Choosing a connector type
The connector type is the single most consequential choice you make, because the type and the sign-in method are set at creation and can never be changed. The page says so itself, above the picker:
The connector type and authentication method are set now and can't be changed once the connector is created.
Get it wrong and the fix is to delete the connector and make another one. So it is worth one careful minute.
The groups
The pills above the cards narrow the list. A pill only appears when that group has something in it, so your set may be shorter than this.
| Group | Connectors |
|---|---|
| Mailbox polling, offered as two sign-in methods: App Password and Graph API. | |
| File Storage | SFTP, FTPS. |
| Cloud Storage | Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, Azure Blob Storage, Amazon S3. |
| Database | SQL Database, MongoDB. |
| API | REST API. |
| Accounting | QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zoho Books. |
All Connectors shows everything at once. Search by connector or auth type matches
both the connector name and the sign-in method, so typing graph finds the Graph API
card without you having to know which group it lives in.
One card per sign-in method, not per system
Some systems appear as more than one card because Elie can sign in to them in more than one way. Email is the clearest example: App Password connects over IMAP with a username and an app-specific password, while Graph API uses Microsoft Graph application credentials.
Choosing the card sets both the type and the method together, which is why the Configuration tab afterwards already shows exactly the right fields — IMAP host and port for App Password, client credentials for Graph API.
How to choose
Work down this list; the first one that applies is your answer.
- Does the finished result need to land in your accounting ledger? Use the accounting connector for that ledger. These behave differently from everything else — no file, no schedule, immediate posting. See Which tabs you see.
- Are the documents already in a folder somewhere? Use the connector for that place — SFTP/FTPS for a server, or the matching Cloud Storage card.
- Do they arrive as email attachments? Use Email, then pick the sign-in method your provider gives you. If your administrator has issued app passwords, that is App Password; if they have registered an application in Entra ID, that is Graph API.
- Are the records in a database or behind an API? Use SQL Database, MongoDB or REST API. These pull records rather than files.
- Still unsure? Prefer the connector whose credentials you can obtain today. A verified simple connector beats an unverifiable sophisticated one.
The sign-in method decides how you verify
This is the practical consequence of the choice, and the reason it is worth understanding before you commit:
- Most types verify with Ping — an immediate live connection test, pass or fail on the spot.
- Graph API email, Google Drive and the accounting connectors verify with Authenticate — you are sent to the provider to sign in, and the connector waits in Verification Pending until the provider answers.
If your organisation blocks the consent screen for third-party applications, an Authenticate connector cannot be verified and therefore cannot be enabled. Prefer a Ping type in that case. See Verifying a connector.
If you picked the wrong one
Delete it and create a new one. Open the connector, select Delete, and confirm in the Delete Connector dialog. A Draft can always be deleted; an Active connector must be disabled first.
Nothing carries over, so if you had already filled in credentials you will need them again.
Next
- Creating an import connector — the full walkthrough.
- Which tabs you see — what your choice does to the tab rail.
- Verifying a connector — Ping versus Authenticate.