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This section provides guides and references to use the Fivetran connector. Configure and schedule Fivetran metadata workflows from the Collate UI:

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Requirements

To access Fivetran APIs, a Fivetran account on a Standard, Enterprise, or Business Critical plan is required.

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Permissions

Generate the API key and API secret from a Fivetran user with an account-level role that has read access to all destinations and connections, such as Account Reviewer. Collate needs to discover every destination and connector in the account. A destination-scoped role (for example, View Destination) is not enough, because it only covers destinations the user was explicitly invited to. For detailed, per-phase Pipeline Status (Extract/Process/Load), Collate also reads the fivetran_metadata.log table that Fivetran automatically publishes in each destination’s warehouse, using the Database Service already connected to that warehouse in Collate. The database user in that connection needs SELECT access to the fivetran_metadata.log table, along with whatever database- or schema-level privileges your warehouse requires to reach it (for example, USAGE on the schema/database in Snowflake). If this table isn’t reachable, Collate automatically falls back to Fivetran’s REST sync-history API for pipeline status.

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Metadata Ingestion

To ingest metadata from Fivetran, you need to create a service connection. The service connects Fivetran with Collate. Once you create a service, Collate automatically starts ingesting metadata.

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Step 1: Add New Service

  1. In the left navigation, click Connections.
  2. On the Connections page, click Add New Service.
Add New Service

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Step 2: Select a Service and Connector

From the service type dropdown, select Pipeline Services, then click the Fivetran connector tile. Select Service

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Step 3: Add Service Name and Description

  • Enter a unique, descriptive Service Name. Collate identifies services by their service name. Enter a name that distinguishes this deployment from other Fivetran services you are ingesting metadata from.
  • Optional: Enter a Description for the service.
Add New Service Name
Note: The service name cannot be changed after it is set.

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Step 4: Configure Connection Options

Specify where ingestion runs, provide your source credentials, and verify the connection.

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Select Ingestion Runner

Select an Ingestion Runner: the runner where the ingestion pipeline will execute. Add Name and Select Ingestion Runner

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Enter Connection Details

Enter the connection details for Fivetran. The right-hand panel in the UI displays inline help for each field. Configure Service Connection
  • apiKey: Fivetran API Key. Follow the steps below to generate the Fivetran API key and API secret:
  1. Click your user name in your Fivetran dashboard.
  2. Click API Key.
  3. Click Generate API key. (If you already have an API key, then the button text is Generate new API key.)
  4. Make a note of the key and secret as they won’t be displayed once you close the page or navigate away. For more detailed documentation visit here.
  • apiSecret: Fivetran API Secret. From the above step where the API key is generated copy the API secret
  • hostPort: HostPort of the Fivetran instance. By default, Collate will use https://api.fivetran.com to connect to the Fivetran APIs.
  • limit: Fivetran API Limit For Pagination. This refers to the maximum number of records that can be returned in a single page of results when using Fivetran’s API for pagination.
Tip: When using a Hybrid Ingestion Runner, any sensitive credential fields—such as passwords, API keys, or private keys—must reference secrets using the following format:
This applies only to fields marked as secrets in the connection form (these typically mask input and show a visibility toggle icon). For more information about managing secrets in hybrid setups, see the Hybrid Ingestion Runner Secret Management Guide

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Test Connection

Once the credentials have been added, click on Test Connection and Save the changes. Test Connection

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Step 5: Configure Ingestion Options

In the What to Ingest step, use filter patterns to control which assets Collate ingests from your pipeline service. Filter patterns use regular expressions applied to pipeline names.

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How Filter Patterns Work

  • Include: Add one or more comma-separated regular expressions. Collate ingests only assets whose names match at least one expression. Leave blank to include all assets.
  • Exclude: Add one or more comma-separated regular expressions. Collate skips any asset whose name matches an expression. Leave blank to exclude nothing.
Rules match asset names using one of five expressions:
  • contains: matches any name containing the value. For example, sales matches my_sales_data and sales_2024.
  • starts with: matches names beginning with the value. For example, prod_ matches prod_db and prod_schema.
  • ends with: matches names ending with the value. For example, _raw matches events_raw and logs_raw.
  • is exactly: matches the exact name only. For example, analytics matches only analytics.
  • matches regex: matches names using a regular expression. For example, ^prod_.*_v\d+$ matches prod_events_v1.
When both Include and Exclude are set, Exclude takes priority.
Tip: Leave the filter pattern empty to ingest all pipelines available in the source.
Filter Options The Pipeline section includes the following filter options:
  • Pipeline: Controls which pipelines (DAGs, jobs, or workflows) Collate ingests from the source.
Each section provides the following controls:
  • Scan Mode: You can choose between the following scan modes:
    • Scan all: Ingests every asset of that type the connector can access. This is the default.
    • Only specific: Enables include rules so only assets matching at least one rule are ingested.
  • Exclude system toggle: Use this toggle to automatically filter out system-reserved names defined by the connector — for example, Exclude system databases for the Databases section.
  • Always exclude: Add permanent exclusion rules (shown in red). Assets matching these rules are never ingested, regardless of include rules.
  • Preview: Shows a real-time summary of what will be in scope based on your current rules.
  • Include rules (available only in Only specific mode): Click + Add to define a rule. Added rules appear as chips; an asset is included if it matches any rule.
Tip: If AutoPilot is enabled, lineage between pipeline tasks and data assets is tracked automatically after the first metadata ingestion completes.

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Step 6: Create & Deploy

Click Create & Deploy to deploy the agent and start the first metadata ingestion run. Collate saves the service configuration and immediately begins pulling metadata from the source. To monitor ingestion progress or view the service you just added, go to Connections in the left navigation and select your service.

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Configure Metadata Agent and Schedule Ingestion

The Metadata Agent extracts pipelines, tasks, and other structural metadata from your source and keeps your Collate catalog in sync. It powers discovery, lineage, and governance across your data assets. When you click Create & Deploy, Collate automatically deploys a Metadata Agent for this service and triggers the first ingestion run. View its status and run history from the Agents tab on the service detail page. To configure the additional Metadata Agent and schedule ingestion, follow these steps:
  1. In the left navigation, click Connections and select your service.
  2. Click the Agents tab.
  3. Click Add Agent and select Metadata from the dropdown. Add Metadata Agent For some services, the dropdown is not available and clicking Add Agent takes you directly to the agent configuration page.
  4. On the Configure Ingestion page, do the following and click Next.
    • Name this Ingestion: Enter a unique recognizable name for this ingestion pipeline. Name this Ingestion
    • Agent Setup: Configure the core parameters for this agent. The following fields are available: Agent Setup
    • Filter Patterns: Apply include or exclude rules to scope which pipelines this agent ingests. These follow the same filter options described in Step 5. Filter Patterns
    • Scope & Behaviour: Control what metadata to include and how to handle deletions. Toggle each option on or off based on your needs: Scope & Behaviour
  5. On the Schedule Interval page, set when the agent runs:
    • Schedule: Choose a preset interval (Hourly, Daily, Weekly, Monthly) or enter a custom cron expression.
    • On-Demand: No automatic schedule; trigger the agent manually when needed.
    Schedule Interval
  6. Click Add to deploy the agent.

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Troubleshooting

Fivetran Troubleshooting

Learn more about how to troubleshoot common Fivetran connector issues and resolve configuration or ingestion errors.