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Matillion has unified how you manage credentials. What was previously split across Secret definitions, OAuth, and Cloud credentials is being brought together into a single concept: Connections. For customers accustomed to the old connections model, this article explains what’s changed, why it matters, and what you need to do. Newer customers can disregard this article, as the current model is fully explained in Connections.

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What’s changed

Previously, stored only the sensitive part of a credential (a token, secret, or key) as Secret definitions or OAuth credentials. The rest of the connection detail—the URL, username, account name, and so on—lived inside the pipeline itself. With the new Connections model, the entire connection is stored as a reusable, named object. That means:
  • The URL, username, and credentials all travel together in one place.
  • A connection can be referenced across multiple components and pipelines.
  • A new “test connection” endpoint means you can test your connections on an environment as part of your CI/CD process.
  • Changing a credential updates it everywhere it’s used; no pipeline edits are required.
The Secret definitions, OAuth, and Cloud credentials tabs in the project settings will be consolidated into a single Connections tab.

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Why we made this change

Storing only the sensitive portion of a credential in secret management worked, but it created friction: if your connector URL changed, you’d need to update every pipeline that referenced it. It also made it harder to understand at a glance what a pipeline was connecting to. The new model treats a connection as a complete, portable unit.

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Rollout approach

This change is rolling out gradually. Not every component will support the new full-connection model on day one; support will be added component by component. What this means in practice:
  • Components that already support the new model will show a Connection field in their configuration panel.
  • Components that do not yet support it will continue to work as before using secret definitions and OAuth credentials.

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Using existing credentials in new-model components

If a component supports the new Connections model but you want to use credentials you’ve already set up in secret definitions or OAuth credentials, select [Legacy connection] from the Connection drop-down. This tells the component to fall back to the previous credential lookup behavior. You’ll then configure the remaining connection details (URL, username, etc.) directly on the component as you did before.

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What you need to do now

Your existing published pipelines will continue to run without modification. When a component you use gains support for the new model, you’ll have the following options:
  • Create a new Connection that captures the full credential (recommended for new work).
  • Leave it as [Legacy connection] to keep using your existing credentials.
The next time you open a pipeline in , will automatically backfill any existing components that have been upgraded to use the new connections model with the [Legacy connection] option. This ensures they continue to work correctly the next time the pipeline is published. You don’t need to reconfigure anything manually. There is no forced migration. Legacy connection support will remain available while components transition.

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Creating a connection

You will be able to create any connection type—new style or legacy—directly in without leaving the pipeline. All components will support inline connection creation. If you need to manage connections outside of , open your project, then click Connections. Be aware of the following:
  • To create a simple secret in the legacy style (equivalent to a secret definition), select Generic secret as the provider.
  • For some components, you may see two provider options, for example, Salesforce and Salesforce (legacy). The legacy variant uses the old credential model; the standard one uses the new Connections model.

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Frequently asked questions

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Will my existing pipelines break?

No. Pipelines using secret definitions or OAuth credentials will continue to work. The change only affects how you configure new connections going forward.

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Can I still use secret definitions for components that don’t yet support full connections?

Yes. Secret definitions will still exist for cases where you just need to store a sensitive value; they’re not going away entirely.

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What does “Legacy connection” mean in the component panel?

It means the component will use secret definitions or OAuth credentials instead of a full Connection object. It’s the bridge between the old and new model during the transition period.