Name, Source Type, Connection Status, Created By, Created On, Modified By, Modified On, and Last Status Date. Deselect any column you do not need to keep the table focused on the information most relevant to your workflow.
Figure 27: The Connection Explorer table with a column deselected — the removed column is no longer visible.
After unchecking a column and saving, the table immediately reflows without that column. This change is saved per-user and persists across sessions.
A success toast confirms the column preferences have been saved.
Figure 28: A success toast confirms that the updated column preferences have been saved.
The green toast at the top-right confirms the save. The Connection Explorer now displays only the columns you selected. Other administrators are not affected by your column layout preferences.