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# Design the admin and utilities user experience

**Element type: Required**

**Enpoints used:** [QueryCompanies](https://developer.avalara.com/api-reference/avatax/rest/v2/methods/Companies/QueryCompanies/)

The configuration window for an AvaTax + Document Management integration must allow users to specify the following configuration/connection information:

* Service URL to access the connector (for example, Production or Sandbox)
* [Login with Account Number/License Key or with Username/Password](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax-dm-combined-erp/common-setup/authentication/authentication-methods)
* [Company Code dropdown with lookup](https://developer.avalara.com/api-reference/avatax/rest/v2/methods/Companies/QueryCompanies/)

## Configuring authentication

When configuring the [authentication method](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax-dm-combined-erp/common-setup/authentication/authentication-methods), keep in mind that account ID/license key and username/password authentication are very similar in practice. So why would you choose one over the other? Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of license key authentication.

* Advantages:
  * License keys have much stronger entropy when compared to a username/password, and are harder to attack.
  * Account ID / license key authentication is not user-specific and will not expire if one user resets their password.
  * All basic authentication headers are protected by strong SSL encryption in transit to Avalara.
* Disadvantages:
  * There is only one license key for each account.
  * Revoking your license key will cause all API calls with the old license key to fail.
  * It is not possible to identify individual users taking an action when license key authentication is used.

Your software should have a configuration page or file that allows a customer to type in their their credentials when they set up your connector; then all API calls made through your connector will use these credentials.

**Advice:** When designing a method for users to authenticate, consider providing a way to mask the password as the user is typing it, along with an option to show the password.

## Configuring company code lookup

The [QueryCompanies API](https://developer.avalara.com/api-reference/avatax/rest/v2/methods/Companies/QueryCompanies/) is a method to [test your connection](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax-dm-combined-erp/common-setup/design-the-user-experience/admin/avatax-test-connect-button). This endpoint will retrieve either the single company that you configured and it to the form in your UI, or if you have multiple, it will return a dropdown list of your configured companies.

```
curl    -X GET    -H 'Accept: application/json'    -H 'Authorization: Basic ${btoa(`:`)}'    'https://sandbox-rest.avatax.com/api/v2/companies'
```

[Previous](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax-dm-combined-erp/common-setup/configure-your-account/configuring-avatax-faq)

[Next](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax-dm-combined-erp/common-setup/design-the-user-experience/admin/avatax-test-connect-button)

> **Note**
>
> Part of the **AvaTax and ECM** integration guide. [Open the full "Design the admin and utilities user experience" milestone on Avalara](https://developer.avalara.com/avatax-dm-combined-erp/common-setup/design-the-user-experience/admin/) to see every page in this section.