# Connections Using On-prem Agent
A connection determines where requests will be made from. With a direct connection, requests will be executed from Workato servers. A connection using an on-prem agent will have requests sent from the environment where the agent is installed in.
For some of your connections, you may want to specify whether it connects through Workato servers or through your on-prem agent. The triggers and actions available in the chosen connector are the same regardless of your choice of connection. An on-prem app connection needs to point to a specific connection profile in your on-prem agent.
# Connecting to database profiles
All database connectors give you the option to connect through an on-prem agent. In the connection fields, Select the desired on-prem agent from the field labelled Is this app in a private network?.
Once you select the on-prem agent, enter the On-prem connection profile name. This profile name should be the same as what you configured in the database section of the config.yml configuration file.
In the following example, we are connecting to a SQL Server database with the profile name production.
database:
production:
adapter: sqlserver
host: localhost
username: me
password: foobar
When configuring a SQL Server connection to this profile, we will need to provide the profile name accordingly.
Database connection using on-prem agent
# Connecting to on-prem file system profiles
All on-prem files connectors must be connected through an on-prem agent. In the connection fields, Select the desired on-prem agent from the field labelled Is this app in a private network?.
Once you select the on-prem agent, enter the On-prem connection profile name. This profile name should be the same as what you configured in the database section of the config.yml configuration file.
files:
hrfiles:
base: "C:/Documents/HR"
When configuring an on-prem files connection to this profile, we will need to provide the profile name accordingly.
On-prem file connection using on-prem agent