Inbound SFTP (User Creation & Update) Integration Overview

A Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) is a means of securely transferring files from one party to another. One party sends the file(s), and the other party accesses the file(s). The Inbound SFTP integration allows organizations to automatically update and share key employee data fields from their System of Record to ClearCompany. This allows organizations to seamlessly align employee data across both systems. In this article, we dive into the fields available with the SFTP integration.

In this article:
SFTP Overview
Inbound SFTP Integration Benefits
How it works
Available Fields
SFTP - Setup
F.A.Q.

Please note:

SFTP is a paid feature, and a ClearCompany representative has to enable this feature. If you are interested in this feature, please reach out to ClearCompany.

SFTP Overview

An SFTP Integration allows clients to build on their end a way for their platform to regularly pull new employee data and add it in the appropriate folder for their organization in our secure FTP server. ClearCompany will pull data from that folder every 3 hours and update relevant employee information at that time. The SFTP will help keep the two systems aligned.

Inbound SFTP Integration Benefits

1. Allows organizations to easily and quickly create new employees in ClearCompany.
2. Save time and money for your payroll/HR department.
3. Reduce data entry errors.
4. Prevent data discrepenacies.
5. Disable access for past employees.

How it works

1. The SFTP transfer is initiated from ClearCompany to the external ‘receiving’ system.

2. The file (.CSV, JSON, XML) will be placed on the third-party system’s hosted server.

3. The file will be sent to the ClearCompany SFTP endpoint at your predefined interval (typically daily).
4. ClearCompany will automatically process the file and add, update, or terminate employee records based on the information provided in the file.
5. The receiving system will then process the file and insert the data into the appropriate fields within the client’s payroll or HRIS system.

Available Fields

ClearCompany will work with organizations to determine where to pull the data points included in the integration. This can typically be accomplished through requisition or candidate custom fields. The available data fields are:

Fields

Fields	Description
User Id	*Required This is the automatically generated User ID from the ClearCompany System. This specific ID value allows each user to be unique within the ClearCompany System and can be used as the key identifier for the Inbound SFTP File.
SFTP Vendor User Id	*Required This is a specific ID field that will allow each user to be unique within the system. This will be generated by the System of Record and is commonly a combination of your Employer ID and each Employee's ID
First Name	*Required The value in this field will populate the Preferred First Name field in ClearCompany and subsequently the Legal First Name field.
Last Name	*Required The value in this field will populate the Preferred Last Name field in ClearCompany and subsequently the Legal Last Name field.
Personal Email	*Required This is the employee's listed email address. If the employee has an assigned work email address, it is recommended to pass that work email value here. "
Primary Email Type	*Required This field in ClearCompany specified which email should be used for system notifications. If the employee has an assigned work email address, it is recommended to enter 'Work' in this field
Mobile Phone	This is the employees listed phone number.
Gender	This is the employees listed gender.
Username (separate from email address)	*Required "This value must be unique across all ClearCompany instances. Recommended value is the employee's work email. If SSO is being used, then you will need to match the usernames to those in your Identity Provider. "
Status (A/D/T)	*Required This is the employee status.
Reports To [email]	This is the email address of the employee's supervisor. Although this field is not required, it is highly recommended. The supervisors email is essential for creating the organizational hierarchy and ensuring approval chains and performance reviews are sent to the appropriate users.
Job Title	This is the employees job title. If this value differs from the assigned role, a value can be passed here and will be visible on the employees profile in ClearCompany. If the job title is the same as the role name, this field can be left blank.
Hire Date	*Required Hire date indicates the most recent hire date of the employee. If the employee is a rehire, this date will differ from the original hire date.
Original Hire Date	Original hire date indicates the first date of hire for the employee. If the employee is a rehire, this date will indicate the original start date prior to being rehired.
Employee ID	This is the employees assigned ID number. This field is not used as the key identifier in the Inbound SFTP file.
Department	*Required This is the assigned Department of the employee. The value passed must exactly match the spelling and capitalization of an existing Department in your ClearCompany system to assign the Department to the employee. If you would like to create a new Department in ClearCompany, you can pass the new value here, and a new Department will be created.
Office	*Required This is the assigned Office of the employee. The value passed must exactly match the spelling and capitalization of an existing Office in your ClearCompany system to assign the Office to the employee. If you would like to create a new Office in ClearCompany, you can pass the new value here, and a new Office will be created.
Role Name	This is the assigned role of the employee. Although not required, it is recommended to include. The value passed must exactly match the spelling and capitalization of an existing role in your ClearCompany system to assign the role to the employee. If you would like to create a new role in ClearCompany, you can pass the new value here, and a new role will be created.
Role Start Date	Role start date indicates the date in which an employee began in their role. If the employee has changed roles or received a promotion, this date would indicate the date of change to the new role.
User Admin Permission (Y/N)	This should only be given to the users who need access to the setup & user list.
HR Admin Permission (Y/N)	This should only be given to users who need access to edit/view all employee goals.
Roles Admin Permission (Y/N)	This should only be given to users who need to edit roles & add competencies.
IT Admin Permission (Y/N)	This permission should only be given to users who need access to the Calendar and SFTP setup pages.
Recruiter Permission	This permission should only be given to users who need access to all requisitions and candidates.
Hiring Manager Permission	This permission should be given to users who need access to requisitions and candidates where they are the listed hiring manager.
Goal Alignment Permission (Y/N)	Every employee will have this permission to be able to access & manage their goals.
Goal Admin Permission (Y/N)	Only users who need permission to view & edit all employee's goals.
Performance Module Permission (Y/N)	Every employee will need this permission to participate in performance reviews.
Performance Review Admin Permission (Y/N)	This permission should only be given to admins who will be launching and managing review cycles, as it allows them to see all performance reviews.
Performance Review Reporting Permission (Y/N)	Gives access to the performance reporting.
Onboarding Coordinator Permission (Y/N)	This permission should only be given to users who need to create onboarding packet templates and see/edit all onboarding packets across the company.
Task Assignee Permission (Y/N)	This permission should be given to any user who will need to approve or reject onboarding tasks and forms completed by the new hire, as well as complete internal tasks assigned to them.
Employee Permission (Y/N)	*Required Required - put "Y" as all employees must have this permission.
Vendor Permission (Y/N)	This permission should only be given to users of a 3rd party recruiting business to view requisiiton they have been assigned to and the allow vendor setting on the requisitions has been updated.
Termination Type	This is the type of termination for the employee. A value should only be passed in this field if the Status of the employee is being passed as T.
Termination Reason	Free text, notes for reason for termination.
Termination Date	Effective date of termination MM/DD/YYYY.

