Connection Management

Connections in Huddle link your account to Smartsheet, enabling access to sheets, reports, and dashboards. This guide covers creating, managing, and optimizing connections for your organization.

Understanding Connections

What is a Connection?

A connection represents:

• Authenticated access to a Smartsheet account
• OAuth 2.0 secure authorization
• Specific user permissions and access levels
• The bridge between Huddle and Smartsheet data

Connection Types

Creating Connections

Add a New Connection

1. Navigate to Connections in the main menu
2. Click "Add Connection"
3. Choose connection type (Personal or Shared if admin)
4. Click "Connect to Smartsheet"
5. Authenticate with Smartsheet
6. Grant requested permissions
7. Name your connection descriptively
8. Save connection

OAuth Authentication Flow

The secure authentication process includes:

• Redirect to Smartsheet - Secure OAuth 2.0 flow with no credentials stored
• Permission Grant - Read/write access for sheets, webhooks, and API access
• Token Storage - Encrypted tokens with automatic refresh and expiration handling

Connection Naming Best Practices

Use descriptive names that include:

• Smartsheet account identifier
• Department or purpose
• Consistent naming convention

Examples: "Marketing Team - Primary", "Finance Dept - Reporting", "john.doe@company.com - Personal"

Managing Connections

Connection Health

Monitor the health of your connections to ensure uninterrupted access:

Reauthorize Connections

When reauthorization is needed:

1. Click the warning indicator on the connection
2. Select "Reauthorize"
3. Complete Smartsheet login
4. Grant permissions again
5. Connection is restored

Common reauthorization triggers include password changes, permission revocation, token expiration, and security policy updates.

Connection Limits

Your plan determines how many connections you can create:

Managing Limits

Administrators can set user-specific overrides:

1. Go to user management
2. Select specific user
3. Click "Connection Settings"
4. Override default limit
5. Set custom value

Connection Security

Access Control

• Permission Inheritance - Connections inherit Smartsheet permissions
• Real-time Sync - Permissions update automatically
• Least Privilege - Grant only necessary access
• Audit Trail - All activities are logged

Security Best Practices

1. Regular Audits - Review connections monthly
2. Remove Unused - Clean up inactive connections
3. Monitor Activity - Track usage patterns
4. Verify Owners - Ensure connections have valid owners

Using Connections

In Huddles

When creating huddles:

• Choose from available connections
• Default connection is pre-selected
• Switch connections if needed
• Connection persists with huddle

Multiple Connections

Within a huddle, different items can use different connections. This is useful for:

• Multi-department collaborations
• Maintaining access boundaries
• Enabling cross-functional work

Connection Switching

To change a huddle's connection:

1. Open huddle settings
2. Select "Connection"
3. Choose new connection
4. Confirm change
5. Re-sync assets

Troubleshooting

Cannot Create Connection

• Check connection limit hasn't been reached
• Verify Smartsheet access is active
• Clear browser cache and cookies
• Disable popup blockers temporarily

Connection Fails

• Verify Smartsheet credentials are correct
• Check network access and firewall settings
• Review permissions granted in Smartsheet
• Contact Smartsheet admin if access issues persist

Missing Assets

• Confirm you have Smartsheet access to the items
• Check connection health status
• Verify specific item permissions
• Try refreshing the connection