Many HRIS systems allow automating the exporting of your users and storing it in a CSV on a FTP server. Through this automation, you can continuously import new users into SkyPrep.
The FTP/SFTP integration is a generic file-based one-way user synchronization workflow designed to continuously keep user data in SkyPrep up to date using CSV exports from an external source system (for example, an HRIS or employee management system such as ADP Lyric).
Your external system acts as the source of truth for user data that periodically exports CSV files containing user information. Those files are uploaded to SkyPrep via FTP or SFTP, where SkyPrep reads and processes the data to:
• Create new users
• Update existing users
• Deactivate users
• Reactivate users
• Update groups and profile fields
• Apply other configured import rules
This allows organizations to automate ongoing user synchronization between their external system and SkyPrep without requiring manual user management.
In a typical setup:
1. Your source system generates a CSV export containing user data.
2. Your source system or automation tool transfers the file to SkyPrep using FTP or SFTP.
3. SkyPrep receives the uploaded file in the configured inbound directory.
4. SkyPrep validates, ingests, and processes the file according to your configured mapping and import rules.
5. Updated user data becomes available within SkyPrep after processing completes.
Responsibility Boundaries
This integration uses a generic FTP/SFTP transfer workflow rather than a vendor-specific managed integration.
Because of this:
• Your source system (or automation provider) is responsible for:
◦ Generating the export file
◦ Scheduling the export
◦ And successfully transferring the file to SkyPrep via FTP/SFTP
• SkyPrep is responsible for:
◦ Receiving the uploaded file
◦ Validating and ingesting the data
◦ Processing the import according to your configured rules
Important Notes About Processing
• Uploading a file does not immediately update users in SkyPrep.
• Imported files are processed on a scheduled interval throughout the day.
• Depending on timing, there may be a delay between file upload and user updates appearing within SkyPrep.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you are using a third-party system (such as an HRIS provider) and the automated transfer is not working as expected:
• Try manually uploading the same CSV file using FileZilla or another FTP/SFTP client.
• If the manual upload succeeds and the file processes correctly in SkyPrep, this generally confirms:
◦ the SkyPrep endpoint is reachable
◦ the credentials are valid
◦ and the ingestion pipeline is functioning
In these cases, the issue is often related to the third-party automation or transfer configuration rather than the SkyPrep ingestion system itself.
In summary, you can refer to the chart below.
CSV Format
The CSV file needs to be comma delimited and use either the UTF-8 or ASCII formats.
Users should be added in rows while their properties are added in columns. You can use any headers you want as long as the users' email, first name, and last name are included.
Below is an example of a basic CSV sheet — if you need to add additional properties such as their company or address, add them to as headers in new columns.
In SkyPrep, click on the Settings button in the upper-right then click on Integrations.
Find the FTP CSV User Import integration and click the Add To SkyPrep button, set the toggle to Enabled to turn the integration on.
Copy the Hostname, Username and Password.
Note the Port you want to use, with 21 for FTP and 22 for SFTP, as well as the Directory if your FTP application requires it.
Complete the connection between your service and SkyPrep and use (S)FTP to transfer CSV file to SkyPrep.
By default, the most recently uploaded CSV will used for any user creations or updates. If you want to restrict this to only certain CSVs, you can use Filename to specify the filename that the CSV needs to have in order for the user changes to take effect. However, we recommend overwriting a single CSV file rather than uploading new ones.
Back in SkyPrep's FTP CSV User Import page, navigate to the Data Mapping tab. If the file transferred successfully, you will find that your headers have been added as choices for the Primary and Secondary dropdown values, with the Secondary being used in the event that the Primary is blank.
Map the fields to your Custom Labels accordingly, ensuring that at least Email, First name and Last name have values associated with them, and click Update Rules.
In the Import Rules tab, set up custom rules to either skip or import users that match specific criteria.
For example, you could skip importing any users that have a termination date specified in their CSV file. Click Save Rules when you're done.
Finally, back in the Settings tab of the integration, you can set the key behavior of the integration.
Termination Date Action lets you disable the SkyPrep account of users who have a termination date saved, preventing them from being able to log in.
Enable Email Notifications on New User Creation enables email notifications for users created via FTP. If disabled, added users will not receive any emails from your platform unless their emails are enabled afterwards within the platform.
Remove Users from Groups will unenroll users from groups that are not included in the CSV value that is mapped to the Groups SkyPrep property.
Deactivate Users will prevent users from logging in if they are no longer included in the CSV.
Reactivate Terminated Users will restore their SkyPrep access if their termination date value is no longer included in the CSV file.
Deactivate existing users who do not match import rules will deactivate the accounts of users who no longer match the import rules set in the Import Rules column.
Update the profiles of existing deactivated users will allow deactivated accounts to still have their information updated according to the FTP file. Without this option enabled, changes to a user in the FTP will not affect the user's account if the account is disabled.