Key capabilities
Grand Central is built on enterprise-grade cloud technologies, including Azure and Kubernetes. The platform hosts connectors, APIs, and event-driven architectures while abstracting infrastructure complexity. With Grand Central, you can:- Build and deploy connectors: Run integration logic using industry-standard frameworks such as Camel K.
- Manage APIs: Publish and secure APIs using Azure API Management (APIM).
- Handle events: Implement event-driven patterns using Azure Service Bus.
- Monitor applications: View application performance through Datadog or Grafana.
Pro-code approach
Unlike low-code platforms that use drag-and-drop interfaces, Grand Central treats infrastructure as code (IaC). You interact with the platform primarily through Git repositories. This approach provides the following benefits:- Auditability: Git commit history tracks every change to infrastructure and application state.
- Reviewability: Pull request reviews enforce governance and code quality standards.
- Automation: Merged pull requests automatically trigger pipelines that apply changes. This eliminates manual console operations.
Core repositories
You work with two primary repositories:| Repository | Purpose | Use cases |
|---|---|---|
self-service | Provisioning control plane | Manage user access, request repositories, create secrets, and configure platform resources. |
applications-live | Deployment control plane | Define runtime configuration for applications across environments (development, staging, UAT) and synchronize cluster state through ArgoCD. |
Platform terminology
The following sections define the key terms you need to understand when working with the Grand Central platform. For a comprehensive alphabetical glossary, see Glossary.Grand Central platform
Grand Central is an integration platform that provides applications for building connectors and agents. The platform also includes pre-built connectors and agents developed by the Grand Central team.Independent software vendor (ISV)
An independent software vendor (ISV) is a company that develops, markets, and sells software solutions specifically for the financial services industry.Unified APIs
Unified APIs are BIAN-inspired APIs packaged within the scope of a connector. These standardized interfaces abstract the complexity of different ISV implementations into consistent endpoints.Connector pack
A connector pack is a collection of connectors within the same business domain of an ISV.Connector
A connector is an out-of-the-box integration between the Grand Central platform and a third-party ISV. Each connector maps to one domain API specification.Connector types
Pre-built connector
A pre-built connector comes with the Grand Central platform, also referred to as a managed connector. It provides an out-of-the-box integration with an ISV that allows you to unlock data without custom development.
Custom connector
A custom connector is a connector that you build on the Grand Central platform to connect an ISV or a financial institution that doesn’t have a pre-built connector available.
Connector domain
A connector domain is the logical grouping of business capabilities and data ownership. The following table shows the available connector domains:| Domain | Description |
|---|---|
| Core Banking | The system of record for accounts and ledgers. |
| Customer Relationship Management | The system of engagement for customer data. |
| Payments Processing | The functional area for moving money between entities. |
| Onboarding & Origination | The workflow for acquiring new business. |
| Data Enrichment | A utility domain for enhancing data quality. |
Building a connector
Building a connector is the development process of creating a connector on the Grand Central platform. You map the proprietary endpoints of an ISV to Grand Central’s Unified APIs and define data transformation logic. The output of this process is a connector definition that is ready to be installed.Installing a connector
Installing a connector is the configuration process of activating a connector (either pre-built or custom) within an available connector slot. You input tenant-specific credentials, such as API keys, base URLs, and authentication tokens, to establish a secure link between the Grand Central platform and the external ISV. Once installed, the connector is live and can send and receive data.Connector slot
A connector slot is a licensed unit of capacity that allows you to activate one distinct connection to an external system within a specific business domain.Sync Hub
Sync Hub is a distributed event streaming tool that you can use when building connectors.Next steps
- Architecture: Learn about the platform architecture and components.
- Security: Review the security model and access controls.