Custom connectors

Custom connectors, also known as universal connectors, discover user and user activity data from SaaS vendors that are not supported by out-of-the-box SaaS connectors. Custom connectors are custom integrations you build with SaaS vendors by mapping fields from the third-party vendor APIs to the data structures supported in SaaS. This enables recurring collection of user and user activity data, which is then consolidated and presented in indicators, charts and tables on the SaaS pages.

Once the custom connector has been created, it functions the same as the default SaaS connectors. For information on managing connectors, see Manage SaaS connectors.

Below lists the SaaS applications based on their level of integration support provided with the custom connector:

Fully supported applications: Adobe Workfront, Autodesk, Domo, Figma, Github, Namely, Oracle fusion, PractiTest, Smartsheet, and Webex.

Partially supported applications: Apptio, Bugsnag, CyberArk Identity, and Lucidchart.

To set up a custom connector, you must first create a template that maps information about the vendor API to the Flexera One SaaS Management system. Once you have created this template, you can add the custom connector.

Create custom connector templates

1. On Administration > Flexera One SaaS Management Settings > SaaS connectors, select Create connector.

2. On the General step:

   1. Enter a Name for the connector and choose the Vendor to integrate with.

   2. Select Next.

3. On the Authentication step:

   1. Choose an Authentication method that is supported by the vendor API.

   2. If you select API key: enter the Token type that is supported by the vendor API. Refer to the vendor's documentation for how to find your API key and the token schema that is used.

   3. If you select Authentication method:

   • For OAuth2 flow, select the grant type used to obtain access tokens from the vendor API.

   • Enter the Token URL. This is the endpoint URL that is used to obtain access tokens from the vendor API.

   • For Scope, enter the permissions that are required by the vendor API. If the vendor API does not require that you specify scopes in authorization requests, leave this field empty.

   • For How to send client credentials, select the method used send your client_id and client_secret in the access token request. Refer to the vendor's documentation for information on supported methods.

4. On the Request step:

   1. For Users URL, enter the endpoint URL used by the vendor API to send user data.
      caution

      Do not include API credentials in the URL. Enter only the Users endpoint (for example, https://api.vendor.com/v1/users). Provide all required credentials in step 4 of Add custom connectors.

5. For Pagination, you can select None or choose a pagination method that is supported by the vendor's API endpoint.

   1. Offset - Limit: Use this method when the API uses a numeric offset to paginate results. The connector will increment the offset value for each request until no additional records are returned.

      • Offset field: Enter the query parameter that specifies the starting position.

      • Limit field: (Optional) Enter the query parameter that defines how many records are returned in per request.

   2. Page Number - Page Size: Use this method when the API organizes results into numbered pages. The connector will increment the page number for each request until all pages are retrieved.

      • Page number field: Enter the query parameter representing the page number.

      • Page size field: Enter the query parameter that defines the number of records per page.

   3. Cursor - Limit: Use this method when the API returns a cursor or token to retrieve the next page. The connector will send an initial request using the configured Limit, then use the returned cursor value to retrieve subsequent pages until no cursor is returned.

      • Cursor field: Enter of the query parameter used to pass the cursor value for the next page of results.

      • Cursor path: Enter the JSON path in the response where the next cursor is returned. For example, response_metadata.next_cursor.

      • Limit field: Enter the query parameter that defines how many records are returned per request.

      • Items per page: Enter the number of records to request per page. The default is 100 if this value is not specified.

6. On the Response step, map the system fields in Flexera One SaaS Management to the equivalent Vendor fields used by the vendor API.

tip

Call the endpoint that returns user data for the vendor, and refer to the response body to complete this step.

6. On the Filters step, select Add filter to limit the data that is consolidated in Flexera One SaaS Management:

   1. Enter the Response field from the vendor API that you want to filter. For example, department.

   2. Enter the Value for the response field that you want to filter on.

   3. Choose the Operator:

   • Equal only include data where the Response field matches the Value.

   • Not equal only include data where the Response field does not match the Value.

7. On the Activity step, you can select User as the Activity type to retrieve user activity data for a vendor application.

   1. If you select User as the Activity type, enter the name of the Last activity field from the vendor API response.

   2. Select the Application for which you want to collect user activity.

Once you have created a custom connector template, follow the procedure below to add the connector to the system. This is required for the data to be consolidated in Flexera One SaaS Management.

Add custom connectors

1. On the SaaS connectors page, on the Discover tab, find the custom connector template from the list of connectors in the Not added section.

2. Select Add connector.

3. Enter a Name for the connector.

4. In Settings, enter the required values depending on the authentication method chosen when creating the template. Refer to the vendor documentation for information on retrieving these values.

   tip

   Regularly rotate your API credentials. This limits the lifespan of any credential and aligns with security best practices.

5. Under Schedule, you can schedule data imports for this connector.

   By default, schedule is Enabled and set to daily at 23:00 in your time zone. You can change the time or disable scheduling:

   • To change the time for data imports, in Daily, select the time.

     The selected time is in your time zone, based on the time zone of your browser. The offset of your browser's time zone from UTC is shown in parentheses. Someone in another time zone sees the scheduled time in their time zone.

     The selected time, and the displayed offset, adjusts automatically for daylight saving time, when applicable.

   • To disable scheduling, in Schedule, select Disabled.

     A disabled schedule requires that you manually import data. Data from the vendor will not be updated automatically in your system.

6. To add the connector and test the connection, select Save.

   The connector is added to the system.