Please note:

The first name and last name fields in this process will populate the preferred name field in ClearCompany. Subsequently, the preferred name field will populate both the ‘legal first name’ and ‘legal last name’ fields.

How to Determine if the Inbound SFTP integration is right for you

1. Does your current System of Record for Users support outbound SFTPs?
2. If yes to the above:
   1. Can the user information report be created in a .CSV format?
   2. Can the file be sent at a set interval? (daily or weekly is recommended)
   3. Can the CSV be sent to an SFTP endpoint?
   4. Are there any fees for setup and maintenance by the System of Record Provider?
   5. Are you able to utilize a private RSA Key?

SFTP Setup

Once you have a conversation with your ClearCompany Representative, below are the steps to complete the integration.

1. Enabling SFTP + User Permissions: Your ClearCompany representative will enable this feature, which will allow a user with the IT Admin Permission to see the SFTP option.
2. SFTP Template: We will provide the template you will use and will add it to your organization for easy access.
3. SFTP Credentials: You will need to gather the following information, which can be stored securely or added directly to your SFTP setup in your System of Record. 
4. In ClearCompany, the IT Admin user can navigate to Tools > Setup > Secure File Center.
5. Click SFTP, and below are the fields and settings:
   • Host
   • Username
   • Authentication Method:
     • Option 1: Private Key (ClearCompany Generated): Copy the generated private key.

     • Option 2: Public Key (Your Own): Save the public key provided by your System of Record in the "Authentication key" field to be used with the corresponding private key.

   • Notification Settings: Provide the email address of the user (s) that should receive the notifications.
6. Client Configuration: You will work with your System of Record to set up an automated feed of data to ClearCompany.
   1. File frequency: The frequency of the file is determined by your preference (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) Please note: The file SHOULD NOT be passed more than once daily.
   2. SFTP Portal Folder: The SFTP Portal Folder is the designated directory within the SFTP environment where files are exchanged between your organization and ClearCompany.
   3. Notification Settings: We advise choosing at least one person to receive email notifications on the status of the import file.
7. Testing: When ready, you will generate a test file in your third-party system.

Please note:

If the Generate a New Key button is clicked, you will need to update the username and key in your System of Record to ensure the file is sent successfully. If a new key is generated but the key and username are not updated in the System of Record, the file import will fail.

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Important Considerations

• The SFTP feature does NOT support password authentication.
• ClearCompany saves a single key; as long as a user doesn't save or generate a new key, the original key will be preserved.
• ClearCompany CANNOT host the SFTP server, meaning we can only push data to another hosted server, and the client must have a provider for hosting the server.
• The client/third-party receiving system must provide the hosted server information:
  • URL/Host OR IP Address
  • Username
  • Password
  • File Name Pattern
• Software Solutions will be receiving the key.
• Paylocity Inbound SFTP, they get the private key, we don't receive the public key.

F.A.Q.

What happens if I select the public key option but do not save a public key? Will my connection via private key still work?

The system will remain connected to the generated private key.

If I switch from the public key option back to the private key option, will the system still have my public key saved if I decide to switch back?

Yes — once a public key is saved, it remains stored in the system. You won’t need to re-enter it unless you click “Generate New Key” under the private key option. In that case, the previous public key would be cleared.

What format should I enter the private key in?

Private keys can be saved with a .pem extension.

What format should I enter the public key in?

The public key is entered in the “Authentication key” field as plain text.