SFTP Sync (Outbound)

Overview

This feature allows institutions to connect their Mainstay data to a third-party platform, such as an external SFTP server. This enables an outbound 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

1. Navigate to the Settings > SFTP Outbound page. (Note: this requires admin permissions.)
2. Click + New Integration and select New Contacts Export.
3. On the configuration screen, enter a Name and Description for your integration instance. This will appear in the list, but has no affect on the actual data sync. Note that you can enable or disable the integration at any time using the Enabled toggle.
4. Next, enter your SFTP server credentials.
   1. Username, Host, and Port are required.
   2. You must enter either a Password or Private Key (and optionally a Passphrase). This information is determined by your external system.
   3. Your external system may also require files to come from specific IP addresses. If this is the case, add Mainstay's IP addresses to your Allow List: 34.197.84.241 and 3.233.244.171
   4. Click Test Connection to verify you have correctly input all credentials.
5. In the next section, optionally add a Directory for where Mainstay should send the file. You can also customize the File Prefix. (Note that all file names will have a timestamp appended to this prefix.)
6. The Schedule is divided into 3-hour blocks. We recommend exporting contacts once a day, during off-hours (such as 12am - 3am). (Note that all times are in EST.)
7. Optionally add Filtering to determine which contact records sync to your external system.
   1. If no filtering is applied, then all non-Test contacts will be exported.
   2. Alternately, you can select one or more Standard fields or Custom fields. For each one, determine whether Mainstay should only send contacts with a specific value, contacts with no value, or contacts with any value.
8. Make sure to click Save at the top after configuring your integration.

Integrations List

1. After creating an integration instance, you can see a list of all outbound SFTP syncs.
2. Click the Enabled toggle to turn this sync on or off.
3. Click the ... overflow menu to see available actions:
   • 
   • Edit: Return to the configuration screen to make changes.
   • Delete: Remove this integration.

Recent Runs

Each time an outbound SFTP sync runs, an entry will be added to the Recent Runs table.

You can filter this table by the specific Integration (name), the Started date and time, and the Status.

Each row includes the following information:

• Integration: the custom name for this integration instance (see above)
• Type: Contacts, Conversations, or EAB Notes
• # Rows: the count of rows in the exported CSV file
• Started: the date and time that the integration run began
• Finished: the date and time that the integration run completed (or failed)
• Status: Success | Running | Skipped | Fail
  • a Skipped run indicates that there were no rows to send
  • a Failed run will indicate an error reason on hover

Troubleshooting

Here are some tips for resolving common issues with the SFTP sync.

SFTP Access

The first thing to make sure is that Mainstay is able to access your external system via SFTP. Use the Test button in the SFTP Server section (Setup step 4.4). If your external system has an "Allow List" for IP addresses, make sure to add Mainstay's IP addresses (Setup step 4.3).

Filtering

If you've added Filtering (Setup step 7), but you're not seeing the records you expect, it's possible that they're getting filtered out. Use the Audience Builder to create an equivalent Audience in the Mainstay platform to see if any contact records meet your filter criteria.

Data / Field Mapping

The file Mainstay sends over will include all Standard fields and Custom fields, similar to the Contact Report. However, your external system likely doesn't need all of these fields, so you can decide which ones to save. (Different systems will call this tool something like "Data Mapping" or "Field Mapping".) If you're not seeing the data you expect, make sure you're correctly mapping it in your system and storing it where you intend.