A reference connector represents a source system that Synthetic Data uses to discover database metadata, such as schemas, tables, columns, and relationships. This metadata is later used to determine how synthetic data should be generated.

Use this task to add a reference connector to an application in Synthetic Data.

Prerequisites

  • An application must already exist. To add an application, see Add an application.

  • You must have the connection details for the source database.

Steps

  1. From the top navigation bar, click Synthetic, then click Applications in the left navigation pane.

  2. On the Applications page, click View for the application.

  3. Click the Connectors tab.

  4. In the Connector Mappings section, click + Add Reference Connector.

    The Add Synthetic Connector wizard opens.

  5. On the Details page, provide the following information:

    1. Name: Enter a name to identify the connector.

    2. Description (optional): Enter a description of the connector.

    3. Under Connector Capabilities, ensure Reference is selected. Optionally, select Target if this connector will also be used as a destination for generated synthetic data.

    4. Click Next.

  6. On the Connection Details page:

    1. From Source Type, select the database platform (for example, Database – Oracle). For details on creating an extended connector, refer to Create an extended connector topic.

    2. Under Connection Method, select one of the following:

      1. Hostname/IP (Basic) — Connect using a hostname or IP address, port, and database identifier.

      2. JDBC URL (Advanced) — Connect using a full JDBC connection string.

    3. If you selected Hostname/IP (Basic), complete the following fields:

      1. Schema Names — enter one or more schemas to discover within the source database. Enter a schema name and press Enter to add it as a value. Repeat this action for each schema.

        Schema names are case-sensitive. The value must match the schema name in the database exactly, including letter casing. If the value does not match, the test connector fails.

      2. Host — the hostname or IP address of the source database server.

      3. Port — the port number for the database connection.

      4. Database Identifier — select SID or Service Name, then enter the corresponding value.

      5. Authentication Method — select the method used to authenticate (for example, Username/Password).

      6. Username — the database username.

      7. Password — the password for the specified username.

    4. If you selected JDBC URL (Advanced), complete the following fields:

      1. Schema Names — enter one or more schemas to discover within the source database. Enter a schema name and press Enter to add it as a value. Repeat this action for each schema.

      2. JDBC URL — Enter the full JDBC connection string used to connect to the source database. This option allows you to specify advanced connection parameters that are not available in the basic hostname‑based configuration.

      3. Authentication Method — Select the method used to authenticate to the database (for example, Username/Password).

      4. Username — The database username used for authentication.

      5. Password — The password for the specified username.

    5. (Optional) Under Advanced Settings, expand this section to view Custom Properties and click Select Properties File... to upload a .properties file that contains custom JDBC settings, such as SSL options or connection timeouts.

      For a .properties file, provide one key=value pair per line. Lines beginning with # or ! are treated as comments.

    6. (Optional) Click Test Connection to verify the connection for each configured schema.

    7. Click Next.

  7. On the Summary page, review the connector details.

  8. Click Submit.

Connection properties are encrypted when stored on the connector and are applied when DCT tests the connector and runs a data-generation job. Secret-shaped values are masked as ******** in the connector details returned by the API and displayed in the UI.

When you save the reference connector, DCT discovers and synchronizes each configured schema independently. The connector status summarizes the statuses of its schemas. The connector appears in the Connector Mappings section of the Connectors tab, displaying the connector name, database platform badge, and configured schemas.

To update the schemas later, edit the reference connector and add or remove schema values. In the API, use database_config.schema_names on the Synthetic Connector create, read, or update request. The previous single-value schema_name setting is replaced by this list. Connector read responses include schema_sync_statuses, which reports the status and synchronization timestamps for each schema. Synthetic Structure responses include a nullable schema_name value.

You can add one or more target connectors to the same reference connector by clicking + Add Target Connector. For more information, see Add a target connector.

 

 

Last updated
Oct 8, 2026