DCM - Designer
Data Connection Manager (DCM) is a centralized storage for Database and Cloud interoperable connections (credentials linked to data sources) that facilitates workflow connection management and collaboration across Alteryx products. Use DCM to enter and use your connections and credentials among tools and workflows.
With DCM, you can manage data sources, credentials, and connections:
Data source objects represent databases, cloud services, and more.
Credential objects represent username and password combinations and OAuth tokens.
Connection objects join data sources to credentials and are used by one or many tools in your workflow.
Go to Supported Connectors and Tools for more information.
Data Connection Manager Configuration
Admin Settings
There is an option to change the DCM Mode and choose the SDK Access Mode.
These options are available via DCM Mode to set the credential handling and storage:
DCM Optional: Connections (including passwords) are stored in a workflow by default. You can choose to store and manage connections in DCM.
DCM as Default : Connections (including passwords) are stored and managed in DCM by default. You can choose to store them in a workflow.
DCM Only: You can't configure connections in a workflow. You can only select connections stored in DCM. Workflows with embedded passwords can run.
DCM Enforced: Workflows with embedded passwords don't work.
For SDK (Gallery) Tools support, these are the administrative options:
Deny: SDK Tools are not supported, and the Allow Credential for SDK tools check box is not displayed in the credential UI.
Allow: SDK tools are supported, and the Allow Credential for SDK tools check box is displayed in the UI with the option for manual selection of each credential.
AllowAll: SDK tools are supported, and the Allow Credential for SDK tools check box is not displayed in the credential UI.
User Settings
As a user, you can change the DCM Mode and choose the SDK Access Mode in Designer's User Settings. Go to Options > User Settings > Edit User Settings. Next, in the General tab, scroll to the Override DCM Settings section.
These options are available via DCM Mode to set credential handling and storage:
DCM Optional: Connections (including passwords) are stored in a workflow by default. You can choose to store and manage connections in DCM.
DCM as Default : Connections (including passwords) are stored and managed in DCM by default. You can choose to store them in a workflow.
DCM Only: You can't configure connections in a workflow. You can only select connections stored in DCM. Workflows with embedded passwords can run.
DCM Enforced: Workflows with embedded passwords don't work.
For the SDK Access Mode, these are the available options:
Deny: SDK Tools are not supported, and the Allow Credential for SDK tools check box is not displayed in the credential UI.
Allow: SDK tools are supported, and the Allow Credential for SDK tools check box is displayed in the UI with the option for manual selection of each credential.
AllowAll: SDK tools are supported, and the Allow Credential for SDK tools check box is not displayed in the credential UI.
Connection Manager
You can control the Data Sources and Credentials that authenticate the Data Sources in the Connection Manager. Additionally, you can link Designer Desktop to the Alteryx Analytics Cloud (AAC) as well as manage proxy server connections. Go to File > Manage Connections to access these features.
Manage Data Sources
To add a Data Source in Connection Manager...
Go to Data Sources.
Select + New.
Choose the Technology.
Enter the information needed for the technology you want to connect. Optionally you can Test Connection.
Select Save.
You can combine the Data Source with the Credential to create a Connection. In the Data Sources > Connections section, you can see the list of linked credentials for the Connection or link a new credential:
Select + Connect Credential.
Choose an Authentication Method.
Enter the credential information.
Optionally you can choose to Allow connection for SDK.
You can select Test Connection or select Create and Link to finish.
Manage Credentials
To add a Credential in the Connection Manager, go to the Credentials section. You have these options available:
Add Credentials: Select +New. Enter the Credential Name. Select a Method. Enter the required info (for example, Client ID, Secret Key, Username, and Password) for the selected method. Select Save.
View Credentials: Select the credential you want to view from the list.
Edit Credential: To edit a credential in Connection Manager, select the credential you want to edit from the list. Select Edit. Select Save.
Delete Credential: Select the credential you want to delete in Connection Manager. Select the trash can icon. Select Delete.
To connect with your Connection, place the tool on the Designer workflow canvas and select Set up a Connection. In the Connection Manager window, choose your Connection and use linked credentials by selecting the Connect button.
Manage External Vaults
The External Vault feature allows you to connect DCM with your Vault of choice. Thus, you can use External Vaults in DCM to fetch credentials from your Vault and securely use them in your workflow. For more information, go to DCM External Vaults.
Manage Alteryx Links
Alteryx Links allow you to link Designer Desktop with an Alteryx Analytics Cloud Platform (AACP) workspace so that you can save and execute Desktop-built workflows in the cloud. Learn more about these capabilities at Cloud Execution for Desktop.
Create an Alteryx Link
To link Designer Desktop with AACP, follow these steps:
In Designer Desktop, go to File> Manage Connections to open DCM.
