You can add connections to the Platform assets catalog to share them across your organization. All collaborators in the Platform assets catalog can see the connections in the catalog. However, only users with the credentials for the data source can use a platform connection in a project to create a connected data asset.

Platform-level connections are available from the Platform connections page.

Required permissions

To create a platform connection, you must be a collaborator in the Platform assets catalog with one of these roles:

• Editor
• Admin

If you're not a collaborator in the Platform assets catalog, ask someone who is a collaborator to add you or tell you who has the Admin role in the catalog. You create connections to these types of data sources:

• IBM Cloud services
• Other cloud services
• On-premises databases

See Connectors for a full list of data sources. Watch this video to see how to add platform connections.

To create a platform connection:

1. From the main menu, choose Data > Connectivity.
2. Click New connection.
3. Select a data source type, and then choose the connector.
4. Click Next.
5. Enter the connection information that is required for the data source. Typically, you need to provide information like the hostname, port number, username, and password. If you enter an asset name that is the same as an existing asset with the same data source type, then the existing asset is updated. If the data source type is not the same, then the existing connection asset is deleted and a new one is created.
6. If prompted, specify whether you want to use personal or shared credentials. You cannot change this option after you create the connection. The credentials type for the connection, either Personal or Shared, is set by the account owner on the Account page. The default setting is Shared.
   • Personal: With personal credentials, each user must specify their own credentials to access the connection. Each user's credentials are saved but are not shared with any other users. Use personal credentials instead of shared credentials to protect credentials. For example, if you use personal credentials and another user changes the connection properties (such as the hostname or port number), the credentials are invalidated to prevent malicious redirection.
   • Shared: With shared credentials, all users access the connection with the credentials that you provide.
7. To connect to a database that is not externalized to the internet (for example, behind a firewall), see Connecting to data behind a firewall.
8. Click Create. The connection appears on the Connections page. You can edit the connection by clicking the connection name.

Alternatively, you can create a connection in a project and then publish it to the Platform assets catalog.

To publish a connection from a project to the Platform assets catalog:

1. Locate the connection in the project's Assets tab in the Data assets section.
2. From the Actions menu , select Publish to catalog.
3. Select Platform assets catalog and click Publish.