Importing from SFTP to SharePoint and other cloud storage

Couchdrop’s managed file transfer platform provides the ability to automatically poll a location daily, weekly, or monthly and pull down files to another location, as well as perform actions on these files. A scenario could be automatically importing from an SFTP server to a SharePoint site, or pulling files from Google Drive and importing them into an Azure Blob storage bucket.

Configuring Couchdrop’s automated file import

For this scenario we will automatically pull files from an SFTP server on a daily basis and import them into a SharePoint site. We'll also cover how to add variables to filenames. 

This process takes four steps and can be done in minutes

• Step 1 - Register for a Couchdrop account
• Step 2 - Configure SFTP server
• Step 3 - Connect SharePoint site
• Step 4 - Configure automation

Register for a Couchdrop account

First, you'll need to register for an account with Couchdrop. When you sign up, you'll get 14 days to evaluate the product with no credit card required so you can test importing from SFTP to SharePoint or other cloud storage and make sure it meets your requirements. 

Configure SFTP server

Couchdrop can import files directly into cloud storage, but for this guide we will important files from an external SFTP server. Much like any traditional SFTP server, you need a hostname, port, username, and either a password or private key. You can also specify a subpath.

Connect SharePoint site

Next, connect to your SharePoint site. Connecting to SharePoint is simple and only requires you to specify SharePoint Domain and configure the folder the storage will appear as within Couchdrop. You can also specify a SharePoint Document Library. 

Configure automation

• Within Couchdrop, navigate to Transfer Automations. 
• Provide it a name (SFTP to SharePoint)
• Set the interval to poll
• Specify the source path, in this case, we would use the SFTP mount point we configured earlier. You can also specify subfolders
• Set the conditions, in this case any file under the SFTP destination
• Set an action. Couchdrop has several actions that can be performed on files such as copying, renaming, moving, encryption, and firing a webhook. There are also variable options such as {EXISTING_NAME} and {TIMESTAMP} so you can dynamically rename files to suit the setup in your destination. 
• Specify any email notification alerts, such as an email when the operation is a success or failure. 
• Save the configuration

Testing the import from SFTP to SharePoint automation

Before setting the automation to active, it's helpful to test that the automation works as expected. To test the automation, go to Transfer Automations and choose the newly-created automation from the list and then click the three dots and choose to trigger the workflow. 

Ready to try it out for yourself? You can sign up for a free trial now and start moving files in minutes.