The Terra platform requires either a Google or Microsoft account to use for Single Sign On (SSO). For Google SSO, you can use either a Gmail account, an institutional Google Apps account, or a Google Apps account that you create. If your institution uses G Suite, your account will already be a Google account and you can proceed directly to register on Terra. If not, you can follow these steps to create a Google account that is associated with your non-Gmail, institutional email address.
Why create a Google ID for your institutional email? Using your institutional email address will allow you to receive notifications via your institutional email and help Broad Project managers more easily coordinate data access and delivery.
Should you register with either a Google or Microsoft ID?Which version of Terra you work in is determined by the Terra Billing project assigned to your workspace, not which ID you use for SSO. See How to use Terra on Azure with a Google ID.
However, your Terra ID needs to match the appropriate cloud (Google or Microsoft) to access non-Terra resources on GCP or Azure, respectively. For example, if you will be interacting with Azure subscriptions, datasets in external Azure blob storage or anything in the Azure portal, you will need to use a Microsoft ID to register for Terra.
If you already have an account in Terra, you should use the ID you used previously (Google or Microsoft) for SSO.
Step-by-step instructions
Creating a Google account with a non-Google email address using the steps below is the supported method of using a non-Google account with Terra.
Do not use account aliases Setting up an alias connection between your non-Google account and a Google account will result in account issues and erratic behavior when using the platform. Please do not use accounts with alias connections for Terra.
1. Go to the Google sign-up page (https://accounts.google.com/SignUp).
2. Fill in the required information. When you get to the screen where you need to create your Gmail address, select "Use your existing email".
3. Enter the email you want to use for your Terra account in the box.
4. Follow the prompts to complete your Google account setup.
What to expect
Once you have this new Google account set up, you'll be able to register for Terra with that email address.
