Dropbox Integration

Import PDF documents from Dropbox into your Knowledge Base with built-in compliance scanning.

Overview

The Dropbox integration lets you connect your Dropbox account to InnConnect and import PDF documents directly into your Knowledge Base. Files are automatically scanned for personally identifiable information (PII), classified by sensitivity level, and optionally cleaned before storage.

You can connect via full OAuth authorization for complete file browsing, or simply paste a Dropbox shared link to import a single file. Both methods feed into the same compliance pipeline.

OAuth Authorization

Full Dropbox access with folder browsing, token refresh, and root path restrictions.

Shared Links

Paste any Dropbox shared link URL to import a PDF without connecting an account.

File Browsing

Navigate your Dropbox folders and select PDF files for import into the Knowledge Base.

Compliance Pipeline

Automatic PII scanning, data classification, and optional auto-clean on every imported document.

Getting started

Before you can import files from Dropbox, make sure you meet the following prerequisites.

Prerequisite	Description
Dropbox account	A Dropbox account (free or paid) is required for OAuth authorization. Not needed for shared links.
Site Admin role	You must have the Tenant Admin or Super Admin role to manage Dropbox connections.
Active site	Dropbox connectors are configured per site. You need at least one active site.

Connection methods

InnConnect supports two ways to connect to Dropbox, depending on your use case.

Method A: OAuth Authorization (full access)

OAuth gives InnConnect permission to browse your Dropbox folders and import files on your behalf. Tokens are encrypted at rest and automatically refreshed.

Navigate to your site's Settings page.
Scroll down to the Connections section.
Click Add Dropbox Connection.
You will be redirected to Dropbox to authorize InnConnect. Grant the requested permissions.
After authorization, you are redirected back to InnConnect. Your connection is now active.

Tip: You can optionally set a root path to restrict file browsing to a specific Dropbox folder. This is recommended for security.

Method B: Shared Links (simple import)

If you just need to import a single PDF without connecting your full account, you can paste a Dropbox shared link directly.

In Dropbox, right-click a file and select Copy link.
In InnConnect, go to Knowledge Base and click Import from Dropbox.
Paste the shared link URL and click Import.

Note: Shared links do not require an OAuth connection. However, they only work for individual files, not folder browsing.

Method	Capability
OAuth Authorization	Full folder browsing, multiple file import, automatic token refresh, root path restriction.
Shared Links	Single file import via URL. No account connection needed.

Browsing files

After connecting via OAuth, you can browse your Dropbox folders directly from InnConnect. The file browser shows folders and PDF files within your configured root path.

Click on folders to navigate deeper, and select one or more PDF files to import. Only PDF files are shown in the browser; other file types are filtered out.

Screenshot: Dropbox file browser showing folders and PDF files

Importing into the Knowledge Base

When you import a PDF from Dropbox, it goes through the full compliance pipeline before being added to your Knowledge Base.

Import pipeline

Every imported file passes through these steps automatically:

Step	Description
1. Text extraction	The PDF content is extracted and converted to plain text for processing.
2. PII scanning	The extracted text is scanned for personally identifiable information such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, BSN numbers, and IBAN codes.
3. Data classification	The content is classified by sensitivity level: Public, Internal, Confidential, or Restricted.
4. Auto-clean (optional)	If auto-clean PII is enabled for your site, detected PII is automatically redacted before storage.
5. Storage	The processed content is stored as a Knowledge Base article, ready for AI-powered search and chat responses.

Important: Articles containing sensitive or confidential data may require sign-off from an authorized user before they become active in the Knowledge Base.

KB Wizard integration

Dropbox files can also be used as research sources in the Knowledge Base Wizard. This lets you generate AI-powered articles based on your existing documents.

Open the Knowledge Base Wizard for your site.
In the research sources step, select Dropbox as a source.
Browse and select the PDF files you want to use as reference material.
The wizard uses the extracted content to generate Knowledge Base articles.

Tip: Combining Dropbox documents with web research gives the wizard richer context for generating comprehensive articles.

Compliance & security

The Dropbox integration is designed with compliance and security in mind. Every import goes through multiple layers of protection.

Feature	Description
PII scanning	Every imported document is scanned for PII (names, emails, phone numbers, BSN, IBAN) before it enters the Knowledge Base.
Auto-clean PII	When enabled, detected PII is automatically redacted from imported content before storage.
Data classification	Content is automatically classified as Public, Internal, Confidential, or Restricted based on its sensitivity.
Sign-off requirements	Articles classified as Confidential or Restricted require explicit sign-off from an authorized user before activation.
Token encryption	Dropbox OAuth tokens are encrypted at rest using AES-256 encryption. Tokens are never stored in plain text.
Root path restriction	Administrators can restrict file browsing to a specific Dropbox folder, preventing access to the entire account.
Audit logging	All Dropbox operations (connect, disconnect, import, browse) are recorded in the audit log with timestamps and user attribution.

Managing connections

You can test and manage your Dropbox connections from the site settings page.

Action	Description
Test connection	Verifies that the stored OAuth token is still valid and the connected Dropbox account is accessible.
Disconnect	Revokes the OAuth token and removes the connection. Previously imported articles are not affected.

Important: Disconnecting a Dropbox account does not delete articles that were already imported. Those articles remain in your Knowledge Base.

Supported file types: Currently only PDF files (.pdf) are supported for import from Dropbox. Support for additional file types may be added in future updates.