Inbound connection

Inbound connections synchronize customer accounts from external relational databases into Strivacity using the Directory Connector.

An inbound connection defines how the Directory Connector connects to a database, retrieves customer data, and maps the returned values to attributes in an identity store.

Using inbound connections, you can:

• Import customer accounts from an external relational database.
• Synchronize new and updated customer information.
• Remove customer accounts when they are no longer present in the source system.
• Map database fields to identity store attributes.
• Test database connections and SQL queries before enabling synchronization.

Inbound connections are configured per identity store.

How inbound connections work

An inbound connection uses the Directory Connector to retrieve customer data from an external database on a scheduled basis.

During each synchronization, the Directory Connector:

1. Connects to the configured database.
2. Executes the configured SQL query.
3. Maps the returned fields to identity store attributes.
4. Creates new customer accounts or updates existing ones.
5. Detects deleted identities according to the configured deletion settings.

Inbound connections identify customer accounts using a Correlation ID, which uniquely associates identities returned by the external database with identities stored in Strivacity.

Before you begin

Before configuring an inbound connection:

• Deploy and configure the Directory Connector.
• Ensure the external database is accessible from the Directory Connector.
• Prepare the SQL queries used for scheduled synchronization and single identity retrieval.
• Identify the attribute that uniquely identifies each customer in the external system. This attribute will be used as the Correlation ID.

Create an inbound connection

1. Go to Identities > Identity stores.
2. Select the identity store.
3. Open the Inbound connection tab.
4. Select Create.
5. Complete the General and Configuration tabs.
6. Select Save.

After the initial save, the Mappings tab becomes available, along with options for testing the database connection and SQL queries.

General settings

The General tab contains basic information about the inbound connection.

Name

A descriptive name used to identify the inbound connection.

Description

Optional description for administrators.

Configuration

The Configuration tab defines how the Directory Connector connects to the database and synchronizes customer data.

Connection configuration

JDBC URL

The JDBC connection string used to connect to the external database.

Username

Database username used to establish the connection.

Password

Password associated with the configured database user.

Test connection

After the inbound connection has been created, select Test connection to verify that the Directory Connector can successfully connect to the configured database.

Synchronization settings

Schedule

Defines how often synchronization runs using a cron expression.

The configured schedule determines when the Directory Connector retrieves customer data from the external database.

SQL query for scheduled synchronization

SQL query executed during scheduled synchronization.

The query should return all customer records that should be synchronized into the identity store.

After the inbound connection has been created, you can use Test query to validate the query and review the returned data.

SQL query to fetch a single identity

SQL query used to retrieve a single customer identity.

This query is used for operations that synchronize an individual customer rather than the entire data set.

Use ? as the placeholder for the Correlation ID parameter.

It is recommended that this query returns the same data as the scheduled synchronization query, but limited to a single customer.

After the inbound connection has been created, you can use Test query to validate the query by supplying a Correlation ID.

Delete protection cycles

Determines how many complete synchronization cycles an identity can be missing from the external database before it is deleted from Strivacity.

This helps prevent accidental deletions caused by temporary database or connectivity issues.

Batch size

Specifies the number of database rows retrieved during each fetch operation.

Larger values can improve synchronization performance but may increase memory usage by the Directory Connector. The effectiveness of this setting also depends on the JDBC driver implementation and JDBC URL configuration.

Force synchronization settings

Force synchronization periodically refreshes customer identities even if no changes are detected.

Enable

Enables forced synchronization.

Lifetime of cached identities

Specifies how long cached identities remain valid.

After the configured period expires, the Directory Connector retrieves the identity again during the next scheduled synchronization, even if no changes were previously detected.

Mappings

Mappings define how values returned by the SQL queries are written to attributes in the identity store.

Open the Mappings tab to create and manage mappings.

Add mapping

Each mapping contains the following settings.

Enable

Determines whether the mapping is used during synchronization.

Path

The field returned by the SQL query.

The value must match the name of a column or property returned by the query result.

Regex

Optional regular expression used to transform or extract part of the returned value before it is written to the identity store.

Type

Specifies the mapping type.

Currently, inbound connections support mapping values to identity store attributes.

Attribute

The identity store attribute that receives the mapped value.

Use as Correlation ID

Marks the selected mapping as the Correlation ID.

The Correlation ID uniquely identifies customer identities during synchronization and is required before the inbound connection can be enabled.

Sample JSON

The Sample JSON section displays sample data returned by the scheduled synchronization query.

Use the sample output to verify returned fields and create attribute mappings.

Test queries

After saving the inbound connection, you can test both SQL queries before enabling synchronization.

Scheduled synchronization query

Runs the scheduled synchronization query and displays the returned data.

Use this test to verify that:

• the query executes successfully;
• the expected records are returned;
• the returned fields match the configured mappings.

Single identity query

Runs the single identity query using a supplied Correlation ID.

Use this test to verify that the query returns the expected customer identity.

If the query or database connection fails, the test displays the returned error message to assist with troubleshooting.

Synchronization behavior

Once an inbound connection is enabled, the Directory Connector executes the configured scheduled synchronization query according to the configured schedule.

During synchronization, Strivacity:

• creates customer accounts for newly discovered identities;
• updates existing customer accounts when mapped values change;
• associates identities using the configured Correlation ID;
• deletes identities that remain absent for the configured number of deletion protection cycles.

Changes to mappings are applied during subsequent synchronization runs.

Best practices

• Use a stable, unique value as the Correlation ID.
• Validate both SQL queries before enabling synchronization.
• Test mappings using a limited data set before synchronizing production data.
• Configure batch sizes appropriate for the size of the external database and available connector resources.
• Use delete protection cycles to reduce the risk of accidental customer deletion during temporary outages.