Extending the Model

While Knit’s unified data models are designed to cover the most commonly used fields across SaaS platforms, we recognize that every business has unique data needs. In real-world use cases, it’s common to work with fields specific to your organization, apply advanced filters, handle context-specific information, or even connect to apps that don’t follow standard patterns.

To address these needs, Knit allows you to extend the base model without compromising performance, consistency, or developer experience. These extension methods help you customize, fine-tune, or enrich the data flowing through your integrations, so you can build exactly what your product or workflow requires.

Knit supports four primary ways to work with data that’s not covered by the Unified Model. Each method serves a unique purpose, and knowing when to use them can help you get the most out of your integrations:

1. Custom Fields: Go for this when you have fields that are unique to your business, like your own internal tags or extra details your team needs. It’s perfect when the unified model doesn’t cover everything you track and you want those specifics included in your syncs.
2. Passthroughs: Choose passthroughs if you need direct access to the original app’s API, for data or actions, Knit doesn’t unify. This lets you get fresh data or trigger features outside Knit’s model, while still letting Knit handle things like authentication.
3. Meta Data: Use metadata when you’re creating or updating records and want to include extra information that doesn’t have a place in the unified fields. It’s handy for adding optional details, like custom labels or tags, that help customize records to your needs.
4. AI Connector Builder: Use this when you need a completely custom connection. By chatting with Knit’s AI agent, you can create new connectors personalized to your exact workflow, even for niche systems or unique requirements, without writing code.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these ways to understand how they work and when to use them effectively.