# Custom connectors

[](https://help.qlik.com/en-US/sense-developer/Subsystems/QVXSDKAPI/Content/Sense_QVXSDKAPI/Introducing-QVX.htm)

The QVX SDK includes an interface used for developing custom connectors in QlikView and Qlik Sense. A QVX formatted file contains metadata describing a table of data and the actual data.

Information noteThis functionality is not available in Qlik Cloud.

A custom connector can work in either of two ways:

* It can reply to requests from QlikView or Qlik Sense to connect to a data source, retrieve data, and then stream QVX formatted data back.
* Alternatively, it can run as a standalone application and create a QVX file to be loaded into QlikView or Qlik Sense later on.

Access the complete [QVX API reference documentation](https://help.qlik.com/en-US/sense-developer/May2026/Subsystems/QVXSDKAPI/Content/Sense_QVXSDKAPI/Reference.htm).

Information noteData connections using custom connectors are only available in the data load editor. They cannot be accessed by the Qlik Sense Data manager.