Are you spending too much time exporting information from other systems and importing it into Workiva? Would you like to automate your flow of data more efficiently? If so, it may be time to connect your source and other systems to Workiva! 

There are a few different ways you can connect systems to Workiva. To start, we have Core Connectors that are included out-of-the-box, and Premium Connectors that are available as add-ons for your organization. 

If you have questions regarding adding on a Premium Connector, reach out to your CSM or Account Owner.

If your data source is not a prebuilt connector, or you cannot directly connect to your source system for security or other reasons, don’t worry - there are other options you can consider. 

• If your data source enables an HTTP application programming interface (API), you can retrieve the data through the HTTP Request connector. 
• If your data source enables an API or integration platform-as-a-service (iPaaS), you can develop an integration with the Workiva API.
• If you cannot or would not like to establish a direct connection, you have the option to export and save data to an online directory—such as in a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) server,—and then retrieve it through the applicable connector.

Once you have chosen your connector, you will first need to enable it in your workspace and then you will need to create the connection in Chain Builder. Once the connection is established, you can start building chains and automate processes between Wdata and your organization's systems of record.

To view the connectors already enabled for use by your organization, or to enable a new connector, navigate to Wdata, then click on Configuration and select Connectors. Select a designated connector and click Enable to turn it on. 

*Please Note that an Org Security Admin will need to complete this step!

After an org security admin enables the connector, they or a workspace owner will need to set up its connection. In Wdata, click on Chains, then Chain Builder. From there, click Connections, and then Create at the top right. Under Select Connection, select your new connector and complete the setup steps. 

Now you are ready to start building chains with your new connector! If you are not familiar with Chains, check out this post to get started. 

Setting up connectors is often a team effort - so be sure to include your source system administrators when going through this process.