---
description: >-
  Access both Collection records and third-party data sources from any
  ProcessMaker Platform asset, including Screens, Scripts, and Process models.
---

# Data Connector Package

## Overview

Use the Data Connector package to connect your ProcessMaker Platform assets, such as Screens, Scripts, and Collections to and from third-party data sources such as Application Program Interfaces (APIs). After a Data Connector is created, Process designers can reference the data source via the Data Connector from within their ProcessMaker Platform assets. Incorporating data from external data sources such as APIs helps you make business decisions from information outside of your ProcessMaker Platform instance.

Below are a few ways to use Data Connectors:

* In Screen Builder, use the records in a Collection as Select List control options in a Screen.
* In Screen Builder, use a Watcher to act on data from a Data Connector when the value of a Screen control changes.
* While modeling a Process, place a Data Connector connector into your Process model to automatically access records from a Collection records or access external data from a third-party data source to incorporate new information into Requests started from your Process. After this external data has been incorporated into Requests, make business decisions based on that data.

The Data Connector package has the following components after it is installed:

* **Manage Data Connectors:** [Manage your Data Connectors](broken-reference) from one place. After your Data Connectors are configured, your Process designers can access them from their ProcessMaker Platform assets.
* **Process model connector:** A [Data Connector connector](broken-reference) is a control that integrates into Process Modeler. Use the Data Connector connector as you would [BPMN controls](broken-reference): drag and place the Data Connector connector into your Process model, configure its settings, and then add its incoming and outgoing Sequence Flow elements.
* **Screen Builder controls:** Interact with Collection records and third-party data source directly from within specific Screen Builder controls, such as the [Select List](broken-reference) and [Record List](broken-reference) controls.
