Overview
This feature allows institutions to connect their Mainstay data to a third-party platform, such as an external SFTP server. This enables an inbound contact record data sync, including default fields (name, phone, email, etc.) and custom fields created by your institution.
External Platform Documentation
Here is a non-exhaustive list of external platforms with SFTP import/export functionality.
- AdmissionPros: see AdmissionPros Integrations
- Amazon Lightsail: see Connecting to your Linux or Unix instance in Amazon Lightsail
- Anthology (formerly iModules): see Anthology - Data Management
- Blackbaud: see How to Configure a Secure FTP Connection
- EAB Starfish: see About the Universal Adapter
- Element451: see Securely Transferring Files
- Ellucian Banner via Evisions Argos or Broadcom AppWorx
- Ellucian Recruit via CozyRoc, KingswaySoft, or TIBCO
- Encoura: see Encoura API and Data Center File Transfer
- Genesys: see Create and Manage List Automation Tasks
- GroupTrail: see Third-Party Integrations
- Microsoft Dynamics 365: see Export segments and other data to SFTP (preview)
- Oracle PeopleSoft: see Oracle PeopleSoft documentation for SFTP Target Connector
- Qualtrics: see Extract Data from SFTP Files Task and Load Data into SFTP Task
- Slate: see Mainstay Sync for Slate
- UKG Pro: see UKG HR Exchange protocol via SFTP file transfer
- Unifyed Student: see Unifyed Student – Admit v10.0
- Workday: see SFTP_Transport_Protocol_Data
Setup
- Navigate to the Settings > SFTP Inbound page. (Note: this requires admin permissions.)
- Click Configure to access your SFTP credentials.
- If your system uses SSH Private/Public Keys, add a Public Key here. Otherwise, leave this blank.
- The following screen indicates the SFTP host, user, port, and password. Click the eye icon to view the password, or the page icon to copy it to your clipboard.
- Note that all files must be uploaded to the root directory (/). Files uploaded to sub-directories, such as "/imports/", will not be processed.
- If you need to generate new credentials at any time, click the trashcan icon.
- If your system uses SSH Private/Public Keys, add a Public Key here. Otherwise, leave this blank.
- Set up your Data Mapping next.
- Mainstay requires that all SFTP syncs include the following fields: CRM ID (your system's unique identifier), First Name, Last Name, and Phone Number. For each field, enter the exact column header that will contain this information. (For example, your system might call it "Mobile" or "cell_phone" instead of "Phone Number".)
- After mapping these required fields, click + Add mapping to specify additional columns and the equivalent Mainstay field. You can select both built-in Standard Fields and Custom Fields.
- When you're ready, toggle the integration to Enabled. (Note that you can return to this screen to update your data field mapping at any time in the future.)
- Mainstay requires that all SFTP syncs include the following fields: CRM ID (your system's unique identifier), First Name, Last Name, and Phone Number. For each field, enter the exact column header that will contain this information. (For example, your system might call it "Mobile" or "cell_phone" instead of "Phone Number".)
Troubleshooting
Here are some tips for resolving common issues with the SFTP sync.
SFTP Access
The first thing to make sure is that your external system is correctly sending files to the Mainstay server. If you believe you have sent a file, and the integration is enabled, but you're not seeing any updates in the Import History, you can also directly access the server using those SFTP credentials.
You can use FileZilla, Cyberduck, or another FTP browser to view the Mainstay SFTP server using the same credentials from Setup step 2 above. If you're able to connect but aren't seeing files you sent, it's possible your external system has the wrong credentials.
Invalid Filetype
Like the manual import process, our SFTP solution expects CSV (comma-separated value) files. Make sure your external system is not sending over plaintext (.txt), tab-separated values (.tsv), Excel (.xlsx), Numbers (.numbers), or other file types. These will all be skipped.
Missing Required Fields
It's not possible to enable an SFTP integration if the four required fields - CRM ID, First Name, Last Name, and Phone Number - are not mapped in your settings. However, it's definitely possible that your external system is accidentally omitting these columns in your file! Pay special attention to uppercase/lowercase, leading/trailing spaces, extra quotes, dashes vs. underscores, and other subtle typos that may mess with your data mapping.
Blank Rows & Columns
Some external systems insert additional (blank) rows or columns, either before or after the main content. In some cases, the number of columns is not consistent for each row. Sometimes, an extra "header" row with metadata is inadvertently prepended to the actual content. Double-check the file generated by your external system to make sure it's properly formatted.
Row-level Validation
Assuming there are no issues with the file itself, it's very common for individual rows (ie, individual learners) to have validation issues for particular fields. For example, perhaps your file includes "Email", but some learners have an invalid value that does not conform to proper email address formatting. These issues will appear in the Import History tool (see below).
Import History
After a file from your external system is received and processed, an import report will appear in the Import History tool, just like a manual CSV upload.
You can filter this tool by SFTP syncs:
Each Import History report will include a link to the original file, information on successful and skipped rows, and a downloadable list of validation errors. See the Import Error Dictionary for more information.
Comments
0 comments
Article is closed for comments.