Managing QuickBase Connections
Create, update, and manage multiple QuickBase connections securely. Connect SyncForms to your QuickBase account using user tokens.
Platform Support
Currently, SyncForms supports QuickBase connections. Support for other platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft, etc.) will be available in future updates. This guide focuses on QuickBase, but the connection management process will be similar for other platforms.
What Are Connections?
Connections allow SyncForms to securely access your QuickBase account to read and write data. Each connection uses a QuickBase user token to authenticate API requests. Your tokens are encrypted and stored securely in SyncForms.
Why Multiple Connections?
- Separate Environments: Use different connections for production, staging, and development QuickBase realms
- Different Permissions: Create connections with different user tokens that have access to different apps
- Organization: Name connections to easily identify which QuickBase realm or environment they connect to
Creating a QuickBase Connection
To create a connection, you'll need a QuickBase user token. User tokens are more secure than traditional API tokens and provide better access control.
Step 1: Create a QuickBase User Token
- 1Log into your QuickBase account
- 2Click your user profile icon in the global bar (top right)
- 3Select Profile from the dropdown menu
- 4Under My User Information, click the link for "Manage my user tokens for realm [your-realm]"
- 5Click the New user token button
- 6Click OK to confirm
- 7In the Basics section, enter a Name and Description for your token
- 8In the Assign token to apps section, select which QuickBase apps this token should have access to (you can select multiple apps)
- 9Click Save
- 10IMPORTANT: Copy the token immediately. Some QuickBase admins enable a setting that hashes (hides) user tokens after creation, making them impossible to retrieve later.
Security Best Practices
- Create a system or service user for your user tokens instead of using your personal account
- Only assign tokens to apps that SyncForms needs to access
- Never share your token with anyone or commit it to version control
- Rotate tokens regularly by creating new tokens and updating your connections
Step 2: Create Connection in SyncForms
- 1Go to Connections in your SyncForms dashboard
- 2Click + Create New
- 3Enter a Connection Name (e.g., "Production QuickBase" or "Staging Environment")
- 4Select QuickBase as the platform
- 5Enter your QuickBase Realm (the subdomain part before .quickbase.com, e.g., "mycompany")
- 6Paste your QuickBase User Token (the token you copied from QuickBase)
- 7Click Create Connection
- 8SyncForms will automatically refresh and load the list of apps accessible with this connection
Managing Connections
Once created, you can manage your connections in various ways:
Viewing Connection Details
Each connection card shows:
- Connection Name: The name you gave the connection
- Platform: QuickBase (or other platforms in the future)
- Realm URL: Your QuickBase realm (e.g., mycompany.quickbase.com)
- Accessible Apps: List of QuickBase apps this connection can access
- Schema: Number of tables and fields synced from QuickBase, and when the schema was last refreshed (used by the form builder to show available fields)
- Forms Using This Connection: Which forms are currently using this connection
Editing Connections
You can update a connection's name, realm, or token:
- 1Click the Edit button (pencil icon) on the connection card
- 2Update the connection name, realm, or paste a new user token
- 3Note: Leave the token field blank to keep the existing token
- 4Click Update Connection
Refreshing Connection (Apps & Schema)
Click the Refresh button on a connection card to update both the list of accessible apps and the full QuickBase schema (tables and fields for each app). The form builder uses this schema to show available fields when you build forms. After refreshing, the card shows when the schema was last updated and the total number of tables and fields.
- 1Click the Refresh button on the connection card
- 2SyncForms will query QuickBase and update apps and schema (tables and fields)
- 3Refresh when you add apps, change token permissions, or add/rename/remove fields in QuickBase. If schema changes affect a form (e.g. a field was deleted), the dashboard may show a schema warning on that form until you edit the form or acknowledge the warning.
Activating/Deactivating Connections
Temporarily disable a connection without deleting it:
- Click the Active/Inactive toggle on the connection card
- Inactive connections cannot be used by forms, but they remain in your list for easy reactivation
Deleting Connections
Remove a connection that's no longer needed:
Important: You cannot delete a connection that is currently being used by one or more forms. Remove the connection from all forms first, then delete it.
- 1Ensure the connection is not used by any forms (check the "Used on Forms" section)
- 2Click the Delete button (trash icon) on the connection card
- 3Confirm the deletion in the dialog
Best Practices
- Use Descriptive Names: Name your connections clearly (e.g., "Production QuickBase", "Staging Environment") to easily identify which environment they connect to.
- Limit Token Permissions: When creating user tokens in QuickBase, only assign them to the apps that SyncForms needs to access. This follows the principle of least privilege.
- Rotate Tokens Regularly: Periodically create new user tokens and update your connections. This helps maintain security and revoke access if a token is compromised.
- Keep Connections Active: Only deactivate connections when you need to temporarily disable access. Delete connections that are no longer needed.
- Monitor Usage: Regularly check which forms are using each connection to ensure proper organization and security.