# Connecting to Cloud Storage
In this article, we will see how a user can create a shared connection to access and store files from and to the cloud in the Astera Data Stack. To browse cloud files in a report model, the report model should be a part of a project containing the *Shared Action Connection*.
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**Note:** This feature of browsing files from the cloud only works in Astera if the user has the Cloud Connector add-on.
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## **Creating a New Cloud Connection**
To create a new cloud connection in a project, you need to add a shared connection within the scope of that project. Once that is done, you can browse for cloud files from the Report Options panel in a report model that is present within the same project.
## **Adding a Shared Connection in a Project**
1. To add a shared connection, we need to create a new project first. Here, we have named our project RMCloud.cprj.
2. Next, create a folder, *Shared Connections,* inside the project. We will save our shared connections (*.sact* files) in this folder.
3. Right-click on the folder, and select *Add New Item…*
4. Select *SharedAction* from the list of file types, give it a meaningful name, and click *Add.*
5. A *.sact* file will open. We have saved it with the name *SharedAction.sact*.
Go to *Toolbox > Resources* and drag and drop the *Cloud Storage Connection* object onto the designer.
6. Right-click on the header of the object and select *Properties.*
7. A *Cloud Connection Properties* window will open, where you can configure your *Cloud Connection* object by providing appropriate credentials. Select the *Provider* from the drop-down menu. In this case, we will select *Amazon S3.*
8. Provide appropriate credentials, *Access Key ID,* and *Access Key.* Click *OK.*
Your *SharedAction.sact* is now configured. You can access files from this cloud connection in the project.
## **Adding a Shared Connection via Report Options**
1. To create a new cloud connection through *Report Options,* we need to create/add a report model within our project first.
2. Open the report model. Go to the Report Options panel, and click on the arrow next to the folder icon in the *Data File Location* group box. Select the *Browse Cloud Files* option.
3. A *Browse Files* window will open. We can see the Amazon S3 *SharedAction* connection we created above in this window.
4. Click on the *Add New Connection* icon.
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**Note**: This is an alternative way for you to add a shared action (shared cloud connection) to the project you are working on. If you have already created a shared action for the cloud connection you want to use in your project, there is no need to add a new connection.
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5. A window to *Add a Cloud Connection* will open.
Here, we will select *Microsoft Azure Blob Storage* as our *Provider*.
6. There are two ways to authenticate the connection, using an *Access Key* or through *Shared Access Signature.* For now, we will use the *Access Key.*
7. Provide relevant credentials by specifying the *Storage Account Name* and *Access Key.* Click *OK.*
8. The newly created connection is now a part of the project.
9. Select the file you want to extract data from and click *Open*.
10. Create a data region and the relevant fields in the report model to extract relevant data from the source file.
11. Click on *Preview Data* to see if the report model is extracting data from the specified fields correctly.
12. The *Data Preview* window shows the data extracted from the file located on the cloud.
## **Exporting Data to a Cloud Destination**
Here is how we can export our extracted data to an [Excel](https://documentation.astera.com/v/astera-data-stack-v8/dataflows/destinations/excel-workbook-destination) or a [Delimited](https://documentation.astera.com/v/astera-data-stack-v8/dataflows/destinations/delimited-file-destination) file and save it on the cloud destination.
1. Go to *Report Browser > Data Export Settings* and select *Create New Export Setting and Run (to Excel)* option.
2. A configuration window will open. Click on the arrow next to the folder icon and select the *Browse Cloud Files* option.
3. Locate the cloud directory where you want to save the Excel file, give it a meaningful name, and click *Open.*
4. The *File Path* is now pointing towards the Amazon S3 cloud provider. Click *OK.*
5. The *Job Progress* window shows the job status and the cloud path where the destination file has been created.
6. If you want to create a *Delimited File Destination*, click on this icon in the *Data Export Settings* window and follow the same steps (step 2 onwards) as mentioned above.
## **Using Files from the Cloud in a Dataflow**
We can access files from the cloud in a dataflow using the *Report Source* object. For that, the dataflow must be a part of the project or must contain a *Cloud Storage Connection* object pointing to the cloud location.
In this case, we will extract data from a file saved on a cloud location using a report model from the local directory.
1. Go to *Toolbox > Sources* and drag-and-drop the *Report Source* object onto the designer.
2. Right-click on the top of the *Report Model* object header and select *Properties* from the menu.
3. Click on the arrow button next to the folder icon in the *Report Location* group-box to browse files from the cloud.
4. Locate the file in the cloud directory and click *OK.*
5. The file path is now pointing towards the Amazon S3 cloud provider. Click on the folder icon to browse the report model from your local directory.
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**Note**: The report model must be a part of your project.
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6. Click *OK* to close the window.
7. The *Report Source* object is now configured with a file path coming in from the Amazon S3 cloud connection and the report model from the local directory.
Right-click on the header and select *Preview Output.*
8. The *Data Preview* window shows that the file is correctly being read by the report model.
## **Using Files from the Cloud in a Workflow**
We can access files from the cloud in a workflow as well, using the *File System* object. For that, the workflow must be a part of the same project as your shared connection.
### **Use-Case**
In this case, we want to read all the files from a particular cloud directory (in a workflow) and extract data from those files to write it in an[ *Excel Workbook Destination*](https://documentation.astera.com/v/astera-data-stack-v8/dataflows/destinations/excel-workbook-destination) (in a dataflow).
We will do this by using the [*Report Source as a Transformation*](https://documentation.astera.com/v/astera-data-stack-v8/dataflows/transformations/sources-as-transformations#report-source-as-a-transformation) in a [dataflow ](https://documentation.astera.com/v/astera-data-stack-v8/use-cases/end-to-end-use-cases/data-extraction/reusing-the-extraction-template-for-similar-layout-files#creating-a-dataflow)where we can [parametrize ](https://documentation.astera.com/v/astera-data-stack-v8/use-cases/end-to-end-use-cases/data-extraction/reusing-the-extraction-template-for-similar-layout-files#parameterizing-the-dataflow)the path of the file we want to extract data from using the *Variables* object. This is what the dataflow will look like:
Then, we will call the dataflow in a[ workflow](https://documentation.astera.com/v/astera-data-stack-v8/use-cases/end-to-end-use-cases/data-extraction/reusing-the-extraction-template-for-similar-layout-files#designing-a-workflow) using a *Run Dataflow* object and read the files from the cloud using a *File System Items Source* in a loop. We will send the cloud file path of the source file to the *File Path* variable in the dataflow as shown below:
## **Using File System Items Source to Browse Cloud Files**
1. Go to *Toolbox > Sources* and drag and drop the *File System Items Source* object onto the designer.
2. Right-click on the object header and select *Properties.*
3. Click on *Browse Cloud Folders* to access the cloud folder from where you want to read files.
4. Here, we have selected the folder containing the source files from our Amazon S3 cloud connection. Click *Open.*
5. Our *File Path* is now pointing towards a cloud file path. Click *OK.*
6. Our workflow is now complete. Click on *Start Workflow* to run the workflow.
7. The *Job Progress* window shows the status of the job and the path of the Excel destination.
This is how you can create cloud connections and browse files from the cloud in Astera.
