Owner of a dataconnection in Alteryx Gallery

[joanatpsantos]

It would be good to have a new field with the owner of the data connection, when users asks to be part of a data connection, we should know who is the identified owner to contact and ask for approval.

Thanks.

Regards

Joana Santos

[KylieF]

Thank you for the feedback and idea!

This is an interesting idea, and we appreciate the feedback on how we can improve our admin user experience. I noticed you're new to the idea boards (welcome!) so if you haven't yet be sure to check out our Submission Guidelines as they include information about how our process works after an idea is submitted to the boards.

[jforte]

Hello, this is actually quite useful because in terms of Data Governance and Compliance, it's important to define who has access to what. Data Connections actually give access to the data itself as all the connections parameters are there.

Very important for platforms that care about Data Compliance/Protection.

[Jo-B]

This would be fantastic! It will ensure the governance! I fully support this idea! 

[JohnPelletier]

Thanks for the feedback on Server features.

Which kind of connection are you talking about? Server data connections are created and assigned only by curators, so any curator would be able to help with assigning a data connection. There is no concept of ownership for these. A curator can easily identify who has access to a Server data connection.

If you are referring to data connections outside the server management, they are created and managed outside of Server, so we wouldn't be able to help with managing or assigning those.

Any additional detail on the particular user journey you are struggling with would be helpful.

Thanks!

[jforte]

Hello @JohnPelletier , much appreciated on your feedback.

We are talking about Server Connections (Gallery Data Connections), and the ownership referred here points to the topic of Data Access/Compliance. Data Connections are basically assets that allow access to Data, which can be from all kinds (In our setup, most of it is segregated by authorization and needs to be validated upfront in several steps).

From a Data Compliance pov, being in a Data Connection doesn't give you legitimacy to allow others to also have the access, "it was shared to you, doesn't mean that you can share to another", and this is where the figure of "owner" should come in (A good comparison example would be ACL on a NTFS folder).

Currently, Artisans have no way to see what Data Connections exist or to whom they should ask about permission to request access, this results in a logistical process to validate legitimacy and/or the proliferation of Data Connections, by the Curators, and the Curators themselves have no way of knowing who was the initial requester that actually had the credentials and details to create the connection.

We manage a platform of 36 licensed Cores that hosts 200 Artisans (and rising) on a Self-Service concept, to all kinds of endpoints (we have over 100 Data Connections and increasing).

A even better alternative to our Idea request, would be to allow Artisans to create/control their Data Connections themselves, which in our understanding, actually is what makes sense in a Self-Service concept.

We're available to explain/discuss in a quick alignment call, if that's a option, maybe together with our Alteryx Solutions Architect.

Thank you

[JohnPelletier]

>>A even better alternative to our Idea request, would be to allow Artisans to create/control their Data Connections themselves, which in our understanding, actually is what makes sense in a Self-Service concept.

Thanks, @jforte. We (all Alteryx teams) are currently working on a user-created type of data connection, where there would be user-based ownership and control. The goal is to empower the user to create their own data source assets, their own credentials, use them in workflows and share them as needed. Self-service! 

It sounds like that will solve your need. 

In the meantime, Gallery Data Connections are still available and will continue to be available. Ownership is only at the curator level, and we realize why that can be a bottleneck. Thanks again for the request!

[KylieF]

Thank you for your feedback and idea!

Our product team has reviewed this idea, and can understand the value to our users. We are currently making changes to the platform that will streamline the data connector functionality and features. Due to this I'm updating this idea to Not Planned as these updates may change the framework of your idea and may require additional feedback or address the core issue.

[hornungr]

Looking forward to seeing what you have planned! 

Our company is also all about using Alteryx as a self-service user enablement platform (including the gallery).  Currently the curator can be a bottleneck when it comes to data connection maintenance.  Acting as the sole gatekeeper, they must not only setup new connections but also process ongoing access requests; identifying the approver, getting the approval & then adding the user.  Putting this more in the artisan/user's hands would be a step in the right direction.