Disclaimer: Merge is rolling out SFTP for select platforms. We’ve outlined what will be included in the beta release below. If you opt-into this feature we will maintain close support and communication but please expect bugs as we partner to improve this feature for you. SFTP is available to Professional and Enterprise Plan customers.
Overview of the beta tester program
Being a beta customer for SFTP means:
There may be bugs, but we will prioritize your feedback + quickly iterate & improve the SFTP offering with you
Shared Slack channel
Co-marketing opportunities
What is SFTP?
SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol. It’s how your customers can transfer files and reports between data providers, systems like ADP & Workday, and Merge. This is crucial for tasks like onboarding, where sensitive information such as personal details, tax forms, and identity documents need to be securely shared and integrated into the system. Using SFTP ensures that this data is encrypted during transfer, protecting it from unauthorized access or interception.
Note: Manual CSV Upload is just another way of File Transfer (SFTP is more automatic). Manual CSV Upload will be supported in the next iteration of this feature.
Why connect to my customers’ platforms via SFTP rather than API?
We recommend using Merge’s API integrations for secure, real-time data transfer. This is the best way to provide your B2B application with the most up-to-date employment data possible. However there are cases where SFTP may be your customers’ preferred method of data transfer:
API Restrictions: Some systems like Rippling require payment for API functionality. SFTP is often accessible without additional costs.
Security: Some security teams have pre-approved SFTP, enabling a quicker and smoother integration process especially if they are new to API-based integrations.
Data Privacy: With SFTP your customers have full control over what data they share with you through Merge.
Familiarity: Administrators are often already familiar and experienced with setting up SFTP integrations.
On-Prem Server Compatibility: API integrations aren’t always available for many on-prem customer systems, in those cases SFTP is a useful alternative
How does Merge’s SFTP connection work?
In Merge Link, your customers will get instructions on how to
Set up a secure connection between their platform and Merge
Generate a report in their platform with all of the information they wish to share
Schedule a report to be sent at a specified cadence, e.g. daily, to Merge
In Merge Dashboard, you can
Manage SFTP connections which will appear in the form of Linked Accounts
Interact with SFTP Linked Accounts similarly to how you would interact with API based integrations e.g., make requests to Merge to retrieve data
Tip! We recommend including Worker Status as a field in your report. Merge treats each report as a full set of employees.
If an employee that previously was in the report is missing in the next sync we will mark that employee as deleted in Merge
If a given employee has status as terminated we will also mark the employment status as terminated
Merge does not assume deleted employees mean terminated employees
Additionally supported features:
Full data sync with each report
Custom fields
SFTP Logs
Generation of SFTP connection credentials
What platforms will be supported?
We are initially focused on selective integrations.
Our initial support of SFTP platforms will include ADP, Workday, UKG Pro and Hibob. We will be expanding to more platforms on a rolling basis. Please reach out to your support representative to request specific platforms.
How will we charge for SFTP?
A connection through Merge SFTP will be considered a standard Production Linked Account. This is available on our Enterprise Plan.
What can we expect in the future?
We will improve quality and expand coverage of SFTP to all platforms and Merge categories. We will also include high demand platforms that don’t have API based connections.
Additional features include:
Advanced data validation
Deletion detection and support for full sync vs partial sync (update)
CSV Upload directly from Merge Link and programmatically via API
Custom test data generation
Field Mapping
End user data preparation