Connecting Amazon S3 as an external knowledge source

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">You can set up an Amazon S3 connection to connect and sync content from your Amazon S3 bucket. After you connect an S3 bucket, you canconfigure workflows to use this external content.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-toggle">Summary: <span id="up-triangle">◀</span><span id="down-triangle">▼</span></p>
<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">You can connect Amazon S3 to sync .docx, .xlsx, and .md files as external knowledge sources. Manage content by adding or removing files in your S3 bucket, set viewer permissions for user segments, and manually resync or remove connections. Syncs update every 24 hours but can be triggered anytime. This integration helps you keep external content accessible within your workflows and knowledge base.</p>
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<div class="p">You can connect Amazon S3 to your Zendesk account to make content available <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9822956298010#topic_cwq_c2s_ygc" target="_blank">wherever external content is used</a>. You must be
a Knowledge admin to set up and manage external content connections. <div class="note" id="topic_c3s_fft_wgc__note_plw_gmb_cjc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Amazon S3 connections currently support .docx, .xlsx, and .md
file types.</div>
</div>
<div class="p">This article contains the following topics:<ul class="ul" id="topic_c3s_fft_wgc__ul_kbk_dsh_xgc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ftg_xjt_wgc">Setting up an Amazon S3 connection</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_t1w_vps_ygc">Adding or removing content from your Amazon S3 connection</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_xm5_zpf_k3c">Managing content connected to your Zendesk account</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">Related articles</strong>:<ul class="ul" id="topic_c3s_fft_wgc__ul_npx_2r1_xgc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9822956298010" target="_blank">About connecting external content to Zendesk
for use across knowledge experiences</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831783962" target="_blank">Knowledge product limits for your help
center</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Setting up an Amazon S3 connection</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can set up an Amazon S3 connection to connect and sync content from your Amazon
S3 bucket. After you connect an S3 bucket, you can <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9822956298010#topic_opg_phs_ygc" target="_blank">configure workflows to use this external
content</a>.</p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To set up an Amazon S3 connection</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__ol_ik3_ckt_wgc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041943683354#topic_b5q_nwn_s2c" target="_blank">Knowledge admin</a>, click <strong class="ph b">Manage articles</strong>
(<img class="image" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__d8e24" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide_icon_manage_articles.png">) in the sidebar.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">External content &gt; Connections</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Under the Available sources section, click <strong class="ph b">Connect</strong> on the Amazon S3
card.</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Continue</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_s2p_bcl_y3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-s3-connector-auth-modal.png" width="325"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">On the <strong class="ph b">Authenticate (Step 1 of 2) </strong>page, enter the following:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__ul_w1g_y4w_njc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Access Key ID</strong> and <strong class="ph b">Secret Access Key</strong>: AWS IAM
credentials that grant programmatic access to the Amazon S3 bucket
you want to sync. AWS access keys are generated through the AWS
Identity and Access Management (IAM) console. See <a class="xref" href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/keyspaces/latest/devguide/create.keypair.html" target="_blank">AWS Developer Guide</a> for
more information.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">AWS Region</strong>: AWS region where your bucket is stored.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_wxp_y35_wgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-s3-authenticate-user-modal.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">On the <strong class="ph b">Authenticate (Step 2 of 2)</strong> page, enter the name of the Amazon
S3 bucket that you want to sync. The connector will sync all supported file
types (.docx, .xlsx, and .md), folders, and subfolders within a
bucket.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_xsb_14w_njc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-s3-bucket-name.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_t1w_vps_ygc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Adding or removing content from your Amazon S3 connection</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">To add or remove content from an Amazon S3 connection, you can add or delete the
content from the connected S3 bucket, then either wait for an automatic sync or
manually resync your site. The new content item will be reflected in the Items
number for the Amazon S3 connection on your Connections page. </p>
<div class="note" id="topic_t1w_vps_ygc__note_tzm_mtw_njc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Syncs (manual or automatic) can take up to 24 hours to
complete.</div>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_t1w_vps_ygc__image_msf_y5w_njc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-guide-connector-bucket.jpg" width="800"></p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_xm5_zpf_k3c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Managing content connected to your Zendesk account</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Once you've created a connection, you can view information about the connection, set
viewer permissions for content, and manually resync or remove the connection. </p>
<div class="p">This section contains the following topics:<ul class="ul" id="topic_xm5_zpf_k3c__ul_srg_2lb_xgc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_cvp_glb_xgc">Viewing connection details</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_z5f_xts_ygc">Managing viewer permissions for content</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_x2c_xlb_xgc">Manually resyncing content</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_c5b_bmb_xgc">Removing a connection</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Viewing connection details</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can use the information panel to view information about the connection, when
it was created and by whom, and when it was last synced. </p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To view connection details</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__ol_gbz_kwb_xgc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041943683354#topic_b5q_nwn_s2c" target="_blank">Knowledge admin</a>, click <strong class="ph b">Manage articles</strong>
