SFTP—Secure File Transfer Protocol—enables the secure transfer of employee data. An SFTP integration enables you to upload your data to a secure location that we access to update your user data in Emtrain. This creates workflow efficiency and security in the following ways:

• Automates data transfers on your preferred schedule, making manual uploads unnecessary.
• Accommodates both incremental updates with only new employee data or your full roster.
• Maintains your existing data format while automatically mapping it to our system requirements.

You can also use SFTP data sync to share demographic data for segmentation reporting in Emtrain Intelligence.

Prior to setting up the SFTP integration, ensure that you have already imported your full roster manually. See Importing a Roster Manually for more information.

Setting up the Integration

The setup process creates an automatic, secure verification so that future file transfers between your HR system and Emtrain go smoothly.

Step 1: Configuration and SFTP Key

To use SFTP data sync, you must set up a security key that verifies your organization’s identity when transferring files. Think of this key like a digital ID card that confirms you're authorized to send employee data to Emtrain.

You or your IT team will set up this security key—an Open Public RSA Key—and add it to your Emtrain account. This ensures that only authorized sources can send files to Emtrain. Before any file transfer happens, the system checks this key to verify your organization’s identity. Without this verification step, file transfers will be blocked for security reasons.

To add this key:

1. Go to Manage.
2. Select Site Config, then the Integration area.
3. Select the Enable SFTP Connection checkbox.
4. In the User Roster section, enter your SFTP Key in the field provided. Note that the key is a long string of letters and numbers that always starts with ssh-rsa followed by additional characters.
   
   

Be sure to configure this in advance of any testing, as the file transfers cannot proceed without this key. 

Step 2: File Preparation

Proper file preparation ensures that when your automated SFTP transfers send employee data to Emtrain, the system can correctly read and process the information without errors, making the integration reliable and reducing the need for manual intervention or troubleshooting.

File Name

When configuring your HR system to generate HR Learner Sync import files, use the following file naming convention:
emtrain_hr_learner_sync_YYYY_MM_DD.csv (for example, emtrain_hr_learner_sync_2015_01_01.csv)

Data Formatting and Column Order

Your employee data must follow the exact formatting shown in Field Formats for Roster Uploads.  
The order of columns in your file must match the mapping for your Emtrain account. If you need to verify your mapping, you can test it by manually uploading a single employee record first to update the mapping.

Learn about mapping fields in Importing a Roster File Manually.

Step 3: Configure the File Transfer

Your IT team will use an SFTP program to automatically send employee data files to Emtrain's secure server using specific connection settings—with files processing within an hour of upload.

The file sender connects to our SFTP server via a File Client with the following credentials:

Host (Server Address): sftp-ai.emtrain.com

Directory (Folder Location): /csv-sftp

Port: Set this to 2222

Protocol (Authentication Type): Set this to SFTP - SSH File Transfer Protocol.

Username: Your Account ID. Obtain your Account ID by navigating to Site Config from the Manage Menu. Select the Integrations tab and then select the option to Enable SFTP Connection.

File Location

Your file must go directly into the /csv-sftp folder on Emtrain's server. The system can only process files that are placed in this specific location. Most SFTP programs will automatically create this folder if it doesn't already exist.

Step 4: Testing the Integration

After you’ve added the configuration details to Emtrain and have added the correct settings for the SFTP program, it’s time to test your work. This will help ensure that your file transfer is working correctly.

Test your implementation with these steps:

1. Prepare a test file with only a few users (5 to 10 users), and send via SFTP. Testing with a small file first ensures your process works prior to sending a complete roster.
2. Once the transfer is complete, review the imported data to confirm all fields transferred correctly and appear as expected.  
3. Send your full roster file via SFTP, then spot-check the uploaded data to verify it’s accurate.

Step 5: Schedule Future Roster Transfers

Frequency and Timing 

Send your employee data files as frequently as once weekly or as infrequently as monthly, but not more than once per week. After you upload a file, it should process within an hour if everything is configured correctly.

Sending Files and Processing Time

You can send separate files for different types of updates (new employees, promotions, departures) instead of sending your entire employee roster each time. The system will process all files you send, but it's faster to send only the changes rather than your complete employee list.

Security

If you want extra security, you can encrypt your files using PGP encryption. Contact your Client Success Manager (CSM) to set this up, and they'll provide the encryption key you need. Encrypted files will have a .csv.gpg extension instead of just .csv.