DCM Credentials inject into workflow for Download tool authentication?

[Scott_Snowman]

We recently upgraded to 2021.4 and were excited to see that DCM was a new feature of the product. However, we're not sure if it can support what we're trying to do:

We use multiple workflows that need API credentials to request data using the Download tool. Our current method of updating these workflows if credentials change is not as efficient as we'd like!

Is there a way to store credentials in the DCM and then inject them into the workflow so that we can use them to define authentication headers for use with the Download tool? Or is the DCM limited to providing saved credentials to Input Data tools only, and the credentials are not available for broader access?

[BrandonB]

You can use DCM in conjunction with the SDK which is probably the level of integration that you would be looking for: https://help.alteryx.com/20221/designer/dcm-designer 

https://help.alteryx.com/developer-help/ayx-python-sdk-v2-example-tools 

There is a "DCM Input Tool" example that you can see in the link above. 

[Scott_Snowman]

Thanks Brandon -- I took a closer look at the DCM Input example tool page. The page says:

The Data Connection Manager (DCM) feature provides the ability to securely create, retrieve, update, delete, and synchronize Data Sources, Credentials, and Connections (Credentials linked to a Data Source). Only a small subset of these functions is accessible from the Python SDK.

The DCM Input tool example demonstrates how to use all these functions. [emphasis mine]

So the page suggests that the DCM input tool can be used to retrieve credentials, but I was not able to figure out a way to get the tool to do this.

I tried not filling in the "Enter New Password" in the UI, thinking that might just retrieve the existing password, but it just gave me back the credential ID (below).

Filling in a value for "New Password" appeared to print a message that the new value was being used in the credential, but it didn't appear streaming out of the tool. (Also since the DCM doesn't allow seeing the raw password text I couldn't validate that the password change occurred.) Basically, I am stumped.

My guess is that you could use the SDK to write a tool that does this but that the DCM Input Example tool doesn't have that capability despite the description. Is the description of the DCM Input example tool on the page incorrect, or am I just misunderstanding how to use it to retrieve a credential?

[Scott_Snowman]

@BrandonB -- any additional thoughts on the above and why I could not get the DCM input tool to cough up a saved credential?

[BrandonB]

This is a video on how DCM works in practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT5x4O7pUlI 

As for the DCM Input Tool example, I haven't quite yet played around with it so I am not as well versed in its nuances as an example. My thought was that the example tool would show how DCM credentials could be used in practice in the creation of a tool. If it was modified slightly to take the credentials to be used in an API call it would serve your use case. 

Prior to DCM, people like Bob Peers have been using a similar approach using the Windows Credentials Manager as mentioned here: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Discussions/Retrieve-saved-credentials-from-Window... 

He basically built a tool that pulls the credentials from the manager that can then be used in a workflow. Not sure if this would be another approach you could take, but I figured DCM would be the best path forward if you managed to get it working. 

[Franz]

Thank you Brandon, excellent resource. We have been struggling with configuring DCM with the recent upgrade to 2022.1 (both Designers & Galleries). It's more like trying to figure out how best to - configure & then use it. It took a while to understand some of the logic & not to be sidelined by the fact that it will co-exist for some time with the standard Shared Data Connections from earlier versions.

Obviously in order to make use of it we have to first understand the logic before attempting to have our users venture into it. It seems to be quite powerful if approached properly.

One wrinkle we found (this is more to be looked at by Alteryx developers though) is an error that comes up later after a DCM connection is created, and not while being created, which is puzzling (a 'DCM Data Source Nam Too Long Error' , a Microsoft ODBC Driver Manager error);

Best.

Franz.

[bkclaw113]

If anyone runs across this post and is still having trouble integrating DCM with the download tool, please check out the solution posted under: https://community.alteryx.com/t5/Alteryx-Designer-Desktop-Discussions/Alteryx-DCM-usage-within-the-D...