Dropbox & AlphaSense

Dropbox Integration: How to Set Up and Manage 

This guide explains how to connect and manage your Dropbox integration in AlphaSense. You’ll learn how to sync files, monitor activity, and troubleshoot common issues.

• Accessing the Integration
• Setting Up the Integration
  • Connection Types
  • Authentication
• Sync Data from Dropbox
  • Supported File Types
  • Data Sync Process
• Tags and Sharing
• Managing the Integration
  • Monitoring
  • Reporting
• Security & Permissions
• Troubleshoot & FAQs

Accessing the Dropbox Integration

To access the Dropbox integration:

1. Go to the Integration Center.
2. Select Dropbox under the File Storage category.

This area lets you manage all aspects of your Dropbox connection.

Setting Up the Integration

During setup, you'll configure Dropbox to sync selected files and folders for search and analysis in AlphaSense.

Connection Types

AlphaSense supports two connection types:

Individual Connection

• Intended for personal use.
• The user connects their personal Dropbox account.

How it works:

• Users manually select files and folders to sync.
• File sharing must be configured individually within AlphaSense.
• Permissions from Dropbox are not mirrored.

Shared Connection

• Designed for team use.
• Only a Dropbox Admin can set up a Shared Connection.
• Requires Business API endpoints enabled in the organization.

How it works:

• Admins select folders to sync.
• AlphaSense mirrors Dropbox permissions to maintain secure, consistent access control.

Note: AlphaSense cannot override permissions for Shared Connections. If a user doesn’t have access in Dropbox, they won’t have access in AlphaSense.

Authentication:

1. Access the Integration Center in AlphaSense.
2. Click on Dropbox and select Connect Dropbox.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions:
   1. Choose Individual or Shared connection.
   2. Connect your DropBox account.
   3. Select the files and folders to sync.
4. Click Continue & Sync to complete setup.

Sync Data from Dropbox

File Access in Dropbox

AlphaSense can sync:

• Files created by you – found in the "UserName" folder (e.g., "Abhijeet Kumar").
• Files shared with you via Team folders (marked with a shared icon).
• Files explicitly shared with you but not in folders – listed as “Files not in a folder (Shared with me)”.

Supported File Types

AlphaSense supports the following formats:

• Documents: .txt, .doc, .docx, .pdf, .html, .htm
• Spreadsheets: .xls, .xlsx, .xlsb, .xlsm, .csv, .tsv, .ods
• Presentations: .ppt, .pptx
• Email: .msg, .eml

Dropbox has a native way of creating Documents called .Paper, this is the main document which is being used for collaboration.

Data Sync Process

• AlphaSense syncs Dropbox data automatically every 15 minutes.
• Special Case: Files explicitly shared with a user (not via folder) sync once every 24 hours due to Dropbox API rate limits.

Tags and Sharing

• Apply tags to help categorize and search content efficiently.

• Perform bulk or individual tagging and sharing.
• For Individual Connections, you can manually configure sharing settings during setup.
• Finally, review your selection and settings and click Continue.

Managing the Integration

After setup, manage your integration from the Integration Center:

1. Open the Integration Center and select DropBox.
2. Under Manage Configuration, you can:
   1. Add or remove synced items.
   2. Adjust tags or sharing settings (for Individual Connections).
   3. Sync updated configurations.

Monitoring

Use the Monitoring tab to track activity and detect issues:

Information Displayed:

• File Name: The document being processed.
• Status:
  • Processing: File is being indexed.
  • Synced: File is available for search.
  • Error: File failed to sync.
• Last Activity: Timestamp of the most recent action.

Steps to Access:

1. Go to Dropbox > Monitoring.
2. Review recent syncs and statuses.
3. For errors, check the Reports section.

Reporting

The Reports tab provides logs and diagnostics:

Report Types:

• Full Audit Log: Tracks all file syncs, with metadata.
• Error Report: Lists errors and troubleshooting details.
• Skipped Files Report: Identifies files excluded due to size limits or unsupported formats.

Steps to Access Reports:

1. Navigate to the Reports tab under Dropbox in the Integration Center.
2. Choose either the Full Audit Log or the Error Report or Skipped file Report depending on your needs.
3. Download the report in the desired format for further analysis or audit purposes.
    

Security & Permissions

AlphaSense ensures that all data transferred between Dropbox and the AlphaSense platform is secure and that user access is properly controlled. 

Shared Connection

• Permissions are mirrored from Dropbox to AlphaSense.
• Only users with Dropbox access can view synced files in AlphaSense.

Individual Connection

• The user manages access and sharing manually within AlphaSense.
• AlphaSense permissions do not affect Dropbox permissions.

Troubleshoot & FAQs

What types of connections are available?

• AlphaSense supports Individual and Shared Dropbox connections.

What are the prerequisites?

• Individual: Active Dropbox account.
• Shared: Dropbox account with Business API endpoints enabled and user must be a Team Admin.

Can Admins access personal folders in Shared Connections?

• No. Only shared team folders are accessible. Users must move content into shared folders for syncing.

How frequently does AlphaSense sync Dropbox data?

• Every 15 minutes, except for individually shared files, which sync every 24 hours.

What are the current limitations?

• Duplicate Sharing Contexts: If a file is shared directly and also via a parent folder, it may appear in two locations:
  • "Files not in a folder"
  • "Shared folder"
• Tagging or sharing updates may conflict. The first-applied setting takes precedence.

By following this guide, you can set up and manage your DropBox integration in AlphaSense effectively while keeping your data secure and accessible.