Autoload Information
Autoloads are dependent on having Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) access to the Interfolio servers. Please fill out this form in order to be granted access. This can be done prior to or in conjunction with the request for autoload setup. For autoload planning, please complete the client data survey form available upon request.
Users with access to the SFTP can download, edit, and reupload the file directly to change the recipient of the notification email.
Base Data Type Autoload Order
- Units
- Faculty
- Faculty Classifications
- Course Prefixes
- Courses
- Courses Taught
Autoload Information
Supported Autoloads
| Base Data Files |
FC files should include the following: - Column 1: Starting term (e.g., Fall, Spring, Summer) as per the University’s database settings. It may be different for the University. - Column 2: Starting calendar year (YYYY). - Column 3: Ending term (e.g., Fall, Spring, Summer) as per the University’s database settings. t may be different for the University. - Column 4: Ending calendar year (YYYY).
Courses Taught files should include the following: - Column 1: Term (e.g., Fall, Spring, Summer) as per the University’s database settings. It may be different for the University. - Column 2: Calendar year (YYYY). |
|---|---|
| Activity Data Files |
|
Coming Soon
- Degrees
- Other Institutional Service
- Institutional Committees
- Work Experience
- Attachments
Files will be processed if they:
- Are in the required file format (.csv or .txt)
- Are in the required column order (based on the setup in the database)
- Have been SFTP'd into the autoload folder for a given database
Notifications (logs) will be sent after file processing is completed or if there are issues with file processing and it cannot be completed. When submitting a request for autoload setup, please provide the email address(es) for those who should receive these notifications.
Supported Files and Naming Conventions
Faculty180_<upload_type>_<yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>_<sequence>.csv
- Example: Faculty180_CoursesTaught_2015-08-11_01.csv
- This indicates a Courses Taught file to be uploaded and was the first upload file of this type received on 2015-08-11
- If a second Courses Taught was to be sent on the same day, the sequence would change: : Faculty180_coursestaught_2015-08-11_02.csv
| Available Upload Types for Base Data | ||
|---|---|---|
| Supported Import | <upload_type> | Example Filename |
| Faculty | faculty | faculty180_faculty_2019-08-11_01.csv |
| Faculty Classifications | facultyclassifications | faculty180_facultyclassifications_2019-08-11_01.csv |
| Current Positions | current positions | faculty180_currentpositions_2019-08-11_01.csv |
| Course Prefixes | prefix | faculty180_prefix_2019-08-11_01.csv |
| Courses | courses | faculty180_courses_2019-08-11_01.csv |
| Courses Taught | courses taught | faculty180_coursestaught_2019-08-11_01.csv |
| Available Upload Types for Non-Base Data | ||
|---|---|---|
| Supported Import | <upload_type> | Example Filename |
| Scholarship | abstract, book, digitalmedia, journalarticle, etc | Faculty180_<upload type>_<yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>_<sequence>.csv |
| Grants | Award | Faculty180_award_<yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>_<sequence>.csv |
| Grants | Proposal | Faculty180_proposal_<yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>_<sequence>.csv |
| Grants | Proposal (if providing collaborator file) | Faculty180_proposal_collaborator_<yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>_<sequence>.csv |
| Grants | Award (if providing collaborator file) | Faculty180_award_collaborator_<yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>_<sequence>.csv |
| Custom Section | Most file types within FAR* | Faculty180_sectionname_<yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>_<sequence>.csv |
Time of Import
| Base Data | Scholarship & Grants | Custom Sections |
|---|---|---|
| Imports are scheduled for processing at 3:30 AM EDT/EST daily. If no files are found of the file does not match system requirements, then an import will not occur. | Import schedules can be customized upon request. By default, the system checks for files on the 1st, 10th, 20th, and 30th of the month. |
Custom Sections are most sections in FAR. Import schedules can be customized upon request. By default, the system checks for files on the 5th, 15th, and 25th of the month. When editing an input form, each section will display either 'Reorder' for Default sections or 'Custom Section Reorder' for custom sections. |
File Location
- All files will be located in a directory created by Faculty Activity Reporting (FAR, Faculty180).
- Each database will then have a subdirectory under the autoload directory. (For example, /autoload/databasename/).
- Supported file types are .csv (comma-delimited) and .txt (tab-delimited) only.
The following formats are not supported and should not be included:
- .doc
- .docx
- xls
- .xlsx
- subdirectories, etc.
- For base data: /autoload/databasename/
- For all other data types (scholarly, grants, custom sections): /incoming/databasename/
| Action/Folder |
Description |
|---|---|
|
autoload Do not direct files here. |
First level subdirectory. |
| [database ID] | Production database directory for base data autoload (only files for faculty, current position, faculty classification, prefix, courses, courses taught). Auto load has to be set up in order to support this processing. Please reach out to Interfolio-support@elsevier.com if your autoloads need to be set up or reconfigured. |
| notification.txt |
After autoload file processing in [database], notifications are sent to the email addresses that have been added here. Note: users can edit the addresses directly at any time by downloading the file, making the necessary edits, and re-uploading. Individual addresses should be followed by a line break. Please do not edit/delete the @interfolio.com address listed. |
|
incoming Do not direct files here. |
All non-base data files, such as grants, advising, professional development, and more, that are not supported by the base-data autoload.
