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In DualEntry, PostgreSQL isn’t a general-ledger sync like Stripe or Brex - it’s an export destination. You provide PostgreSQL connectivity so downstream AWS-based export jobs (for example, AWS Glue pipelines configured for your organization) can read credentials from AWS Secrets Manager and write data into your database. DualEntry validates the connection, then stores the full credential payload in AWS Secrets Manager. Passwords and secrets are never persisted in the DualEntry database - only non-sensitive metadata such as the engine, host, port, and database name.

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Prerequisites

Confirm the following before connecting:
  • A reachable PostgreSQL host and port, a database name, and a username and password for a user that’s allowed to connect from DualEntry’s network. If your database sits behind a firewall or VPC, your platform team may need to allow DualEntry’s egress IPs on the PostgreSQL security group or network ACL (the connection log records the egress IP that was attempted, so you can confirm the value with your platform team during failed attempts).
  • TLS configured on the database. DualEntry defaults to sslmode=require and supports disable, require, verify-ca, and verify-full. Production destinations should use require or stricter.
  • Permission in DualEntry to create export destinations.
  • Awareness that one active PostgreSQL export integration is allowed per organization. The same single-active rule applies to other export types (Snowflake, Qlik, Power BI).

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How to connect

The connect flow is the same for every export destination: provide credentials, DualEntry validates them in the background, and on success the credentials land in AWS Secrets Manager and the integration shows as Connected.
  1. In DualEntry, navigate to Settings → Integrations → PostgreSQL.
  2. Provide a display name for the destination, the integration type (postgresql), and the credential fields from Prerequisites.
  3. Choose Save. DualEntry returns immediately with the destination in Pending status - credential validation runs in the background.
  4. Wait for the destination to move from Pending to Testing to Validated. While testing, DualEntry opens a connection to PostgreSQL using your credentials with a 10-second connect timeout, then closes it. A successful open/close counts as validation.
  5. On success, the destination shows Validated, the linked integration shows Connected, and the credentials are written to AWS Secrets Manager. On failure, the destination shows Failed with an error message and the linked integration is set to Error.
If validation fails, fix the underlying cause (see Troubleshoot connection errors) and create a new destination - the failed row is kept for audit but does not retry automatically.

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Credential schema

DualEntry validates the credential payload against a fixed schema before attempting to connect. PostgreSQL reuses the generic database credentials schema; engine must be postgres. The schema doesn’t collect a PostgreSQL schema name (namespace); downstream export jobs use the default search path for the given database and user, or pin the schema in their own configuration.
DualEntry stores only engine, host, port, and database in its relational database. Username and password live exclusively in AWS Secrets Manager and are never returned by DualEntry’s APIs after creation. Treat any rotation or reset as a full re-create flow - there’s no in-place credential edit.

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Disconnect

Disconnecting a PostgreSQL destination archives the export-secret row, marks the integration as Disconnected, and schedules deletion of the AWS Secrets Manager entry (subject to AWS’s secret recovery window). One blocking condition: you can’t disconnect while an AWS Glue export job tied to the integration is in a Running state - the disconnect call returns an error with the active job ID. Wait for the job to complete (or cancel it if appropriate), then retry the disconnect.

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Troubleshoot connection errors

Validation runs in the background, so symptoms surface in the destination’s status field and the linked integration’s error message.

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FAQ

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Does DualEntry sync data into PostgreSQL automatically as part of this flow?

No. The connect flow registers and tests credentials, then stores them so that downstream export infrastructure (typically AWS Glue jobs) can write data into your database. The table layout, job cadence, and SQL for specific datasets are owned by your deployment’s export configuration, not by this integration.

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Where are passwords stored?

In AWS Secrets Manager, under a secret name that’s keyed to your organization and the destination’s identifier. The password never lands in DualEntry’s relational database.

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Can I use this for Amazon Redshift or an RDS for PostgreSQL instance?

Yes. Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL and Aurora PostgreSQL work with engine=postgres. Amazon Redshift uses engine=redshift on the same credential schema; the validation path is identical (psycopg2 connect with connect_timeout=10), so the operational notes above apply directly.

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What other export destinations work the same way?

Snowflake, Qlik, and Power BI export destinations all share this connect flow, the same single-active-per-organization rule, and the same AWS Secrets Manager storage pattern. Only the credential schema differs per destination type.

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For maintainers

The details below describe the connect-flow plumbing, not user-facing features.
  • API endpoints (internal admin):
    • POST /api/integrations/exports/secrets/ to create a destination.
    • GET /api/integrations/exports/secrets/{secret_id}/ to poll status.
    • POST /api/integrations/exports/secrets/{secret_id}/disconnect/ to disconnect.
  • Credential schema class: ExportDatabaseCredentialsSchema (shared across PostgreSQL, Redshift, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQL Server; dispatch is by the engine field). The schema’s metadata property exposes engine, host, port, and database as the non-sensitive fields stored on the export-secret row’s destination_metadata.
  • Background validation: the provision_export_secret Celery task parses credentials, calls psycopg2.connect with host, port, database, user, password, sslmode, and connect_timeout=10, then opens and closes the connection. A clean open/close counts as validation. Allowed sslmode values: disable, require, verify-ca, verify-full.
  • AWS Secrets Manager naming: secrets are stored at dualentry/exports/org_{organization_id}/{name}_{secret_id} (built by ExportSecret.build_secret_qual_name). If AWS reports the secret already exists, the task reuses the existing ARN and continues.
  • Disconnect uses AWS Secrets Manager’s scheduled deletion with the standard recovery window; reusing the same name within the recovery window will collide.
  • Diagnostic log keys: export_secret_provisioning_error (creation/validation failures), export_secret_ip_check (the egress IP DualEntry attempted from). Confirm with your platform team whether the IP-check path applies to your deployment.
  • Other export integration types (snowflake, qlik, power_bi) follow the same lifecycle and share the single-active-per-organization rule.

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Result

After a successful connect, your organization has a validated PostgreSQL export destination and a linked PostgreSQL integration that shows as Connected in the integrations list. Downstream AWS export jobs (for example, AWS Glue pipelines) can now read the PostgreSQL credentials from AWS Secrets Manager and write data into your database. For a warehouse-oriented destination with the same connect flow, see Snowflake. To connect additional systems, return to Integrations. For PostgreSQL’s own connection reference, see the PostgreSQL libpq connection strings and SSL support docs.
Last modified on July 6, 2026