Data Sources

You can use either remote agents or a direct Microsoft SQL connection to query external data sources and transmit the results to Laserfiche Cloud. This allows you to store sensitive data securely within your organization's firewalls, while providing a method to share this data securely with Laserfiche Cloud.

Getting Started with External Data Sources Video

Discover how to connect process automation to databases outside Laserfiche. External data sources enable queries that retrieve and reuse information from other systems.

Laserfiche Process Automation supports the following data sources:

Microsoft SQL Server databases, supports direct data queries and remote agents.
PostgreSQL databases, supports remote agents.
Oracle databases, supports remote agents.
MySQL databases, supports remote agents.
CSV files, supports direct data queries and remote agents.

Note: If you previously used your remote agent only for SQL Server data sources, you may need to download a newer version of the remote agent to use PostgreSQL, Oracle, MySQL, or CSV data sources.

Free Training: Introduction to Data Queries in Laserfiche Cloud eLearning course in Aspire.

Creating a Data Source

In Integrations, select Data Sources and click New.
Type a name for the data source. This name will be used to reference the data source in your data queries.
Optional: Type a description to help you remember details about the data source.
Specify the type of database. You cannot change this type later.
Select whether to Send requests directly to the SQL Server, or Send requests through remote agent to use a remote agent.
1. [Optional]: If sending directly, select Allow Custom SQL to enable the custom SQL editor.
2. If using a remote agent, specify the remote agent that will carry out data queries on that data source. The remote agent must contain a queue with the data query plugin.
Click Next.
Specify the data source's details, including server, port, database name, and authentication details. If the data source is a CSV file, specify its folder path.
Note: If you choose the custom certificate option, you are responsible for updating the certificate in Laserfiche Cloud whenever it rotates on the server. Certificate rotations require close coordination. If the certificate is not updated, queries will fail and may impact business processes.
If using a self-signed certificate, the uploaded certificate should be the SQL Server's leaf certificate without the private key. The Server value configured for the data source needs to match the hostname in the SQL Server certificate.
Using certificates from a well-known public root Certificate Authority (CA) does not require updating a certificate in Laserfiche and is strongly recommended if you are not confident you can coordinate regular certificate rotations.
Click Verify. This option tests the connection between process automation and the data source. When a connection is made, the status of the data source is updated to display a check mark.
Click Create.

Importing and Exporting a Data Source

The import and export options allow you to migrate a data source from one account to another (e.g., from a test account to a production account). The export feature allows you to extract the contents of the connection onto a .dsi file (Data Source Import file). When the data source is imported, you must verify the connection on the new account.

To export a data source

Click the Export button in the toolbar.
Provide a name for the file.
Click Export.

To import a data source

Click the Import button in the toolbar.
Select the .dsi file that contains the data source connection that you want to import.
Click Next.
If a data source with the same name exists on the machine, select an action to resolve the conflicts.
Click Next.
Review the provided import summary. If everything looks correct, click Finish.

Allowing Laserfiche to Access Your Database

For direct data queries to work, there are a few items that will need to be arranged on the database servers.

Server Certificate

When Laserfiche Cloud connects to your database, it uses an encrypted (TLS) connection. As part of that connection, Laserfiche Cloud must verify the identity of your database server by validating the certificate the server presents. The Certificate setting controls which trusted certificates Laserfiche Cloud uses to do this.

Choose one of the following options:

Use Laserfiche Cloud Certificate Store
- Choose this option if your database server's certificate was issued by a well-known public Certificate Authority (CA), such as DigiCert, GlobalSign, or Let's Encrypt. Laserfiche Cloud maintains a built-in store of root certificates from these authorities, so no upload is required. This is the recommended option whenever it applies.
  Examples of common certificate store contents can be found at Debian's certificate list and Mozilla's CA Certificates in Firefox Report.
Use custom certificate
- Choose this option if your database server uses a self-signed certificate, or a certificate issued by your organization's internal Certificate Authority. You'll upload the server's certificate directly to Laserfiche Cloud.

Not sure which one applies to you? Try the Use Laserfiche Cloud Certificate Store option first and verify the connection. If verification fails with a certificate or trust error, switch to Use custom certificate.

Note: While Laserfiche makes every effort to host a comprehensive store of well known certificates, not all certificates may be available at any given time. Consult with your IT department for additional help.

For instructions on locating your server's certificate and preparing it for upload, see Finding and uploading your SQL Server certificate.

IP Addresses Allowlist

Please make the following adjustments to your port and allowlist settings in your firewall.

Review the IP Address list for endpoints that will need to be allowed access to the SQL Server via SSL over port 1433.