---
title: Connections
slug: connections
docTags: 
createdAt: 2025-08-12T11:29:50.381Z
---

## Connections

The Connections feature surfaces first- and second-degree relationships on individual Lead, Contact, and Person Account records.

### Prerequisites

- You must have individual access to Altrata's access platform.
- The email on your Altrata access account must **exactly match** your Salesforce user email.
- If you don't have Altrata access, contact *clientsuccess\@altrata.com *to obtain access.

### First- vs. second-degree connections

- **First-degree** — a direct connection. *Example: you personally know Sarah, who works at ABC Corp. You have a first-degree connection to Sarah and to ABC Corp through Sarah.*
- **Second-degree** — an indirect connection through someone you know. *Example: you know Sarah, who knows John at ABC Corp. You can reach ABC Corp through Sarah → John.*

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/OchO21fL_QwZk6Sym4QQl/VPEAKlk-CF9VV-p11XdGL_image.png)

### Viewing Connections

Connections appear directly on the Lead, Contact, or Person Account profile. The first five display by default — click **See All** to view the full list. Toggle between **Table View **(below) and **Chart View **(above) depending on what you're looking for.

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/OchO21fL_QwZk6Sym4QQl/9BA2Wok3fHmw7qNTFe25T_image.png)

### Adding and editing Connections

You can manually supplement the connections Altrata has on file.

- **Add a new connection** to capture a relationship not already in the database.
- **Edit an existing connection** to update the relationship type, strength, or organization.

:::BlockQuote
⚠️ Connections can only be added or edited on **person records** (Leads, Contacts, Person Accounts). They cannot be managed at the Account (organization) level — connections are person-to-person by design.
:::

### Relationship details

When adding or editing a connection, you'll set:

**Relationship type** — defines the nature of the link. Options include: Colleague, Friend, Family, Business Partner, Ex-Colleague, Acquaintance.

**Relationship strength** — visual indicator of closeness:

- **Weak** — minimal interaction (thin line)
- **Moderate** — past collaboration or occasional contact (medium line)
- **Strong** — close, ongoing relationship (thick line)

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/OchO21fL_QwZk6Sym4QQl/ot2GbYzh7AVEOwQoHBhjv_image.png)

### Bulk uploading Connections

To screen large contact lists or import LinkedIn connections, use bulk upload:

1. Open the **App Launcher** and search for **Altrata**.
2. Click the **Upload Connections** tab.
3. Click **Proceed** to be redirected to the Altrata web platform.
4. Upload via LinkedIn or CSV.

This is ideal for quickly identifying paths from your existing contact lists.

*Altrata Web Platform:*

![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/OchO21fL_QwZk6Sym4QQl/kt-Yl3OrqVypBbANYss_i_image.png)

### When a record has no Connections

If a record shows no existing connections, you'll see a prompt to bulk upload connections to grow your network from there.

### Overlap

Overlap measures how well two people likely know each other based on shared professional history.

A **role overlap** occurs when two people held roles at the same organization at the same time. The system counts every overlap between two people; **more overlaps = stronger likely relationship**.

*Example: if Bill Gates and Curtis Mahoney worked at the same organization for less than one year, the connection is shown as moderate strength.*

### Connections FAQ

**Can I add or edit connections on an Account record?** No — connections are person-to-person. Accounts represent organizations, so person-to-person connections wouldn't accurately reflect them.

**How long does a newly added connection take to appear?** Processing is asynchronous, so it may take a short while. It will appear automatically once processed.

**Can I share a login to view Connections?** No. For security and compliance reasons, every user must have their own Altrata access.

**I have Altrata access but still can't see Connections.** Contact Customer Support to troubleshoot.

**Can the Relationships widget be hidden for specific users or profiles?** No, this isn't currently supported.

**Do connections sync between Salesforce and the web platform?** Yes, syncing is bi-directional — changes in either place propagate to the other.

**Can I see relationships for records that aren't matched to Altrata?** No. A record must be matched to Altrata data to display connections.

**My Salesforce email doesn't match my Altrata access email — what happens?** The integration won't work until both emails match exactly.