GTM Buddy connector for Simpplr Enterprise Search

Introduction

The GTM Buddy connector allows Simpplr Enterprise Search to index your GTM Buddy content, making it easily discoverable and searchable directly within Simpplr.

With this connector, you can:

• Bring GTM Buddy content into Simpplr Enterprise Search so users can find files alongside intranet content in one place.

• Use advanced features like autocomplete, hybrid ranking, and Smart Answers on top of GTM Buddy content.

Indexed content from Simpplr Enterprise Search is available in:

• In main search listing

• Smart answers

Capabilities at a glance

Objects and content supported

1. Objects - List the object types that are indexed, for example:

• Assets

2. Metadata - For each indexed item, GTM Buddy captures:

• Title

• URL / link

• Owner / collaborators

• Created time and last modified time

• Path / location (e.g Parent Folder)

• File type and Extension

3. Permissions model - The GTM Buddy APIs do not provide access to Knowledge Base article permissions. As a result, these permission settings cannot be synced with Simpplr.

Versions and editions supported

• Supported GTM Buddy editions: N/A

• Not supported: N/A

• Any minimum version or API requirement: N/A

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following:

1. Source system permissions

• GTM Buddy Admin Access 

Scopes Required : 

• Read-only access to all shared assets and team folder content

2. Application / service account

• Ability to create a GTM Buddy Api Key 

GTM Buddy Documentation : There is no publicly available GTM buddy official documentation

Authentication and security

1. Authentication mechanism
   Describe how  Simpplr Enterprise Search connects to GTM Buddy
   Auth type: Api Key 

2. Data security

• Data storage and residency: Indexed content and ACLs from GTM Buddy are stored within your Simpplr Enterprise Search environment, in the same region as your Simpplr tenant.

• Encryption in transit: Server-side encryption with Amazon S3 managed keys (SSE-S3), TLS encryption in Kafka.

• Encryption at rest: SSL (TLS 1.2 or higher), Auth: OAuth 2.0 client-credentials.

• Permission enforcement:GTM Buddy APIs do not expose specific permission sets; Moreover, every user registered within GTM Buddy is granted access to all indexed documents.

Setup and configuration

Step 1 - Prepare GTM Buddy

1. Access your GTM Buddy instance using an account with admin access , then locate the "Settings" option in the left-hand navigation sidebar.

2. Go to Integrations and select External Applications, where you will find the GTM Buddy entry.
   

3. Please provide the below scopes and name the api key

• Read-only access to all shared assets and team folder content

4. Generate the Api key and Save to use in next step

   

Step 2 - Create the connector in Enterprise Application

1. In Simpplr, go to: Manage Features → Enterprise Search → Add Source.

   

2. Search and Select “GTM Buddy”.
   

3. Enter basic information:

   • Connection Name: GTM Buddy

4. Provide authentication details:

   • GTM Buddy Domain ( For eg https://yourcompanyname.gtmbuddy.io/ , domain name is yourcompanyname.gtmbuddy.io)

   • Resource Path should be : /external/api/library

   • Token :  API key (generated from Step 1)

   

5. Click “Save” and “confirm”.

Step 3 - Filters (Optional)

1. Configure Audience based filtering.

   • Include audiences

   • Exclude audiences

     

Step 4 - Monitor the sync

1. Monitor the initial full sync status in the connector dashboard.

   

Crawling and sync behavior

How the connector works over time:

1.  Initial full crawl

• All the content present in the GTM Buddy is indexed during the first run

• How long it may take: Depends on the size of the content.

2. Deletion changes

• Deleted items are removed from index at full sync. Archived items are removed during the incremental sync

3. Expected latency

• With the default schedule (Incremental sync every 1 hour), changes made to GTM Buddy content are generally reflected in Simpplr search results within 1 hour of the update, and the permission lag in the system can be up-to 1 hour. (as the Incremental Sync runs every 1 hour).

Field mapping and search experience

1. Default field mapping

Source field GTM Buddy → Index field Simpplr

2.  Search experience - how content from this connector appears in search:

• Result layout: (Icon, Connector name title (name) as link, body(excerpt), Created Date, file type)

• Available filters and facets:

  • Sources = GTM Buddy

  • File type

  • Created Date

• Participation in advanced features:

  • Smart Answers / Q&A: Yes

  • Autocomplete: Yes

  • Recommendations / “Suggested for you”: N/A

  • Trending / popular results: N/A

  • Semantic / hybrid ranking: Yes

Limits and known limitations

Known Limitation

Deleted articles are cleared from search listings only after the next full sync , which typically occurs every 7 days; this delay is a specific constraint of the GTM Buddy API.

Monitoring and troubleshooting

1. Connector health and monitoring - Describe where admins can see status information:

• Enterprise Search → Connector name

• Available metrics:

  • Last sync status (Success / Warning / Failed)

  • Last sync time

  • Next scheduled sync

  • Sync Type

  • Total items indexed count

2. Common issues and resolutions. Example pattern:

   1. Issue: Authentication failed, Failed to fetch the access token (invalid credentials or missing scopes)
      Possible causes:

      1. Incorrect API key 

   2. Resolution:

      1. Verify and re-enter credentials

      2. Confirm required permissions are granted

3. When to contact support. 

   1. Authentication error persists even after trying the above-mentioned resolutions

   2. Sync is stuck in the Pending state,

   3. Sync is in progress but no documents are getting ingested.

   4. Sync failure with cancelled error (when not cancelled manually)

   5. Incomplete or Partial sync.

4. When contacting Support, include:

• Connector name and instance ID (if available)

• Organization URL

• Approximate time and date of the issue

• Error messages or screenshots

• Steps you already tried

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Q. Can I connect multiple tenants or domains?
Ans. Multiple GTM Buddy connections can be configured in the Simpplr environment.

Q. How often does GTM Buddy sync data?
Ans: The connector runs a full crawl on first setup and then there is Incremental sync for every 1 hour 

Q. Are comments, revisions, or version history indexed?
Ans: Comments and individual versions are not indexed as separate items. The connector indexes the latest file metadata, including the last updated time and updated-by user.

Q. How are deletions handled?
Ans: Deleted articles are cleared from search listings only after the next full sync , which typically occurs every 7 days; this delay is a specific constraint of the GTM Buddy API.