Technical Documentation : Connectors : Adding a Zeenea Descriptor Format (ZDF) Connection
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Adding a Zeenea Descriptor Format (ZDF) Connection
Connectors
Zeenea Descriptor Format (ZDF) plugin describes a set of three connectors allowing the management of datasets, visualizations and data processes based on declarative files.
Note: These connectors must be used in very specific cases where a traditional connector is not an option. By using a description of the items instead of the discoverability mechanism used by regular connectors, you must ensure that you comply with the assertions that other connectors respect, such as the existence of elements.
For more information about these connectors, contact your Customer Success Manager.
Adding a Connection
These three connectors work the same way and share the same configuration parameters.
Plugin Installation
These connectors are available in the zdf-connector-plugin.
It can be downloaded here: Zeenea Connector Downloads.
For more information on how to install a plugin, please refer to the following article: Installing and Configuring Connectors as a Plugin.
Connection Settings
Creating and configuring connectors is done through a dedicated configuration file located in the /connections folder of the relevant scanner.
Configuration Templates:
The following links can be used to download configuration templates:
To connect to an instance, the parameters of the connection file must be completed with the following values:
Parameter
Expected value
name
The name that will be displayed to catalog users for this connection.
code
The unique identifier of the connection on the Zeenea platform. Once registered on the platform, this code must not be modified or the connection will be considered as new and the old one removed from the scanner.
connector_id
The type of connector to be used for the connection. Here, the value must be zdf-dataset, zdf-visualization, or zdf-lineage. Once defined, this value must not be modified.
enabled
Optional
Boolean (true/false) indicating whether the connection is active or not.
Default value: true
connection.path
Path to file or folder containing description files.
This value is mandatory if no git repository is declared.
If a git repository is declared, the value can be null or a path relative to the repository root.
connection.git.repository
Optional
URL of the git repository where to read the files.
Example: https://github.com/acme/bigproject
connection.git.branch
Optional
Branch to clone. By default, HEAD is used.
Example: https://github.com/acme/bigproject
connection.git.token
Optional
Authentication Token
Replaces the usage of the username/password parameters.
connection.git.username
Optional
Git user name. Requires password.
connection.git.token
Optional
Git user password. Requires username.
connection.git.workdir
Optional
Local working folder where the git repository will be cloned.
connection.git.cleandir
Optional
Boolean (true/false) indicating whether the working folder should be deleted after processing. If deleted, the repository will be cloned at each operation, otherwise only an update will be performed.
Default value: false
zdf-dataset
This is a Dataset connector.
It operates according to the inventory/import/update cycle. The objects inventoried are Datasets.
Description files are in JSON format. The root is an object containing two attributes.
Attribute
Type
Description
datasets
List<ZdfDataset>
Dataset list
lineage
List<ZdfProcess>
List of lineage links linked to datasets
zdf-visualization
This is a Visualization connector.
It operates according to the inventory/import/update cycle. The objects inventoried are the Visualizations.
Description files are in JSON format. The root is an object containing two attributes.
Attribute
Type
Description
visualizations
List<ZdfVisualization>
Visualization list
lineage
List<ZdfProcess>
List of lineage links between visualizations' internal datasets and external datasets
zdf-lineage
This is a Data Process connector.
It works with a single synchronization operation.
Description files are in JSON format. The root is an object containing an attribute.
Attribute
Type
Description
lineage
List<ZdfProcess>
List of lineage links between the Data Process and its datasets
Description File Discovery
The connector recursively searches all ordinary files with the extension .zeenea starting from the search root. The root can also refer to a single valid file.
If no git repository is declared, the root is specified by the connection.path parameter.
If a git repository is declared, the repository is cloned into the working folder, or updated if the clone is already present. The root folder is the concatenation of the working folder and the connection.path parameter. At the end of processing, if the connection.git.cleandir option is true, the working folder is deleted.
Format Details
Note: Attributes marked "*" are mandatory for Items to be ingested by the platform. If not defined in a file, the Item will be rejected.
ZdfDataset
Dataset description.
Attribute
Type
Description
path
Text
Path identifying the dataset in relation to the connection.
If not specified, the path will be /dataset/. Example: /crm_db/sap/customer.
name*
Text
Dataset name
description
Text
Dataset description
owner
ZdfOwner
Dataset owner contact
fields*
List<ZdfField>
Dataset field list
foreignKeys
List<ZdfForeignKey>
Foreign key list
type
Text
Source property type
label
Text
Source property label.
Note: This is different from the name property.
format
Text
Source property format
numberOfRows
Text
Source property number of rows
diskUsage
Text
Source property disk usage
location
Text
Source property location
project
Text
Source property project
catalog
Text
Source property catalog
schema
Text
Source property schema
database
Text
Source property database
replicationFactor
Text
Source property replication factor
tags
Text
Source property tags
sourceSystem
Text
Source property source system
origin
Text
Source property origin
creationDate
Text
Source property creation date
updateDate
Text
Source property update date
createdBy
Text
Source property created by
updatedBy
Text
Source property updated by
comments
Text
Source property comments
ZdfVisualization
A visualization description.
Attribute
Type
Description
path
Text
Path identifying the view in the connection.
 If not specified, the path will be /report/ (example: /report/sales_evolutions).
name*
Text
Visualization name
description
Text
Visualization description
owner
ZdfOwner
Visualization owner contact
datasets*
List<ZdfDataset>
List of the visualization's internal datasets.

Note: these objects represent access to visualization data. They belong to the visualization and cannot be shared. Their lifecycle is the same as that of the visualization to which they are attached.

Shared datasets must be produced in another connection with the zdf-dataset connector.
ZdfProcess
Process description.
Attribute
Type
Description
path
Text
Path identifying the process in relation to the connection.
If not specified, the path will be /transformation/.
Example: /transformation/47ccd226-11e1-11ef-9b10-00155d60aaf0
name*
Text
Process name
description
Text
Process description
owner
ZdfOwner
Process owner contact
inputs
List<ZdfDatasetRef>
List of process input dataset references
outputs
List<ZdfDatasetRef>
List of process output dataset references
ZdfField
A field description.
Attribute
Type
Description
name*
Text
Field name
description
Text
Field description
nativeType
Text
Native type of the field.
If unset, the dataType value is used.
dataType
Text
Zeenea type of the field.
If unset, the nativeType value is used.
Allowed values are:
- boolean
- byte
- short
- integer
- long
- float
- double
- string
- date
- timestamp
- binary
- struct
- unknown
isNullable
Boolean
The field can be null. Default value false.
isMultivalued
Boolean
The field can contain multiple values. Default value false.
isPrimaryKey
Boolean
The field is part of the primary key. Default value false.
encoding
Text
Source property encoding
format
Text
Source property format
length
Text
Source property length
ZdfDatasetRef
A link to a dataset.
The link can be represented either with the identification key, or with the connection code and identification path.
One of the attributes identificationKey or path must be filled in.
Attribute
Type
Description
identificationKey
Text
Dataset identification key
connectionCode
Text
Connection code. Leave blank if this is the current connection. It is possible to use one of the connection aliases.
zeepath
Text
Dataset path
ZdfOwner
A contact description.
Attribute
Type
Description
role*
Text
Contact role
email*
Text
Contact email address
firstname
Text
Contact first name
lastname
Text
Contact last name
ZdfForeignKey
A foreign key description.
Attribute
Type
Description
dataset*
Text
Path of the target dataset (the one with the primary key)
sourceFields*
List
Source dataset field list
targetFields
List
Target dataset field list
name
Text
Foreign key name
Last modified date: 11/28/2025