---
name: discovery-data-ccs-tooling
title: Using a custom connector from the Discovery user interface
description: After you build and deploy a custom connector, you can configure and run it in the Discovery user interface to create a collection.
last-updated: 2025-02-13
---

> ## Documentation Index
> The table of contents for this documentation set is at https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/discovery-data?format=markdown
> The index for all IBM Cloud docs is at: https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use these files to discover more information as needed.

# Using a custom connector from the Discovery user interface
{: #ccs-tooling}

After you build and deploy a custom connector, you can configure and run it in the Discovery user interface to create a collection.
{: shortdesc}

[IBM Cloud Pak for Data]{: tag-cp4d} [IBM Software Hub]{: tag-teal}

This information applies only to installed deployments.
{: note}

You create and manage a collection as described in [Creating and managing collections](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/discovery-data?topic=discovery-data-collections&format=markdown). You can use a successfully deployed custom connector during this process as follows. Follow these instructions to use a custom connector instead of one of the pre-built connectors that are listed in [Configuring Cloud Pak for Data data sources](https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/discovery-data?topic=discovery-data-collection-types&format=markdown).

1.  After you create a project, look for your custom connector to connect to a data source.
1.  Select the custom connector and then click **Next**.

    The **Configure collection** page opens.

    The following steps apply specifically to the example custom connector that is included with the `custom-crawler-docs.zip` file.
    {: note}

1.  Enter values for the following fields on the **Configure collection** page. If a field is already populated with a value, verify and change the value if needed. A prepopulated value indicates that a value was specified in the custom connector's `template.xml` or `message.properties` file.

    General
    :   Complete the following fields

        -   Collection name
        -   Collection language
        -   Crawl schedule

    Crawler properties
    :   Complete the following fields

        -   Crawler name
        -   Crawler description
        -   Time to wait between retrieval requests (milliseconds)

            The default value is `0`.
        -   Maximum number of active crawler threads

            The default value is `10`.
        - Maximum number of documents to crawl 

          The default value `2000000000`.
        - Maximum document size (KB)
      
          The default value is `32768`.

    Data source properties
    :   Complete the following fields

        -   Host name
      
            The default value is `localhost`.
        -   Port
      
            The default value is `22`.
        -   User name
        -   Use key file (or input password)
      
            The default value is `On`.
        -   Key file location
        -   passphrase
        -   Password

    Crawl Space Properties
    :   If the custom crawler supports document-level security and the `document_level_security_supported` value in the `template.xml` is set to `true`, then an **Enable Document Level Security** switch is displayed in a *Security* section of the data source connection setup page. To enable document-level security, set the **Enable Document Level Security** switch to **On**. If the switch is set to Off, then the collection that is created cannot support document-level security even if the custom crawler can support document-level security.

1.  Click **Finish** to create the collection.