Manage external database and storage connections used for federated queries.
## Overview The Connections page is the central hub for registering and managing external database and object storage connections that DeltaForge uses for federated queries and data ingestion. Platform administrators and data engineers use this page to onboard new data sources, verify connectivity, and associate credential profiles so that pipelines and workspaces can reference remote systems without embedding secrets inline. Each connection is backed by a provider-specific form that surfaces only the configuration fields relevant to the selected technology (PostgreSQL, SQL Server, MySQL, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Data Lake Storage, and others). Once a connection is saved and tested, its schemas and tables become discoverable through the catalog, enabling seamless cross-system queries. ## Key Features - **Connection creation with provider-specific forms.** Select a provider type and fill in a tailored form that exposes only the relevant connection parameters (host, port, database, container, account name, and similar). Default values and inline validation reduce configuration errors. - **Connectivity testing.** Execute an on-demand test that validates network reachability, authentication, and basic query capability against the remote system. Results display success or a diagnostic error message. - **Schema discovery from remote databases.** After a successful connection test, trigger schema discovery to import the remote catalog structure (schemas, tables, columns, and data types) into the DeltaForge metadata catalog for use in federated queries. - **Credential profile association.** Link each connection to a credential profile stored in the configured credential backend (OS keychain, Azure Key Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, or GCP Secret Manager) rather than storing passwords directly in the connection definition. ## Workflow 1. Open the Connections page from the Configuration sidebar. 2. Click the add connection button and select the target provider type. 3. Fill in the provider-specific connection form with host, port, database, and any additional parameters. 4. Associate a credential profile that holds the authentication details for this connection. 5. Run the connectivity test and confirm a successful result. 6. Trigger schema discovery to import remote catalog metadata. 7. Verify that the discovered schemas and tables appear in the catalog tree.