SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol) enables you to export data out of Folio or import data into Folio through automated files that are either placed by Folio in an SFTP location or collected by Folio from an SFTP location. This enables Folio to provide data to another software system or receive data from another system as frequently as an overnight process.
Folio provides exported files in a comma separated variable (csv) format and expects files that it imports to be in a comma separated variable (csv) format.
Export: Allows you to extract any data out of Folio using Folio reports, so any data that can be extracted in csv format via reports is available for SFTP
Import: Allows you to import data for the following purposes:
- Create new Folio records and update existing Folio records
- Create new users and update existing users
- Create new entities and update existing entities
- Create new contacts and update existing contacts
In order to set up an SFTP integration you will need to set up your own SFTP server or contact the Folio support team who can provide you for a quote for an SFTP server hosted by Folio. Once you have the server, you will be able to follow the steps below to set up the integration in Folio.
This article contains the following:
How to setup your SFTP Server details
How to setup your SFTP Server details
To setup SFTP Integration the user must have administrator rights.
Click on the admin gearwheel
Then click on Integration
Select either Import or Export depending on what you want to do with the integration (For setting up the server initially either of these options will do)
On the Import Screen click on +Create Import or + Create Export and the below screen will pop up where you need to either select an Integration Server, or Create an SFTP Server:
Please note: In order to set up an SFTP integration you can set up your own SFTP server or contact the Folio support team who can provide you for a quote for an SFTP server hosted by Folio.
To set up the details of a new SFTP server, click on Create a SFTP Server and fill in the following details:
4) Details →
- Name → This is the name of the integration.
- Server → Your server location.
- Username → Username used to log into the SFTP server.
- Password → Password used to log into the SFTP server.
- Use private key → Using a Private Key is preferable to using a password as this is more secure. To use this feature select Use Private Key. Generate the OpenSSH Public Private Keys without a passphrase. Place the Private Key in Folio and the Public Key in your SFTP server setup.
After filling out these details hit Create to setup the SFTP Server details in Folio.
Creating an Import SFTP
Click on + Create Import then select an existing server or create new one using the instructions above. You will then see a new popup that asks for details of the Import that you are creating:
- Name → Can be anything, but it is advisable to name it in a way that relates to the template type you are using for the import, makes it easier to search for or refer to in future.
- Prefix → Can be left blank, but if you want to keep multiple input (csv) files for different imports in one directory, then it is a mandatory field and should be unique and then included at the start of the input (csv) filename
- Import File Location → The folder location on the SFTP server where you will keep the input(csv) file which will be imported into Folio.
- Import To → Select which type of integration you are completing, you can choose from; Folio Template, Users, Entities or Contacts. Note that each individual import can only go to one of these options i.e. you cannot have one import going into multiple Folio Templates.
- Import start date → Enter the date from when need to start the SFTP import process.
- Import Schedule → Imports can be scheduled to be Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly or Yearly
- Execute hour → Enter the time of the day when the SFTP import process should execute
- Import As → Enter a User name. This User will be credited as creating or updating the items in the import process.
- Send Failed Notification To → Select the users who you wish to receive notifications if the Integration fails
Click Save when you are done. Now select the import that you have just created and you can begin mapping fields for the import. At the top you will see details of the import that you just created:
Next you will need to map the columns from the import file and select what fields in Folio they should be imported into. This process is mostly the same for each import type, but for the purposes of this guide I will assume that we are using a Folio Template.
Scroll down to find a section labelled Field Mapper. Here you will see a table with three columns:
- Identifier - The field that will be used to identify different folios, must be unique. By default the Key field is used.
- Import File - The field(column) name in the import file (csv) that is being imported into Folio.
- <Template Name> - The list of fields in the template that you are importing into.
All of the fields in the template are listed out in the table. To select which fields you want to update using the Import File, under the heading labelled Import File type in the name of the column in your csv that matches this Folio Field. Do this for every field that is being imported:
Note that what you put under Import File must match exactly what that column is called in the csv that you are importing. That column is then mapped to the correct field in the Folio template. For instance in the screenshot above, the csv has a column called 'Other Party', and that has been mapped to the 'Entity Name' field in the Folio Template.
If you have tables in the template, they can also be mapped. Scroll further down the page and you will find each table on the template with their own section:
Click on the table name to expand the section, then you can map the fields in the same way:
Note: Each table needs its own identifier, separate from the overall identifier. This is so that the overall identifier can be used to select the Folio, then the table identifier is used to select the correct row on the table. Identifiers can only be Short Text or Numeric fields.
Once you are finished with the setup you can select Activate to start the integration, which will then trigger when the Execute Hour rolls around, or you can select Import to trigger the process manually:
The main difference when importing something other then a Folio is that there is no Default Identifier like there is for Folios, so you will need to select one manually when mapping Users/Entities/Contacts.
Please read this article for Data Import Rules.
Creating an Export SFTP
Exporting is used to generate a report out of Folio and export it to a File Location on the SFTP Server.
- Name → Can be anything, but it is advisable to name it in a way that it relates to the report type that you are using for the export, makes it easier to search or refer in future.
- Prefix → It could be left blank, but if you want to export multiple files in one directory, then it is a must field and should be unique.
- Export File Location → Enter the folder location where exported file will be saved.
- Export From → The report that you are exporting, make sure the report has been marked as Data Integration Report.
- Execute hour → Enter the time of the day when SFTP export process should execute, if SFTP export is activated execute hour is a must have field.
- Export As → Enter a User name. This User will be credited as creating the report that is exported.
- Send Failed Notification To → Select a user who needs to be notified when the SFTP export has failed.
-
Export start date → Enter the date from when need to start the SFTP export process.
After filling out these details and hitting Save, you will then be taken to the newly created Export where you can Activate it, or click on Export to trigger it manually:
6) Loggings →
Each Import has a history that can be viewed to see that status of all of the import that were done, and also allows you to see when one has failed. To get to this screen go to the Details page for one of the Imports:
Then click on the History tab: