Data Gateway

Data gateway enables Archer to connect to and interact with external datasets. By providing real-time visibility into external datasets, your organization can leverage Archer to analyze and understand risks that occur in large amounts of data. Data feeds copy information into an Archer database, while data gateway maps information from an external system directly to records within Archer applications. This connection allows you to use Archer to view and make real-time edits to that external data. For example, you can sort through large amounts of vulnerability scan results to quickly identify the highest risk scans without duplicating the data or overflowing Archer database servers.

Here are some terms to help you configure your data gateway.

  • Connectors are an external dynamic link library (DLL) file allows you to establish connections between an Archer application or questionnaire and a table on your external database. You can leverage a connector multiple times as needed. If your external database fits the defined requirements, you can use the Flexible SQL Connector provided with Archer. For more information, see Using the Flexible SQL Connector.
  • Connections link Archer applications or questionnaires to one table on your external database. Connections use connectors as a framework to access tables. You can have multiple connections using a variety of connectors to bring information from different tables into Archer.

To set up the data gateway, do the following:

  1. Complete the following tasks:
    1. Enable data gateway in the Archer Control Panel. For more information, see "Configuring an Instance for Using Data Gateway" in the Archer Control Panel Help.
    2. Ensure that your Archer user account has data gateway access. For more information, see Assigning Rights to Access Roles.
      • To create and view connections, your Archer user account requires Create and Read permissions.
      • To map fields, your Archer user account requires Create, Read, and Update permissions.
    3. Decide which connector to use.
      1. For external database that fit the defined requirements, you can use the Flexible SQL Connector provided with Archer. For more information, see Using the Flexible SQL Connector.
      2. Create a connector to work with your specific environment. For more information, see Creating a Data Gateway Connector.
  2. Configure your data gateway connections by doing one of the following: