Understanding How to Configure a Google Drive Data Source in CDEAdminTools

1. Introduction

A Google Drive Data Source in CDEAdminTools allows you to synchronize folders and documents between Autodesk and a shared Google Drive folder (either a regular folder or a Shared Drive).
Before creating a Sync Project, you must configure this Data Source so CDEAdminTools can securely connect to your Google Drive environment.

This article explains what each required field means, why it is necessary, and provides links to guided Scribe tutorials showing how to obtain each value.

This is not a step-by-step configuration guide — it is a conceptual overview.

2. What You Need to Configure a Google Drive Data Source

Google Drive Data Sources require the following fields:

1. Name

2. Drive ID

3. Google Key

Below is a full explanation of each value and why it is needed.

3. Field Explanations

1. Name (Custom Identifier)

A user-defined friendly name to help identify this Data Source inside CDEAdminTools.

Examples:

• “Google Drive – Design Team”

• “Client Materials – GDrive”

• “Shared Project Repository (Google)”

This field is fully customizable.

2. Drive ID

The Drive ID identifies the specific folder or Shared Drive in Google Drive that you want to synchronize.

Google Drive assigns a unique ID to every drive or folder, and CDEAdminTools uses this ID to locate the root of your synchronization.

This ID is required because:

• Google Drive supports multiple drives (My Drive, Shared Drives, external shared folders)

• Shared folders do not always belong to the same account

• The ID ensures that CDEAdminTools connects to the exact folder intended for synchronization

➡️ How to obtain it:
Follow this Scribe tutorial:
https://scribehow.com/viewer/How_to_get_the_Google_share_drive_id__EEdy-RkTSaOvZ4v3nSlARg

3. Google Key (Account Credential)

The Google Key is the credential associated with the Google account that has access to the selected Drive ID.

CDEAdminTools uses this key to authenticate when connecting to Google Drive and to perform synchronization operations.

This credential must belong to a Google account that:

• Has at least “Can organize, add & edit” permissions on the target folder

• Is allowed to access the corresponding Drive ID

• Supports API access for automated data synchronization

➡️ How to obtain it:
Follow the step-by-step Scribe guide:
https://scribehow.com/viewer/How_to_get_a_valid_Google_Key__eG0lh-Z-SYuTxmUGGk1s1Q

4. How These Fields Work Together

Once the fields are configured:

• The Drive ID tells CDEAdminTools which Google Drive folder or Shared Drive to connect to

• The Google Key authenticates the connection and verifies permissions

• The Name helps you recognize the Data Source inside your configuration panel

This allows CDEAdminTools to:

• Access the selected Google Drive folder

• Read and synchronize documents and folders

• Preserve versioning (when supported by Google Drive)

• Update files during one-way or two-way synchronizations

• Mirror structures between Autodesk and Google Drive

The Data Source defines the external endpoint.
The Sync Project later defines how this Google Drive source pairs with an Autodesk project.

5. What Happens After Configuring the Data Source?

Once the Google Drive Data Source is added:

1. You can select it inside a Sync Project

2. You choose a root folder inside the Google Drive location

3. The synchronization engine connects Autodesk with this folder

4. Depending on your configuration, synchronization can be:

   • Autodesk ➝ Google Drive

   • Google Drive ➝ Autodesk

   • Bidirectional (mirror mode)

All changes are tracked and applied according to your synchronization settings.