|
| [database ID] |
Files from the client will be directed here if the file is to be loaded into production. Examples: grants, advising, scholarship, etc. |
| /[data type] | Options include /custom, /scholarly, /grants, /degrees. |
| old_files | After processing non-base data files into production, those files will be placed here. |
|
outgoing Do not direct files here. |
Interfolio use only. Any non-base data files that are not supported by the base data autoload), such as file logs, Interfolio-generated file extracts (limited scope). |
| logs | Non-base-data processed file logs - recent version Examples: grants, advising, scholarship, etc. |
| old_logs | Non-base data processed file logs - older versions. |
|
processed Do not direct files here. |
Base data autoload files are moved here after processing. Only files for faculty, current position, faculty classification, prefix, courses, and courses taught. |
| [database ID] | Base-data autoloads processed into production. |
Base Data Upload Configuration
Non-base data files (except for grants) are not supported for autoloading at this time.
To set up autoloads review file processing settings:
- Navigate to File Configuration to configure the Upload Form.
- Navigate to File Settings to conduct Bulk Data Uploads.
Note that base-data autoload settings require an Interfolio System Administrator to save the settings. Please submit a support request for assistance in setting up the base-data autoload feature. If changes to the saved settings are needed, please submit a support request for assistance.
Notifications
For Base Data, each directory under /autoload/ will have a file titled 'notification.txt.' This file will hold, the email addresses (one per line) of people who should be notified upon completion of autoload processing. These emails will contain information on the upload, including counts of new, duplicate, and failed records as well as a list of lines that were duplicate or failed. Emails in this file could include FAR administration or the entity that creates files for automatic upload. Please do not remove the @interfolio.com address included in the notification.txt file.
Notifications for all Non-Base Data data types are configured by Interfolio's Technical Services team. If you wish to make changes to the recipient list, please contact Interfolio-support@elsevier.com.
Deleting Activity & Profile Data in Bulk
As part of your institution’s process for loading data in bulk to Interfolio, you may wish to bulk delete previously bulk-imported data. For example, for grants data, you may wish to delete proposals once they have turned into awards, or an institution’s data administrator may wish to correct erroneous data uploaded to our system in bulk . Alternatively, you may wish to delete all bulk-loaded data except for a known set of records. Both are now possible via the Interfolio Data Machine (IDM).
Supported Data Types: Custom sections, Grants, Scholarship.
Interested in implementing an automated bulk deletion into your institution’s workflow? Reach out to our Technical Services team (Data Integration Services) via a ticket to interfolio-support@elsevier.com. Provide the name of the FAR section for which you’d like to delete data (if known).
In order for records to be deleted in this workflow, the following requirements must be met:
- They must have been previously bulk loaded via Technical Services or the IDM.
- The file must follow the naming & format conventions outlined below.
Naming Conventions
- Records to Delete: faculty180_[name of section]_DELETE_yyyy-mm-dd.csv
All records in this file will be deleted.
- Records to Keep: faculty180_[name of section]_RETAIN_yyyy-mm-dd.csv
All records not specified in this file will be deleted. Only the included records will be retained.
SFTP Location
Place the ‘Delete’ or ‘Retain’ CSV in the same SFTP location as the corresponding bulk data file (for example, /incoming/grants).
Timing
- The ‘Delete’ file will be processed before the primary file, when both are present.
- By default, both files will need to be present in order for the Delete file to process: the primary file, and the deletion file.
- The ‘Retain’ file will be processed before the primary file, when both are present.
- By default, both files will need to be present in order for the Retain file to process: the primary file, and the retention file.
- If more than one ‘Delete’ file is present, IDM will process only the most recent, based on the date in the file name.
- If more than one ‘Retain’ file is present, IDM will process only the most recent, based on the date in the file name.
- Our system will check for the file at the same time as your regular cadence for the data type in question.
File Format
All files must be UTF-8-encoded CSVs
- Grants section:
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
| <Award Record ID> | <Faculty ID> |
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
| <Proposal Record ID> | <Faculty ID> |
- Scholary & Custom sections:
| Column 1 | Column 2 |
| <Record ID> | <Faculty ID> |
Template Files
FAQs
What happens when a file is processed?
For Supported Base Data Autoload Types that Meet Requirements
- After processing, files are moved from the autoload folder to the processed folder.
- Unprocessed files (those that do not meet requirements) remain in the autoload folder. The system will continue to try to process the bad file.
- Please review the notifications that are sent. These failed files will be noted and the file should be deleted from the directory folder.
For Supported Non-Base-Data Autoload Types that Meet Requirements
- After processing, files are moved to a folder within the same directory called /old_files.
- Unprocessed files (those that do not meet requirements) remain in the /incoming folder.
- Please review the notifications that are sent and the outgoing logs for more details. These failed files will be noted and the file(s) should be removed from the directory folder or modified to meet requirements.
What happens when file modifications are needed?
For Supported Base Data Autoload Types
- It is possible to start with a file that only has the required data field and then add additional fields as needed.
- This will require a change to the setup. Please submit a support request before making changes to the current file.
For Supported Non-Base Data Autoload Types
- Contact the Technical Services team via Interfolio-support@elsevier.com
What is the threshold for the “delete” or “retain” file and can it be customized?
- By default, our system will not process the records of a “delete” or “retain” file if the number of impacted records exceeds 50% of the total data previously loaded in bulk to the section in question.
- This threshold can be adjusted up or down according to your institution's needs.