Box Connector (ALPHA)

The Box Connector imports your Box files into Birst.

The connector supports the following file types:

  • .accdb
  • .csv
  • .mdb
  • .txt
  • .xls or .xlsx
  • .zip or .zip64 files containing the above

Implementation and Usage Notes

  • The Box Connector requires a Box application that a Box user can authorize to access files. See the following section for instructions.
  • The connector uses OAuth2.0 authentication with Authorization Code flow, as per Box requirements.
  • Multiple files can be imported individually or they can be merged into a single file.
  • The connector tracks files by the Box file ID number, so it will still import a file even if you change its name in Box after configuring the connector. If you do change the file name, the connector UI may still display the old name. Click Get Files to see the new name.

For general usage notes see Connect to Cloud Applications Using Application Connectors.

To configure a Box Application to be accessed by the Birst Box Connector

  1. Go to https://app.box.com/developers/services/edit/ and create an application in the Box account that will be accessed by Birst.

  2. Generate the Client ID and Client Secret and save them for when you configure the Box Connector.
  3. The Box Application OAuth2 Parameters require a redirect_URI. This is of the format:
    server_name/auth/RESTConnectorOAuth2Callback.htm
    where server_name is the base URL of the Birst server, for example https://login.bws.birst.com.
    If you do not have this information right away, you can fill it in later. In Birst, when you select the Box Connector in Admin - Define Sources - Application Connectors - Connection Details, the connector generates a Callback URL and shows it in the UI. Provide this as the redirect_uri to the Box application.
  4. Save the Box Application and go to Birst to configure the Box Connector.

Next Steps

See Using the Box Connector.