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Enhanced FTP Guide

This document contains conceptual and procedural information about enhanced FTP with  ExactTarget .

File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is method for transferring data from one computer to another over the Internet. The enhanced FTP server uses a variety of FTP called SSH File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). When you use the application, you may need to transfer data into the application, such as when you import a subscriber list. You may also need to transfer data out of the application, such as when you run reports.

You can use enhanced FTP with the application interface as well as with the APIs. See the product documentation for information on the specific uses with each product.

Audience

This guide is intended for business managers, system administrators, and other system users who are responsible for setting up and using enhanced FTP.

Releated Documents

Use of this feature may require understanding of the following features:

  • REST API
  • File Transfer Activity
  • Import Activity
  • Reports
  • Data Extract
  • Data Extensions

What Is Enhanced FTP

Enhanced FTP is a more secure and flexible file transfer alternative to basic FTP. Because of the benefits over basic FTP, enhanced FTP is the go-forward standard for customer implementations that include file transfer functionality. If your organization must transfer files to and from the system as part of your business processes, you will use enhanced FTP.

The enhanced FTP site is available at the following location: ftp://ftp1.exacttarget.com

If your ExactTarget representative tells you to use the S4 (Las Vegas) servers, use the following location: ftp://ftp.s4.exacttarget.com.

What ExactTarget Does

When you choose to use enhanced FTP, ExactTarget creates a folder on the enhanced FTP server for your organization to use. This folder is for your organization only, so you use a special user ID and password to access the folder. This is not the same user ID and password that you use to log into the ExactTarget application. You have full permissions to the folder.

ExactTarget creates IMPORT, EXPORT, and REPORTS folders in your enhanced FTP folder. Do not delete these folders. Files you import must reside in the IMPORT folder so the system can find them. The system puts your data extracts in the EXPORT folder. The system puts your reports in the REPORTS folder.

Files are removed from the FTP site after 21 days.

What You Do

You use a third-party FTP client to access files on the ExactTarget enhanced FTP server. If you want secure file transmission, choose a utility that supports SFTP, rather than a browser, to transfer the files. For example, FileZilla and CuteFTP are third-party FTP utilities. See the documentation for your FTP client for instructions on how to install the client, log in to the enhanced FTP site with your username and password, and transfer files using SFTP.

The names of files that you transfer with enhanced FTP cannot contain restricted characters:

\ / : * < > | ? "

Why Use Enhanced FTP

You can use your enhanced FTP folder to import data into lists and data extensions in the ExactTarget application. For example, you could create an automated process to put an updated subscriber list in your folder in the enhanced FTP server and then create a program to import the subscribers from the file into your system. You must use enhanced FTP if you use the file transfer activity.

You can use your enhanced FTP folder to export data from your application database. For example, some reports are too resource-intensive to print to the screen, so you can instruct the system to put the report file in your folder in the enhanced FTP server for you to retrieve later.

You must use enhanced FTP in order to use the full reporting functionality in the ExactTarget application. Some reports take too much time to run to display within the application and create files that are too large to attach to email messages. Enhanced FTP provides a place for the application to put the report for you to retrieve later.

You must use enhanced FTP in order to use data extract functionality. Data extract allows you to pull data from your application database to review and use with other applications. Enhanced FTP provides a place for the application to put the data for you or another application to retrieve.

You can use enhanced FTP with the API to automate file transfers.

How to Prepare to Use Enhanced FTP

1. Determine whether you'll need to use enhanced FTP. Enhanced FTP is required for the following tasks:

  • Importing lists from the FTP server
  • Exporting information from the application database to the FTP server
  • Running reports available in the ExactTarget application interface
  • Using the file retrieval activity
  • Extracting data from the application database

2. Contact ExactTarget to enable enhanced FTP for your account.
ExactTarget creates a private folder for your organization with a user ID and password. This task may not be able to be completed immediately.

3. Select a third-party FTP utility that supports SFTP to use to interact with the enhanced FTP server.

4. Configure your FTP utility to access the enhanced ftp server at the following location with your user ID and password that you received in step 2. These are not the same user ID and password that you use to log into the ExactTarget application:

How to Transfer a File to or from the Enhanced FTP Server

Before you can perform this procedure, you must configure your system to use enhanced FTP. See How to Prepare to Use Enhanced FTP. You use a third-party FTP utility to access the enhanced FTP Server. See the FTP utility documentation for specific steps.

  1. You use your third-party FTP utility to connect to the ExactTarget enhanced FTP server.
  2. Put files to import into the system in the IMPORT folder
  3. Get files exported from the system from the EXPORT folder.
  4. Get reports from the REPORTS folder.

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