Select Alteryx Links in the left-hand menu and select the + New button.
Analytics Cloud is the default Technology. Provide the required information:
Data Source Name: This is the display name (label) for this link. The name displays in the Save As and Open menus and helps users identify this connection.
Base URL: This is the URL that you use to access Alteryx Analytics Cloud (for example, https://company.alteryxcloud.com/). Contact your AACP Admin for this information.
Workspace Name: This is the name of your Analytics Cloud Workspace, as it appears in the URL (after the Base URL). For example, you might access Analytics Cloud via https://company.alteryxcloud.com/?workspace=my-workspace. In this case, you would enter my-workspace in the Workspace Name field. Contact your AACP Admin for this information.
Select Save. Next, you need to link credentials.
Select + Connect Credential to get started.
Cloud Execution for Desktop supports the OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication method. This option is preselected in the Authentication Method dropdown.
In the OIDC TOKENS section, use the Credential dropdown to choose an existing credential, or select Create New Credential.
If you need to create a new credential, enter a Credential Name. This is a label that should help you identify this credential in the future.
The Vault is set to DCM by default.
Optionally select Test Connection or select Create and Link to finish.
Important
If your connection fails, make sure that the Base URL and Workspace Name for your AACP connection are correct.
Once you successfully connect Designer Desktop to an AACP workspace, the connection details are available via File > Manage Connections > Alteryx Links. Select the Data Source Name in the Name column to view the connection details, edit the connection, and delete the connection.
View, Edit, and Synchronize Existing Alteryx Links
To view existing Alteryx Links, in Designer...
Go to File > Manage Connections > Alteryx Links.
Select the Name of the existing link to open and view the details.
To update the link, select the Edit button. Make the necessary edits and select Save or select Cancel to return to the previous screen.
In the Connections section, you can also select Synchronize to sync your credentials between Designer Desktop and AACP.
Delete Alteryx Link
To delete an existing Alteryx Link, in Designer Desktop...
Go to File > Manage Connections > Alteryx Links.
Select the trash can icon associated with the Alteryx Link that you want to delete. This triggers the Delete dialog to appear. Select the Delete* button to confirm the deletion or select Cancel to return to the previous screen.
*Deletion is permanent. This action can't be undone.
Sync Credentials
With DCM, you can sync credentials across the Alteryx product suite.
Sync Credentials Between Designer and Server
Go to File > Manage Connections to open Connection Manager.
Select Synchronize.
For a new Server connection...
Select + New.
Enter the Serverinstance URL and select Connect.
Enter the Email and Password and select Sign In.
Select the Server instance to sync with.
Select Synchronize.
Select Done.
Add Credentials with Sync
Go to File > Manage Connections to open Connection Manager.
Go to Credentials.
Select Add Credential.
Enter credential details.
Select Save.
Perform steps 2 to 5 from the Sync Credentials Between Designer and Server section.
Edit Credentials with Sync
Go to File > Manage Connections to open Connection Manager.
Go to Credentials.
Select the credential to update.
Select Edit.
Update credential details.
Select Save.
Perform steps 2 to 5 from the Sync Credentials Between Designer and Server section.
Delete Credentials with Sync
Go to File > Manage Connections to open Connection Manager.
Go to Credentials.
Select the credential you want to delete.
Select the trash can icon.
Select Delete to confirm.
Perform steps 2 to 5 from the Sync Credentials Between Designer and Server section.
Sync Workflow with DCM Credentials
Perform workflow upload or download as per the Workflows article.
Perform steps 2 to 5 from the Sync Credentials Between Designer and Server section.
Manage Proxy Servers
The Proxy Servers section allows you to configure proxy connections and credentials for use with Designer's new Proxy Settings*. This includes the authentication type (Basic, NTLM, Windows Negotiate) and credentials needed to connect through your proxy server.
2024.2 Proxy Updates: Public Preview
The 2024.2 updates to the proxy configuration are in Public Preview and specific to Alteryx Designer only. The proxy settings in Designer and DCM are not synced with Server. For additional important information, go to Proxy Settings
You need to create a connection and associated credentials for all proxy types (Use Internet Options Settings, Consume PAC file at this location, and Manual). Additionally, if you are using the Manual proxy configuration option (in Designer's User Settings), the connection must specify the host name/address of your proxy server, as well as associated credentials, if required. This is done via DCM.
To get started, in the Proxy Servers section of DCM, select the + New button.
Select the Proxy Server Technology via the Technology dropdown. Your options are…
Any Proxy Type: If you select this option, the proxy type is taken from the PAC file/Internet Options. Always use this option unless you select the Manual proxy or want to fine-tune your proxy settings for different proxy types.
