Managed File Transfer (MFT) — Routing files to different folders

Removing confusion and making your clients lives easier by having them upload all of their files to a single location to then have them routed, or filed, to different locations depending on conditions is a huge plus when it comes to managed file transfer solutions. The different locations can be within the same storage backend, or a completely different cloud depending on governance or your requirements.

We will look at customers using the likes of SFTP or a secure web portal to upload files to a single directory. Then using Couchdrop’s file automation workflows, we will then route each file to a different directory within different storage providers.

This scenario has the following base configuration:

• customeralpha-reports folder in SharePoint
• customeralpha-backup folder in SharePoint

SharePoint folders to be used with file automation

• customeralpha/finance folder in Box

Finance sub-folder within Box for file automation

• customeralpha-import folder using Couchdrop’s hosted storage

A configured import folder within Couchdrop’s hosted storage

• An SFTP/web portal user called ‘companyalpha’ whose root directory is the import folder above and has only write access.

User configuration for file automation test user

The expectation is that companyalpha will upload three files to their root folder (the import folder). Based on these filenames, each file will be sent to its respective folder across the different storage endpoints and the original files will be moved to a backup folder with a timestamp added.

With the above created, we can now configure the appropriate workflows.

Reports workflow

You can see from the below that we have configured it so that when the user companyalpha uploads a file called report.xlsx it is duplicated into the existing SharePoint folder, as well the original is moved into the SharePoint backup folder with a timestamp appended.

Reports example workflow

Finance workflow

You can see from the below that we have configured it so that when the user companyalpha uploads a file called finance.csv it is duplicated into the existing Box sub-folder, as well the original is moved into the SharePoint backup folder with a timestamp prefix.

Box example workflow with SharePoint backup included

Testing the workflow

• Using SFTP we have uploaded the two files separately.

Using SFTP to upload files as test user

• When checking Couchdrop’s audit log you can see the file operations that have taken place.

Couchdrop audit log showing workflow

• Couchdrop hosted import folder

Confirming no files reside in the import folder (as they have been moved to the backup)

• SharePoint Report folder

Confirming the report folder has made it to the correct SharePoint directory.

• Box Finance sub-folder

Confirming that the finance.csv file has ended up in the correct Box sub-folder

• SharePoint backup folder

Finally checking that the backup files were uploaded into the SharePoint backup folder and were prefixed with a timestamp.

For more information, support or to get started with your own file automation, go to https://couchdrop.io.