(<img class="image" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__d8e24" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide_icon_manage_articles.png">) in the sidebar.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">External content &gt; Connections</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__image_jbz_kwb_xgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/uc_options_icon.png">) on the row for the connection you want to
manage, then select <strong class="ph b">Manage</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__image_kbz_kwb_xgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-connector-manage.jpg" width="375"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">View details about the connection:<ul class="ul" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__ul_qbb_gyb_xgc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Created</strong>: When the connection was created</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Connected by</strong>: Name of the Knowledge admin who created the
connection</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Items</strong>: Number of synced pages in the connection</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Status</strong>: Sync status</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Last synced</strong>: When the last sync occurred. Syncs are
automatically performed every 24 hours, though they can also be
<a class="xref" href="#topic_x2c_xlb_xgc">triggered
manually</a>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__image_adk_syb_xgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-connector-gen-viewdetails.jpg" width="450"></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested2" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title6">Managing viewer permissions for content</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">You can set the viewer permissions for who can view connected content
in your Zendesk workflows.</p>
<div class="p" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">To manage viewer permissions for content</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__ol_csl_zts_ygc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041943683354#topic_b5q_nwn_s2c" target="_blank">Knowledge admin</a>, click <strong class="ph b">Manage articles</strong>
(<img class="image" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__d8e24" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide_icon_manage_articles.png">) in the sidebar.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">External content &gt; Connections</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__image_jnn_15s_ygc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/uc_options_icon.png">) on the row for the connection you want to
manage, then select <strong class="ph b">Manage</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Under <strong class="ph b">Viewing permissions</strong>, select one of the following options to
determine which <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408837707290" target="_blank">user segments</a> can view content
from this space:<ul class="ul" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__ul_kng_tct_pbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Only visible to selected user segments</strong>: Select up to 10
user segments from any of the following (an Enterprise plan is
required to select multiple user segments):<ul class="ul" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__ul_lng_tct_pbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Signed-in users</strong>: Includes internal and external
users who create an account and sign in to your help
center. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Agents and admins</strong>: Includes team members only, so
that you can create content that is internal-only. <div class="note" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__note_mng_tct_pbc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Light agents are included in
this segment. For a list of light agent permissions,
see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408846501402" target="_blank">Understanding and
setting light agent
permissions</a>.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Custom user segment</strong>: Allows you to restrict
viewing access to specific users based on tags,
organizations, or groups by applying user segments. See
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408837707290" target="_blank">Creating user
segments to restrict access</a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Visible to everyone</strong>: Includes anyone who visits your help
center and does not require sign in.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested2" id="topic_x2c_xlb_xgc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title7">Manually resyncing content</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When you connect an external content source, a sync process runs every 24 hours
to update new or changed content. However, you can also manually resync content
to trigger a sync process at any time. </p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To manually resync content</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_x2c_xlb_xgc__ol_lxk_5d5_wgc">
<li class="li">On the Connections page, click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_x2c_xlb_xgc__image_z13_4lb_q3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/uc_options_icon.png">) for the connection you want to sync.</li>
<li class="li">Select <strong class="ph b">Sync again</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_x2c_xlb_xgc__image_p4z_4l5_wgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-connect-gen-syncagain.jpg" width="375"></p>
<p class="p">The connection syncs
immediately, and the Last synced column is updated with the most
recent sync time.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested2" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title8">Removing a connection</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can remove a connection if you no longer want to sync its content. If you
remove a connection, all content within that connection will be removed. </p>
<p class="p">When you remove a connection, the related content is no longer available <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9822956298010" target="_blank">wherever external content is used</a>. </p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To remove a connection</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc__ol_avd_g25_wgc">
<li class="li">On the Connections page, click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc__image_ugj_qlb_q3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/uc_options_icon.png">) for the connection you want to
remove.</li>
<li class="li">Select<strong class="ph b"> Remove connection</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc__image_jz1_zl5_wgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-connect-gen-removecx.jpg" width="375"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Review the message, then click <strong class="ph b">Remove</strong>.<p class="p">The connection is
removed from the Connection list, and is no longer available as an
external content source.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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