HTTP Proxy
HTTPS Proxy
SOCKS5h Proxy
Enter a name for this Data Source in the Data Source Name field. This label will be used to reference this proxy server later in DCM and the Proxy User Settings, so it’s important to provide a descriptive name that will help you identify this connection later.
Enter the Proxy Server address via the Address field. This is required when using the Manual option of the Proxy Selection above. Otherwise, the proxy server address is provided by the PAC file/Internet Options settings. In that case, this field is optional and is used to match DCM proxy connections to the selected proxy server URL.
Example proxy host name address:
myproxy.example.com:1234Example proxy IP address:
158.42.13.3:1234
(Optional) Select the request protocol for your Proxy Server via the Request protocol field. Use this option if you only want to use this connection for a specific protocol, for example, FTP. Your options are...
FTP
HTTP
HTTPS
SFTP
SMTP
Select Save.
Next, you have the option to create the credentials to authenticate to your proxy server.
Select + Connect Credential to get started.
Select your authentication method via the Authentication Method dropdown. Currently, username and password are the only supported credential types for all of these methods. To do Windows Integrated authentication, select the authentication method and leave the Credential information blank in DCM. These are the authentication methods that are currently supported:
Basic
No Authentication
NTLM
Windows Negotiate (SPNEGO/Kerberos)
Next, use the Credential dropdown to select Create New Credential. You can also select an existing credential (if previously created).
Enter a Credential Name. Once again, this is a label for you to reference later if needed.
Vault: If no vault connection exists beyond the local DCM storage, the Vault dropdown is not displayed. If a vault connection is established, the dropdown is available, with DCM local storage preselected. If configured, you can then choose your preferred vault, for example, HashiCorp or CyberArk and select the username and password from the vault. For more information, go to DCM External Vaults. Note that your vault itself has to be reachable without the use of a proxy.
Enter the Username and Password associated with the new credential to authenticate to your proxy server.
Select the Create and Link button to finish.
Edit Proxy Connection and Credentials
After you create your proxy connection and associated credentials, you can edit these details if needed. You can do this via DCM.
Edit Proxy Connection
To edit your proxy connection…
In Designer, go to File > Manage Connections to open DCM.
Select the Proxy Servers tab on the left to access all of the proxy connections that you have created.
Locate the connection you need to edit and select its name to view the connection details. Here you can view the information that was provided when the connection was created, as well as any linked credentials. You also have the option to Connect Credential if you have the need to.
Select the Edit button to make changes to the connection. Update the Data Source Name, Address, and Request protocol, as needed.
Select Save to finalize your changes or Cancel to return to the previous screen.
Edit Proxy Credentials
To edit your proxy credentials…
In Designer, go to File > Manage Connections to open DCM.
Select the Credentials tab on the left of the Connection Manager window to access all of your previously created credentials. This includes all credentials, not only ones associated with proxy connections.
Locate the credentials that you need to edit and select the credential name to view its details. Here, you can view the information that was provided when the credentials were created, as well as any connections that currently use the credentials.
Select the Edit button to update the credentials. Update the Method, Credential Name, Username, and Password as needed.
Select Save to finalize your changes or Cancel to return to the previous screen.
Backup and Restore
You can back up your DCM storage and restore it from the backup file.
Important
This feature is based on your Designer license. Although restore works between two different licenses purchased within the same organization, in that case, backup and restore under two different licenses within the same organization must be also in the different instances of Designer for it to work. Backup and restore do not work in a trial version or with multiple active licenses in a single instance of Designer.
Backup
Go to File > Manage Connections to open Connection Manager.
Select Back up.
Enter your backup file password.
Select the Backup.
Choose a location and optionally a name for your backup file.
Select Save.
Restore
Go to File > Manage Connections to open Connection Manager.
Select Restore.
Enter your backup file password.
Select the Restore.
Note
Note that the backup can only be restored on the same machine it was created on. The easiest way to restore the DCM Connections to a new computer is to synchronize them up to the Alteryx Server (File > Manage Connections > Synchronize > SERVER > Sync).
Synchronize DCM between Server and Designer
There are three synchronization settings available:
No Synchronization - DCM Connections synchronization is blocked both ways.
One-way to Designer - DCM Connections synchronization is only enabled from Server to Designer.
Full Synchronization - DCM Connections synchronization is enabled from Server to Designer and Designer to Server.
To synchronize DCM between Server and Designer, follow these steps:
Go to Designer > File > Manage Connections to open Connection Manager. Then select Synchronize in the menu.
Select the Server you want to synchronize from the list.
Select Synchronize.
After you have synchronized DCM between Server and Designer, any credentials you own and all data sources you have access to are visible and ready for use in Connection Manager.
Supported Connectors and Tools
For the list of the tools and Connectors supported by DCM, go to DCM Supported Connectors and Tools.