Any HR system, synced by SFTP
Drop an employee file on a secure SFTP server on your schedule. CultureMonkey checks it, snapshots your list, and imports it, without touching a survey that is running.
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Can CultureMonkey import employee data by SFTP?
Yes. Your HR system or IT team drops an employee file on a CultureMonkey SFTP server on whatever schedule suits you, and CultureMonkey checks it and imports it. It works with any HR or payroll system that can export a CSV, so you get an automated sync without sharing API credentials for your HRIS.
Here is how it works:
- SetupEnabled for your account by Customer Success, who agree the file layout and field mapping with you and set up your SFTP access.
- FileA CSV with one row per employee. Files can be PGP encrypted; they are decrypted on arrival and no plaintext copy is kept.
- CadenceEach file is imported after it lands, so the schedule is yours: nightly, twice a week or after every payroll run.
- Full or updateA full file lists everyone; an update file lists only changes. Missing employees are deactivated only from a full file, and only if you turn that on.
- SafetyA full file missing more than 5% of your active headcount is held rather than applied, and the employee list is snapshotted before every import.
- VisibilityEvery run appears in Import History as SFTP sync, with an error file listing any row that was skipped and why.
What a file carries, and how it is handled
Type of integration
Scheduled employee file drop
Works with
Any HR system that exports a CSV
Encryption
SFTP, plus optional PGP on the file
Setup
Enabled per account by Customer Success
Built for the checks enterprise IT asks about
A file drop is simple. What matters is what happens when a file is short, late, malformed or arrives mid-survey. These are the rules every SFTP run follows.
Full files and update files, with a safety hold
Send everyone every time, or only what changed. CultureMonkey tells the two apart from how much of your active headcount the file covers, and treats a full file that looks short as a mistake rather than a mass exit.
- From an update file, new people are added and changed people are updated. Nobody is deactivated.
- From a full file, employees who are missing are marked inactive, if you turn that on. Their history stays.
- A full file missing more than 5% of your active headcount is held and nothing is applied, so a truncated export cannot switch off a whole site.
Never changes a survey that is running
No file is applied while a survey or pulse is running, so nobody is added to or removed from a survey while responses are coming in. If a joiner should take a running survey, an admin adds them and they are invited straight away.
- No file is applied while a survey or live pulse is running on your account.
- One import runs at a time. A second file waits for the first to finish, and a manual upload during a sync is refused with a message.
- Each survey keeps the hierarchy it launched with, so a later file never moves its results.
Encrypted in transit, and on the file if you want
SFTP encrypts the connection. If your security team wants the file itself encrypted too, send it PGP encrypted: it is decrypted on arrival and no plaintext copy is left behind. See security and compliance.
- SFTP access is set up for your account and agreed with your IT team during setup.
- Before every import, a snapshot of your employee list is kept in private storage, a record of the list as it stood before the change.
- Only the columns you agreed are read. Any other column stops the file rather than being guessed at.
Every field your reports cut by
The file carries the same attributes a connector would: identity, team, location, business unit, manager and any custom field. Map them once during setup and every report reads the same way.
- Match people on a stable ID, such as an employee number, so name and email changes update rather than duplicate.
- Give managers by employee ID. Unknown manager IDs keep the existing manager rather than clearing it.
- Hourly and frontline staff without a work email can be included when email is made optional for your account. See frontline surveys.
SFTP, the API or a connector: which fits your setup
All three keep the same employee list current. The difference is who builds what, and what your IT team is comfortable sharing.
| Route | Best when | What your team does |
|---|---|---|
| HRIS connector | You run Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Oracle HCM, UKG, ADP or another supported HRIS | Provide read access once; CultureMonkey pulls on schedule |
| SFTP employee sync | Your HRIS has no connector, or IT prefers not to share HRIS credentials | Schedule a CSV export to the SFTP server |
| Employee API | You already run middleware or an integration platform | Call the API when people join, move or leave |
| CSV import | You refresh the list a few times a year | Upload a file in the app |
Built for enterprise security, recognized for performance
Frequently asked questions
Which HR systems can use SFTP employee sync?
Who hosts the SFTP server?
How often can we send a file?
Will a full file deactivate people who are missing from it?
Can the file be encrypted?
What happens to a row with a problem?
Is SFTP better than an HRIS connector?
See SFTP sync with your own employee file
Book a free, no-obligation product demo call with our experts.