Automated file flows

Connections

A connection says where Instica reads and writes files: an SFTP server, an Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage bucket, or an Azure Blob container. Credentials are encrypted at rest and are never shown again.

Every connection goes out through Instica's secure outbound proxy to public addresses only. For SFTP, generate a key in Instica, add its public half to your server, test the connection and confirm the host key fingerprint. Instica refuses to connect if the server's key later changes.

For Azure, paste a container SAS URL with list, read, write and delete permission. Instica keeps the token as a credential and uses only the host and container name from the URL.

Flows

A flow imports or exports files on a five-field cron schedule in the time zone you choose, or only when you press Run now. Inbound flows read matching files from a folder, import each file once (a file with the same contents is skipped), and then move it to a processed folder, delete it, or leave it.

Rows that fail validation do not stop the file. The accepted rows are saved and the rejected rows come back in an error file you can download from the run.

• Inbound: sales volumes or SKU CSV, report files and catalog files, as CSV or XLSX.
• Outbound: evidence ZIP, full export, a warehouse snapshot as CSV or Parquet, the audit log as JSON lines, and accrual journals.
• A failed run is retried after one, five and fifteen minutes. After five failures in a row the flow pauses and the owner is emailed. Resume it once the cause is fixed.

Email and HTTPS upload

Each organization has an import address. Email a CSV or XLSX file to it from a member's address and it is imported like any other file. Mail from anyone else is held in quarantine until an administrator releases it, and you can allow a sender or a whole domain. Rotating the address retires the old one.

You can also send a file with a single HTTPS request to the upload endpoint, authenticated with an API key.

Feeds for BI tools

A feed key opens one read-only feed: volumes, SKUs, measurements, fees or obligations. The key is shown once. Use the CSV link in Google Sheets with IMPORTDATA, or the OData link in Power Query. OData supports $filter, $select, $top and $skip.

Every read is logged with the time, format, row count and client address, and a key can be revoked at any time. Cells that could be read as spreadsheet formulas are neutralized.

Records

Creating, changing and deleting connections, flows, feed keys and the import address are written to the audit log. Runs raise file_flow.run.succeeded, file_flow.run.failed and file_flow.run.paused webhook events.