Automatically importing transactions

Trading Programs automated imports is an optional feature that can be configured for importing both transactions data and master data (Trading partner / Dimension item values) on a regular re-occurring basis.

As part of the configuration, Enable will set up an SFTP server, within which you can upload data files ready for import. Enable will then identify that there are files on the SFTP server to be imported and attempt the import.

Transmission Protocol

The following explains the process for transmitting files to the SFTP server in the correct way.

Formatting

Export data from your system in the correct format for the type of import you are running; Enable will provide you with templates as part of the onboarding process.

Please take care to avoid duplicate rows as this will cause the import to fail.

The filename for the csv will need to be in the following format:

{DATATYPE}-{YYYYMMDD}-{YYYYMMDDHHMMSS}.csv

• {YYYYMMDD} This is either the date of the transaction lines or the ‘Interface Date’ if this is being utilized.
• {YYYYMMDDHHMMSS} Date stamp of when the data file has been created (this keeps the reference unique).

An example of the name of a transaction line file which contains transaction lines from 3rd June 2019, where the data was exported on 4th June 2019 at 11:45:50, is written as:

TURNOVER-20190603-20190604114550.csv

It is also possible to import transactions for a range of dates. This is done by separating the from and to dates with the word ‘TO’. For example, the name of the transaction line file which contains transaction lines spanning 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th June is written as:

TURNOVER-20190603TO20190605-20190604114550.csv

Compression and encryption

Data sets must be transmitted to the SFTP server in encrypted ZIP files, where an encrypted ZIP file contains the relevant dataset CSV file. The ZIP file needs to be encrypted using AES-256 encryption using the specific encryption key set by Enable. This encryption key will be provided to a nominated member of your team by Enable.

An example of the name of a zip file which contains the transactions data files from 3rd June 2019, where the data was exported on 4th June 2019 at 11:45:50 is written as:

TURNOVER-20190603-20190604114550.zip

Upload protocol

In order to ensure that Enable doesn’t attempt to read a file that is still in the process of uploading, you will be required to create an “OK file” once the corresponding .zip file has been successfully uploaded. This .ok file is required to trigger the import process so does not have to contain any data. It needs to share the same name as the .zip file but be appended with .ok.

An example of the name of an "OK file" file from 3rd June 2019, where the data was exported on 4th June 2019 at 11:45:50 is written as:

TURNOVER-20190603-20190604114550.zip.ok

Once a file has been accepted by Enable it will be moved from the Imports folder to the Succeeded folder. If a file has failed to import it will be moved from the Imports folder to the Failed folder. A corresponding error file will also be created detailing why the file has failed.

The graphic below highlights the process for automated data imports:

Common errors

If your file has failed to import it will land in the 'Failed' folder within the 'Import' folder on the SFTP location. In this scenario, an accompanying Error.txt file will be created for each failed file detailing what the cause of failure is. For example, this may be an incorrect ZIP password, incorrect row count, incorrect naming/ formatting convention, etc. If you encounter any error messages that are unclear, or if you would like assistance troubleshooting these, please raise a Helpdesk ticket with us.

How do I send files to the SFTP location?

An FTP client will be required to send data to, and view, the SFTP location. Within Enable we use FileZilla, but this is not a requirement and any alternative FTP clients are suitable.

My file hasn't processed?

If your file has not processed and is still sat in the 'Imports' folder, please consider whether you have uploaded the corresponding .OK file and also check that this is correctly named. The name of the .OK file should be identical to the .ZIP file, but instead of trailing with .ZIP it should trail with .ZIP.OK

I cannot connect to the SFTP?

The SFTP location has a firewall in place to prevent unauthorized access. Please ensure that you have provided us with your public IP address in order for us to add this to the whitelist. If you are unable to connect, please raise a Helpdesk ticket with us.

How can we see if a file has been received?

In the SFTP location, you are able to see the files that Enable have received. If a file is in the 'Succeeded' folder, this indicates that the data is now in the system. If a file is in the 'Failed' folder, unfortunately, the file has failed and a corresponding Error.txt file will explain the reason.

For further information on the format and content of the files required for automated imports, please refer to your data plan or raise a Helpdesk ticket with us.