Box
Box is a cloud content management and file sharing service for storing, sharing, and collaborating on files and folders. You can connect your Box enterprise as a data source for your managed knowledge base to crawl files and folders.
Supported features
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Crawl files and folders
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Automatic detection of common document fields (such as title, author, and created or modified dates)
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Inclusion content filters for specific files and folders (OAuth 2.0 authentication)
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Maximum file size filtering
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Incremental content syncs for added, updated, and deleted content
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Client Credentials Grant (2LO) and OAuth 2.0 (3LO) authentication
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Document-level access control (ACLs), with Client Credentials Grant authentication
Authentication methods
A Box data source supports two authentication methods. Choose one before you begin, because it determines the credentials you create and whether you can use document-level access control. We recommend Client Credentials Grant authentication for new data sources.
| Method | How it authenticates | When to use | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|
Client Credentials Grant (CCG) — recommended |
The connector authenticates as a Box app using the Client Credentials Grant (2LO) flow, with enterprise-wide access. No user sign-in. | Crawling content across your Box enterprise, and any data source that uses document-level access control. | Set up Client Credentials Grant authentication |
OAuth 2.0 (OAUTH2) |
The connector authenticates as a Box app on behalf of a specific user (3LO), and crawls the content that user can access. | Crawling content for a specific user. Not supported with document-level access control. | Set up OAuth 2.0 authentication |
Prerequisites
In Box, make sure you:
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Create and configure a Box app for the connector to authenticate with. The app configuration depends on your authentication method — see the setup page for your method: Set up Client Credentials Grant authentication for Box or Set up OAuth 2.0 authentication for Box.
In your AWS account, make sure you:
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Store your authentication credentials in an AWS Secrets Manager secret and note the Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the secret.
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For the exact key-value pairs to store in the secret, see the setup page for your authentication method: Set up Client Credentials Grant authentication for Box or Set up OAuth 2.0 authentication for Box.
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Include the necessary permissions to connect to your data source in your AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) role/permissions policy for your knowledge base. For information on the required permissions, see Permissions to access your data sources.
How to set up a Box data source
Setting up a Box data source involves the following steps:
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Set up authentication. Follow the page for your chosen method to create the Box app credentials and store them in AWS: Set up Client Credentials Grant authentication for Box or Set up OAuth 2.0 authentication for Box.
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Connect the data source. Create the Box data source in the knowledge base using the AWS Management Console or the API. See Connect a Box data source.
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(Optional) Enable document-level access control. Filter query results by each user's Box permissions. Requires Client Credentials Grant authentication. See Document-level access controls.
