> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.pentaho.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.pentaho.com/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/pdi-transformation-steps-reference-overview/catalog-input/before-you-begin-catalog-input.md).

# Before you begin

Before using the Catalog Input step, be aware of the following conditions:

* You must have an established **Catalog** connection to Data Catalog. For details, see [Access to Pentaho Data Catalog](/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/data-integration-perspective-in-the-pdi-client/virtual-file-system-browser/before-you-begin-vfs-connections/access-to-lumada-data-catalog.md).
* S3 must be configured as the **Default S3 Connection** in VFS Connections to access S3 storage. For details, see [Connecting to Virtual File Systems](/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/data-integration-perspective-in-the-pdi-client/virtual-file-system-browser.md).
* You must have an established PDI connection to the cluster(s) you plan on using. For example, a Hadoop driver must be configured as a named connection for your distribution for accessing HDFS. For information on named connections, see [Connecting to a Hadoop cluster with the PDI client](/pdia-data-integration/9.3-data-integration/advanced-topics-pentaho-data-integration-overview/connecting-to-a-hadoop-cluster-with-the-pdi-client-article.md).


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