What is a Content Source

• About Content Sources

• Content Source's Role in Indexing Data

• Content Source Types

• Content Source Example

About Content Sources

Content Source is a component of Connectivity Hub that is responsible for the following operations:

• Receives data from the Source System via the Connection
• Filters the data it receives.
• Provides the results to the Target
• Defines the specific search index that contains the content you wish to index (and later search). In the example shown below, this is "Search Index A."

Content Source's Role in Indexing Data

• Your documents, images and other items, stored in a Source System (SharePoint Online, Documentum, etc.), flow through the Connector Web Service and into a specific search index managed by a search application instance, such as Elasticsearch.
• While the Target points to an instance of a search application (Elasticsearch), the Content Source specifies exactly which search index to use within the search application instance.
  • In the diagram below, data from your source system is routed specifically into "Search Index A" of the Elasticsearch search application instance.

• In the following diagram, the flow of data from one of your Source Systems (such as File Share, SharePoint Online, etc.) to a specific search index is shown.

Content Source Types

ConnectivityHub includes the following types of Content Sources:

• External, Web service Content, such as:
  • SharePoint Online
  • SharePoint On-Premise
  • Documentum
  • File Share
  • OpenText
    
• Built-in Database Content, such as OLEDB-type databases:
  
  • SQL
  • Oracle

Accessing Content Sources in ConnectivityHub

Content sources are listed in BA Insight ConnectivityHub on the Content Sources dashboard, available from the top horizontal menu.

See the graphic below.  For more information, see Content Sources Dashboard.

How to Add Content Sources

Content sources can be added from multiple locations:

• Content Sources dashboard (shown below): Found on the top navigation heading
• Quick Mode: Found on the top navigation heading.

Content Source Example

In this example, a File Share Content Source is described, including its

• Type:
  • WebService content type (as opposed to a SQL (database) content type)
• Connection:
  • Named "FileShares", this is the What is a Connection (to a Content Source)? the Content Source is associated with.
  • This Connection includes the path to the Connector web service (web service URL http://server:port/DataConnector.asmx).
• Target:
  • Points to the search application instance named "TestFileShare Target".
• Target Index:
  • Named "filesharescontent".
  • This is the specific index in the search application instance.